‘Appalled’ Ukrainian-born lecturer at Portsmouth University ‘gives up bringing his mother and sister to Britain due to Home Office red tape’ as 12-year-old refugee’s visa application is ‘terminated after government error’
- Andrii Zharikov, 30, is a senior lecturer at the Hampshire university’s law faculty
- He has given up on idea of bringing his sister, Anna-Maria Zharikova, 19, and mother, Tetyana Zharikova, 53, to UK
- Academic said although UK Government has offered to let Ukrainians bring family members here, it doesn’t apply to people like himself who have work visas
- His 55-year-old father Victor, a history teacher with no military training, had chosen to remain in Kyiv where he has joined the self-defence territorial forces
- Comes as Anastasia Marunich, a 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee, had her visa application to come to the UK ‘terminated’ due to an error by the Government
A Ukrainian-born lecturer at the University of Portsmouth has said he is ‘appalled’ at the Government’s handling of visas for war refugees from his country.
Andrii Zharikov, a senior lecturer at the Hampshire university’s law faculty, said he had given up on the idea of bringing his sister, Anna-Maria Zharikova, 19, and mother, Tetyana Zharikova, 53, to the UK because of red-tape restrictions.
He explained that although the UK Government has offered to allow Ukrainians to bring family members here, it does not apply to people who have relatives with work visas, like himself.
The 30-year-old said: ‘I was appalled by the way it has been presented with the Government saying it has an open door policy, but the scope is very, very limited.
‘I am very grateful for the EU approach and know my family will stay in the EU because of this and they are better off there, and I will do my best to look after them by sending money.’
Meanwhile, a 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee has had her visa application to come to the UK ‘terminated’ due to an error by the Government for unknown reasons, her family have said.
Anastasia Marunich applied to come to the UK along with five family members after they fled Cherkasy, on the banks of the Dnieper river in central Ukraine, two weeks ago.
Andrii Zharikov (left), a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth’s law faculty, said he had given up on the idea of bringing his sister, Anna-Maria Zharikova, 19, and mother, Tetyana Zharikova, 53, to the UK because of red-tape restrictions. (Also pictured, Andrii’s sister, mother, and father, Victor, 55)
Meanwhile, Anastasia Marunich (above) – a 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee – has had her visa application to come to the UK ‘terminated’ due to an error by the Government for unknown reasons, her family have said
Mr Zharikov said his father (above), a history teacher with no military training, had chosen to remain in Kyiv where he has joined the self-defence territorial forces
Andrii (left) explained that although the UK Government has offered to allow Ukrainians to bring family members here, it does not apply to people who have relatives with work visas, like himself
Mr Zharikov added there is a huge difference between how the general public in the UK has responded to the war through donations, fundraising and emotional support, and that of the Government’s ‘limited’ visa offering to refugees. (Above, damaged buildings in Kyiv)
But her application – which was aided by her cousin Vitalina Clarke and her husband Callum Clarke – was ‘unable to be concluded’ after she provided biometric data alongside her mother, cousins and aunts at a visa centre in Rzeszow, the largest city in south east Poland, earlier this week.
Mr Zharikov said there is a huge difference between how the general public in the UK has responded to the war through donations, fundraising and emotional support, and that of the Government’s ‘limited’ visa offering to refugees.
Ukrainian refugees are told: Don’t travel to UK until sponsorhip application decision
Ukrainian refugees without UK family members applying for visas under the new sponsorship scheme have been told not to travel to Britain until they have received a decision on their application.
Ukrainian refugees and their sponsors are now able to fill in an online form on Gov.uk under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, which formally launched on Friday.
Those with valid passports who apply under the scheme will receive a permission letter from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) confirming that they can travel to the UK.
Ukrainians without passports will have to submit their biometrics at a visa application centre, where they will receive a visa.
The Government said refugees should not make their own way to the UK before they have received a permission letter or visa.
It said it is prioritising applications under the scheme and aims to make a decision ‘as quickly as possible’.
Guidance published on Friday says that, by completing the online application form on Gov.uk, both the applicant and sponsor have given permission for their data and contact details to be shared for the purpose of checks.
Those who hold a valid Ukrainian passport will not need to attend an appointment at a visa application centre to give their biometrics.
When they reach the UK, they will receive a six-month entry stamp.
They will need to submit their biometrics within this time to extend their stay for up to three years and to receive a residence permit.
Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members, who were living in Ukraine before January 1 this year, will be eligible to apply under the sponsorship scheme.
