Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman statement on Ukrainian refugee visa chaos

TruePublica received this communication this morning from the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman regarding the Ukrainian refugee crisis and Britain’s woeful response.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has expressed concern over reports of “chaos and confusion” facing refugees trying to apply for a British visa to escape the devastating impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  

UK MPs have told the media they are hearing stories from their constituents that relatives are being turned away from visa centres in Poland, centres are closed in Brussels, and the only available appointments are weeks from now. There have also been reports about lack of clear information over where visa processing centres are located, personal details being lost and visa applications being delayed. 

These reports echo the failings the Ombudsman sees in complaints we receive about the Home Office – processing delays, poor communication, inadequate signposting, and loss of personal information. 

We support calls from MPs across the political spectrum for the Home Office to take immediate action so that those in desperate need get their cases dealt with swiftly. We recommend they do this by: 

• • removing unnecessary delays and bureaucracy in the visa application process 
  • improving the resourcing, efficiency, and transparency of the process. 

Ombudsman Rob Behrens said: 

“Millions of refugees from Ukraine have faced long and harrowing journeys to get to places of safety in Poland, Belgium, France and other countries. They want to be safe and reunited with their family members in the UK as soon as possible. It is vital the Home Office acts to correct failings in its handling of visa applications, especially failings we have previously reported and which we are seeing repeated here. In this horrendous situation swift action is needed to make sure the process of getting a visa is simple, accessible and quick. Lives depend on it.”

We’ve since found out why. Priti Patel ignored warnings that the Home Office contractor which told desperate Ukrainian refugees to wait weeks for visa appointments had the “sole focus” of making a profit and a history of squeezing cash out of applicants – even in life or death situations.

It has emerged (reported HERE) that the home secretary was told by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in November 2021 that TLSContact was so hell-bent on making a profit that its use posed a risk of “reputational damage” to the UK. The firm has been handed government contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds since 2014.

Britain’s response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis has shamed the nation as the vast majority of the public are very much in sympathy with their plight and do not support the posture of this government.

 

 

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