UK issues 3,000 visas to Ukrainians and offers households £350 a month to host refugees

The monthly payment will be given to those offering rooms or homes to people fleeing the Russian invasion

Refugees from Ukraine arrive at Warsaw East train station in Poland on Saturday. EPA

Britain has granted more than 3,000 visas to Ukrainians fleeing the war, a government minister has said, amid fierce criticism of the UK’s sluggish processing of documents for refugees.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said for every Ukrainian refugee it houses and looks after, local authorities would be entitled to more than £10,000. The government has also unveiled details of its “Homes for Ukraine” scheme, saying households who offer sanctuary to Ukrainians fleeing the conflict will be given £350 ($456) per month.

In an interview with Sky News on Sunday, Mr Gove said “more than 3,000 visas” had been issued and said “tens of thousands” of Ukrainians would be eligible to come to the UK through the government’s new sponsorship route.

Last weekend the government was heavily criticised after it emerged that only 50 visas had been granted to Ukrainian citizens.

About 2.7 million people have left Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, according the UN refugee agency.

Announcing the financial help for councils who take in refugees, Mr Gove said: “There’ll be money available for local authorities … there will be just over £10,000 per individual available to local authorities.”

“Then there’ll be additional payments for those children who are of school age and who need to be accommodated within the educational system,” he added.

Mr Gove said the first people using the scheme were expected to arriving in Britain “in a week’s time”.

“People can register their interest on Monday. Matching will be taking place from Friday. I would expect that in a week’s time we’ll see the first people coming here under the scheme.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should be doing more to help refugees, the majority of whom are in countries neighbouring Ukraine.

He called Britain’s existing schemes “too slow, too narrow, too mean”, and said ministers should have started preparing for an influx before the Russian assault on Ukraine was launched.

“The likelihood of an invasion was known weeks ago,” he said. “The Home Office have been far too slow, far too mean in relation to this, and frankly the last few weeks have been an embarrassment for the United Kingdom in the way that it has dealt with refugees.”

Mr Starmer also said ministers should also hit Russia harder with more sanctions.

“Those sanctions, frankly, should have been in place before this invasion started,” he told Sky News, referring to the UK’s punitive measures against Russian oligarchs, politicians and institutions. “I want the government to go further and faster on sanctions.”

The opposition leader had earlier said he would be prepared to host a refugee in his home.

Mr Gove declined to say whether he would follow suit, instead saying he was in the process of “seeking to see what I can do” as an individual to help Ukrainian refugees.

Asked if he would be signing up to offer a room through the government’s new sponsorship scheme, he told Sky News: “I’m going to make sure that I do everything I can as an individual to support. And, again, each individual will have their own circumstances.

“It is the case that something like one in 10 UK citizens, which is an amazing amount, have said that they want to do something to help. But we want to make sure that people are in a position to help, because inevitably it’s a significant commitment.

“I recognise that we need to operate in different ways and in different phases to help people who are fleeing persecution.”

Pressed on whether that meant he would be offering a room, he said: “I’m in the process of seeking to see what I can do, yes.”