The Home Office has sparked anger after announcing it will set up a 'pop-up' visa application centre for Ukrainian refugees in Lille - around 70 miles from Calais
"The Home Secretary said 'I have already made it clear in terms of the visa application centre that has now been set up en route to Calais, that we have staff in Calais,'" he said.Two men carry a woman as people flee from advancing Russian troops in the town of Irpin outside KyivA number of other Conservative MPs raised concerns about the speed of the UK scheme's rollout.
Another Conservative MP, Tracey Crouch, said the advice that she had been given was to get Ukrainians to Rzeszow, in Poland, where they could have the necessary biometric data taken for a visa application. Meanwhile, an unmanned desk was pictured by Sky News at an"advice centre" set up in Calais for Ukrainian refugees hoping to escape to the UK.It follows criticism of the UK's refusal to offer visa-free refuge to Ukrainian people fleeingOnly those Ukrainians with close family already in Britain or those able to obtain sponsorship by a third party are allowed to enter the country under the rules.
The Home Office said 10,000 applications for refugees to come to the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme had been submitted since Friday - but that only 500 visas had been issued.