Ukraine ambassador describes 'hassle' of UK visas

Ukraine's ambassador to the UK has criticised the "bureaucratic" nature of the visa system, saying his own wife faced issues getting her documents.

Vadym Prystaiko told a committee of MPs that he understood the government had "strict immigration policies".

But he said the system had been a "hassle" for a "long, long, long time".

Mr Prystaiko appealed to MPs to drop visa rules for Ukrainians for a limited period to allow refugees to get out of the country as Russia invades.

The government has come under criticism over the limited number of visas it has granted to those fleeing the war.

On Wednesday morning, the number sat at 700, despite the UN saying over two million people had left the country.

But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK was stepping up the pace of admissions for Ukrainians.

Appearing before the Home Affairs Committee, Mr Prystaiko was asked about reports of difficulties for Ukrainians accessing visa application centres in Calais.

But the ambassador said problems with such centres "is the issue we had... with you [from] a long, long, long time ago, even before the war".

He said the old system saw Ukrainians being able to get UK visas from a centre in Kyiv, but added: "[As] the biggest by territory nation in Europe, even travelling to one particular place was a hassle already."

Mr Prystaiko said the government then moved the centre to Poland and then to the UK itself.

"To process visas, it was always bureaucratic," he said. "Even when I was coming here as ambassador, I got my visa on time [but] although I was already approved by your government, my wife didn't have [hers].

"So even [with] simple things like that, [the] bureaucracy is so tough."

But the ambassador said he hoped when it came to the war, things could change, if only for a short time.

Mr Prystaiko said over seven million people had now been displaced as a result of the war with Russia.

And while he said few Ukrainians would want to move away from their "natural home" near "Slavic tribes" in Eastern Europe, and the government hoped to welcome them home soon to "rebuild", he asked MPs if they could "vote for some temporary releasing of us from the rules to allow people to get here".

He told MPs he knew immigration was a "very sensitive" issue in the UK, and any changes was "frankly for you to decide".

But he added: "I would be happy if all the barriers are dropped for some period of time when we can get maximum people, then we will deal with that and my embassy is here to help."

Tory MP Tim Loughton - who sits on the committee - expressed his own frustrations with the Home Office over delays, accusing the department of being "rather slow".

He added: "Some of us would like the home secretary to send some planes… and bring back planeloads of mostly mums with young children, and then sort out the bureaucracy and the paperwork in the UK".

But the ambassador instead referenced Ukraine's appeal to Nato to introduce a no-fly zone over the country, replying: "If you want to send planes, send F16s."