Relatives who fall under this definition are a spouse or civil partner, unmarried cohabiting partner of at least two years, a fiance/e or proposed civil partner, a child under 18, and a parent of a child who is under 18.
Applicants and sponsors will undergo security and safeguarding checks.
He said his sister had managed to leave Ukraine with the help of a stranger who drove her to the border, before a friend then drove from Amsterdam to collect her and took her to live with him.
She will soon move on to Germany to live with their mother, who left with relatives by refugee train and bus and who has been given somewhere to live for at least six months.
Mr Zharikov said his 55-year-old father Victor, a history teacher with no military training, had chosen to remain in Kyiv where he has joined the self-defence territorial forces.
He said: ‘We have been messaging each other twice a day, I managed to talk to him for like 20 minutes, it made me so happy to hear his voice finally.’
He explained his father’s battalion of volunteers is protecting a major road to the south of the city, checking for suspicious people attempting to enter the capital.
Mr Zharikov said: ‘I think it is better for him to be there than somewhere else. He was always of a patriotic nature and performed his duty to Ukraine.
‘I am so proud of him. I worry about him a lot because you can’t be safe now anywhere, but at least I know he is happy for what he is doing and possibly even safer than at his home doing nothing.’
He said he had considered returning to Ukraine himself to fight but decided he would be more useful to his family to remain working, as he is the only one with a steady income to support them.
Mr Zharikov said he believes the invasion has united the people of Ukraine against Russia.
‘I haven’t seen such consensus in the country. What (Russian President Vladimir) Putin did was dreadful, but the good thing is he united the country, we never had such unity.
‘We need to use this moment to reset our development and get closer links to Europe,’ he said.
He explained the feelings of his father and other members of his battalion are that the Russian army needs to be expelled not only from its recent invasion but also from Crimea and the separatist regions.
He said: ‘From what I see from people on the frontline, they are prepared to stay there. They are not prepared for a ceasefire to allow Russia to regroup and attack again. Russia already violated so many agreements.
‘I don’t think there will be peace soon where both sides will be satisfied.’
Mr Zharikov said he wants to thank the international community for its support, but said more weapons, particularly anti-aircraft defence systems, are needed.
‘Ukraine is standing for certain values, democracy and freedom. We are defending those values,’ he said.
‘We have scenes like Mariupol, a city being besieged like in medieval times, cut off from all supplies and being constantly bombarded with 80 or 90% of buildings destroyed or damaged.
‘If you look at those atrocities, my heart is bleeding because that’s my country, those are places I have been to and I’m seeing them being destroyed.
‘All those atrocities, the reaction should be stronger. Maybe World War Three has already started. Russia will find a pretext if they want to start a wider war anyway.’
Anastasia Marunich’s application – which was aided by her cousin Vitalina Clarke (back row, right) and her husband Callum Clarke (back row, second right) – was ‘unable to be concluded’ after she provided biometric data alongside her mother, cousins and aunts at a visa centre in Rzeszow, the largest city in south east Poland, earlier this week. (Anastasia is in the grey jacket, second from right)
Civilians and members of Ukraine’s territorial defence force look on as smoke rises over the city of Lviv, in the west of Ukraine, after Russian cruise missile strikes early on Friday
The family of 12-year-old Anastasia Marunich, meanwhile, feel ‘abandoned’ by the Home Office after her visa application was ‘terminated’.
Her application – which was aided by her cousin Vitalina Clarke and her husband Callum Clarke – was ‘unable to be concluded’ after she provided biometric data alongside her mother, cousins and aunts at a visa centre in Rzeszow, the largest city in south east Poland, earlier this week.
A Government email sent to Mr Clarke on Friday morning, seen by the PA news agency, said: ‘The UK Decision Making Centre is currently assessing the application submitted by the above named. We are unable to conclude the application at this time as we require additional information.
‘There has been an error on our system which has resulted in us being unable to complete Anastasia Marunich’s application. Please can you re-submit a new application so that we can fully assess her application? We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.
‘When you have submitted her new application can you e-mail her new reference number so that we can deal with her application as quickly as possible.’
The family has already faced issues with their application after being ‘pushed to the back of the queue’ when the visa centre changed from being a walk-in centre to appointment-only.
Mr Clarke told PA: ‘Her application has been terminated. We don’t know what’s going on or why this is happening. It’s really worrying – but what’s also worrying is the fact that they were able to make mistakes in the first place.
‘The other applications are being processed but we don’t know if this means that we’re going to end up in the situation where all the adults and other children have their visas approved at the same time and then we have a child who’s not allowed into the UK.
