Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the recent allocation of resources to visa application centres, what assessment she has made of when UKVI will have sufficient capacity to tackle the backlog of applications from Ukrainian refugees.

We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand, including from pressures relating to Ukraine. Over 27,000 visas have already been issued under our two schemes to assist Ukrainians fleeing conflict.

The Home Office and the commercial provider operating our Visa Application Centres have surged staff across Europe to meet demand, where we can offer over 13,000 appointments to visa applicants, and UKVI staff in the UK are working seven days a week to process applications.

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.