More than half of Ukrainian refugees bound for Leeds still stranded abroad as charities criticise visa delays

A total of 620 people fleeing the war-torn country have been matched with a sponsor in the city.

But of those, only 249 have managed to make it to West Yorkshire so far.

And of the remaining refugees waiting to come, more than a third have yet to receive a visa.

Charities have criticised the Government for the delays, with one suggesting officials may be capping the numbers of those coming in.

The Government has strongly denied that is the case and added that visa applications differ in “complexity”.

Although more than 200 Ukrainians have arrived in Leeds in the last four weeks alone, more Leeds locals have come forward to offer shelter to refugees.

Andy Hewett, the head of advocacy at The Refugee Council, said the visa process was “unfit for purpose” and was causing “further anguish” to already traumatised refugees.

Mr Hewett said: “We are hearing reports of several factors which may be preventing refugees from Ukraine reaching the UK, even once a visa has been issued.

“These include long delays in processing the visa, delays in informing the applicants that the visa has been granted, and delays in issuing them with the document that allows them to travel, all of which can result in people being compelled to make alternative arrangements by the time they get the visa.

“Responding to a serious humanitarian crisis by offering complex visa routes, putting paperwork and bureaucracy before people was always going to have tragic consequences.”

Also in news: How to donate to city's official Leeds Together for Ukraine appeal

Homelessness and human rights charity Positive Action on Housing also called for swifter action.

Chief executive Robina Qureshi said: “We suspect that visas have been handed to some – but not all – members of families, thereby holding back whole families and reducing the numbers of arrivals.

“It makes us wonder how these visas are distributed and whether there is a cap on numbers after all.”

The Government has insisted in recent weeks that it has “streamlined” the visa process, with more staff drafted in and forms made simpler.

A spokesperson said: “There is no cap on our Ukraine schemes and it is completely untrue to suggest otherwise.

“In as little as two months we have issued over 107,400 visas, helping Ukrainians displaced from their home country to come to the UK to live, work, study and find stability here.

“Applications from families are normally processed together, but cases differ in complexity and it is vital that robust safeguarding processes are in place to protect children from trafficking and other risks.”