‘We don’t know if it reorders the queue either and it means we have to reapply for everyone again and travel 250 kilometres back across to Poland to give their fingerprints again.’
The family left Rzeszow earlier this week after completing their biometric data and are currently staying in Krakow while they wait for the response.
‘It’s difficult to say what will happen if they are all approved and Anastasia’s is delayed,’ he said. ‘As a family, we’d like to try and keep at least one or two of us Britons to stay with her and her mum in Poland. We’re not sure if the whole group of nine of us should wait and come back together.
Mr Zharikov said he believes the invasion has united the people of Ukraine against Russia. (Above, a devastated area of Kyiv today)
‘We’re living days at a time at the minute. We didn’t have anywhere to stay on Wednesday and my wife’s company really kindly stepped in and said they would pay for a hotel. We’re in a position where a private business is having to step in because of the Government’s failure basically … we’ve basically been abandoned by the Home Office in Poland at this point.’
He described the situation as ‘stressful’, adding: ‘It prolongs the not knowing. We’ve had delays, which haven’t been our fault, and we don’t know how long anything is going to take when meanwhile we’ve got real people with real lives happening.
‘I’ve got my gran lying in bed in a hotel, and she’s happy to be there, but it’s costing a lot of money to be there and she’s got medications she’s taking that will eventually run out. These are real people with their lives on hold.’
The PA news agency understands that Anastasia will not have to submit her biometrics again and work is under way to resolve the issue.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and the changes we’ve made to the visa process are making it quicker and simpler for Ukrainians to come here, as well as ensuring those already here can stay.
‘Valid passport holders no longer have to attend in-person appointments to submit fingerprints or facial verification, and we have also expanded capacity at our Visa Application Centres to 13,000 appointments per week across Europe to help those without their documentation.
‘This week, the Government’s sponsorship route will open to allow Ukrainians with no family ties to the UK to come here and we will continue to work closely with our Ukrainian partners to deliver the measures we have put in place.’
Ukraine is ‘humbled’ by 150,000 Britons hoping to house refugees
Ukraine is ‘humbled’ by the more than 150,000 Britons who have expressed an interest in housing refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion, the nation’s ambassador to the UK said.
Vadym Prystaiko said it has been a ‘bumpy ride’ getting the Government to set up visa-free travel since Russian president Vladimir Putin launched his war, but welcomed the Homes for Ukraine scheme as it opened for refugee applications on Friday.
Concerns have been raised about the programme’s bureaucracy, safeguarding and resourcing as Ukrainians are matched with British sponsors.
But the ambassador is cautiously optimistic, saying ‘this is a temporary solution but I hope it will work’ as they work on details including school places and jobs, and is hopeful any issues linking refugees with homes can be ‘remedied quite soon’.
Ukraine is ‘humbled’ by the more than 150,000 Britons who have expressed an interest in housing refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion, said Vadym Prystaiko (above), the nation’s ambassador to the UK
In an interview with the PA news agency, he said: ‘We’re in an initial stage of this work but I’m very grateful that the UK Government and citizens are opening up their hearts, and sometimes homes, offering Ukrainians to stay here.
‘I’m humbled by the sheer number of people who are opening up, sometimes just saying, ‘I have a spare room, it’s not even a spare house, or flat, it’s just a spare room.’ This is something that’s very unusual.’
Speaking from the Ukrainian embassy in west London, Mr Prystaiko said that in his discussions with ministers he broadly estimates that between 100,000 and 200,000 Ukrainian will want to temporarily seek refugee in the UK.
More than 150,000 people in Britain had registered their interest in the scheme by Thursday, and refugees who have found a sponsor could start applying on the Government website from Friday.
Those with valid passports who apply under the scheme will receive a permission letter from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) confirming that they can travel to the UK.
Mr Prystaiko also sounded an alarm on Ukraine’s need for further humanitarian aid, as the Kremlin’s troops surround major cities and bombard them with missiles.
And he warned the war could have further effects on the world’s food supplies.
‘Ukraine is a major agricultural producer in the world, if we don’t start planting the grains the world will feel it quite soon, at the end of this year this ripple effect… there will be not enough food not just for Ukrainians, Ukrainians will survive, but for the rest of the world…’ he said.
‘Things like that have to be thought of right now. And humanitarian, the breadbasket of Europe now is begging for food. This is an effect the war is having right now on us.’
He welcomed Britain sending defensive weapons but said ‘we need much more stuff’ as he continued talks with ministers.
