Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to minimise the time taken to process visas for teenagers in Ukraine who plan to travel with a legal guardian.

We have received thousands of applications submitted to one of the fastest and largest visa programmes in UK history.

The Home Office has reallocated staff across its operations to meet demand and minimise any delays, and other government departments have loaned staff to assist.

Staff in the UK are working seven days a week to process applications as quickly as possible.

Where we have applications from family groups, we would look to group these decisions together, so families receive decisions wherever possible at the same time.

As part of the Home Office’s commitment to make it easier for applicants to apply to our schemes, since 15 March, Ukrainians with valid passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.

Unaccompanied minors are only eligible under the Homes for Ukraine scheme if they are reuniting with a parent or legal guardian in the UK – this is outlined in the Immigration Rules, however, the eligibility of all the Ukraine schemes is kept under review.