Homes for Ukraine scheme allowing kind Britons to give sanctuary to war refugees officially opens TODAY after 150,000 said they wanted to help
By DAVID WILCOCK, Deputy Political Editor For Mailonline
A scheme allowing thousands of kind Britons to open their own homes to Ukrainian war refugees officially opens today after an astonishing 150,000 people said they were willing to help.
Homes for Ukraine aims to match refugees with individuals, charities and other organisations who can provide accommodation for at least six months, enabling those without family ties in Britain to enter the country.
More than 150,000 people in Britain had registered their interest by last night, and refugees who have found a sponsor can apply from Friday.
Homes for Ukraine aims to match refugees with individuals, charities and other organisations who can provide accommodation for at least six months, enabling those without family ties in Britain to enter the country
However, concerns have been raised about red tape, safeguarding and resourcing, with one major charity warning the Government is ‘unleashing chaos’ with the scheme and that refugees could die before they are matched with a sponsor and can safely reach the UK.
Labour said the programme’s ‘excessive bureaucracy’ and ‘DIY nature’ are the greatest barriers to its success, and urged the Government to ‘cut unnecessary paperwork and play an active role in matching sponsors to refugees’.
Meanwhile former health secretary Matt Hancock has suggested the scheme be used as a template in future to offer sanctuary to refugees from around the world.
The Suffolk MP, who plans to take in a family in his constituency home, said the UK needed ‘a permanent system that’s ready to go whenever there’s a crisis somewhere in the world.’
Ministers announced a U-turn on security checks for Britons hosting Ukrainians in their homes last night.
Communities Secretary Michael Gove announced earlier this week that hosts would only have to undergo ‘very light touch’ criminal records checks.
But, in fact, the measures will be significantly tougher, the Government said.
All hosts will now have to undergo a standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which looks at whether they have any convictions.
However, those who intend to welcome children or vulnerable adults into their homes will have to undergo an even more detailed ‘enhanced’ DBS check, which looks at their background more deeply.
A Communities Department spokesman said: ‘It’s not a change in stance. We’ve been working at pace to get this running as quickly as possible.’
Robina Qureshi, director of Positive Action in Housing, claimed the scheme is a ‘smokescreen’ and distraction from what really needs to happen, which she says is the removal of the visa requirement for Ukrainians to come to the UK, as other European countries have done.
She accused the Government of putting charitable organisations in an ‘invidious’ position and foisting the scheme on them without prior consultation, adding that she expects just a ‘trickle’ of refugees to arrive through the scheme because they will have to find people to become sponsors while abroad before they can apply, and then make their own way to the UK.
She said: ‘Are some of the people going to be alive by the time the process has been gone through?
‘They should be letting people in now, but the Government is doing to refugees what they’ve done to the Syrians and to Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust, and what they’re doing is to reduce to an absolute minimum the number of refugees making their way to the UK in the midst of the worst refugee crisis since World War Two.’
Positive Action in Housing, which runs Room for Refugees – the UK’s longest running refugee hosting programme which has been in place since 2002 – is receiving around 40 calls and up to 150 emails an hour from Britons who want to offer accommodation to Ukrainian refugees.
Almost 70 Ukrainian refugee families have registered with the charity, including 60 children and several heavily pregnant women currently in Ukraine, France, Poland, Belgium and Germany.
Ms Qureshi questioned how many people who have expressed an interest via the Government’s website will have to withdraw because they later realise they do not have ‘the physical or mental room’.
She said: ‘We do not have half a hosting program in place.
‘All they’ve got is expressions of interest – they have not identified individuals to match them up… this is an illusion of people helping because they’re distracting from the fact that they haven’t lifted visa restrictions.’
Shadow levelling up and housing secretary, Lisa Nandy, welcomed the scheme’s launch but said there remains a ‘worrying lack of engagement with local councils and charities’.
She said: ‘They stand ready to do their job but, unless the government steps up and provides clear guidance, we risk squandering the amazing generosity of people who have offered to open their homes.
‘Getting Ukrainian families here quickly is vital so they are secure and there is certainty for those welcoming them. The biggest barriers are excessive bureaucracy and the DIY nature of this scheme. The Government needs to cut unnecessary paperwork and play an active role in matching sponsors to refugees.’
A spokeswoman for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: ‘We are moving as quickly as possible to ensure that those fleeing horrific persecution in Ukraine can be found the families and sponsors they need.
‘The Government continues to work closely with non-governmental organisations and local government in order to speed up the process to bring Ukrainians to safety in the UK.’
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