A CITY councillor has slammed the “ridiculous” visa processing waits for Ukrainians trying to get into England.

Alistair McNair travelled to Kremenchuk in Central Ukraine to bring back his mother-in-law to England who is “not mobile” enough to travel by herself.

The 45-year-old said the journey was “quite something” and told of hearing “eerie” air raid sirens while out walking, witnessing machine gun-manned roadblocks and sitting on trains with blackout curtains to avoid being targeted by Russian attacks.

The Conservative councillor for Patcham would like entry into Britain to be faster, stating that visa processing times for family he has applied for have been up to two weeks.

The Argus: From left, Tetiana’s cousin Lena, her uncle, her seven-year old niece Lisa, Tetiana and Alistair From left, Tetiana’s cousin Lena, her uncle, her seven-year old niece Lisa, Tetiana and Alistair

As of March 31, the government has received 65,000 visa applications and issued 29,200 visas for people to either come to the UK or extend their stay in the country.

But of those 29,200, just 4,700 visas have been granted as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme out of 32,200 applications as of Thursday, March 31.

Last week, a pastor from Brighton on the border of Poland and Ukraine also criticised the waiting times faced for Ukrainians trying to flee.

Alistair said: “My wife thought that there would be war so we got my mother-in-law a visa in December but she didn’t want to come.

The Argus: From left, Tetiana, her mother Tamara, her aunt Lina and her cousin Leonid parting ways in KremenchukFrom left, Tetiana, her mother Tamara, her aunt Lina and her cousin Leonid parting ways in Kremenchuk

“I applied for a visa for my wife’s aunt, the paperwork in England was relatively easy. But you have to come to Poland to a visa centre. In Poland, this is taking 10 to 14 days to get processed, which is ridiculous.

“If you want to go to Ireland, they put you on a plane no questions asked, find you a hotel room and you’re there. If you want to go to England, it’s expensive to get here and you have to get processed. It takes days and days which is ridiculous.

“So we’re not a popular destination as far as I can see. My wife has friends in Slovakia, Denmark and other countries.

The Argus: Alistair in KremenchukAlistair in Kremenchuk

“The experience on the ground in Poland is that England is very difficult to get to.

“Most people are staying in Poland because they’re hoping to go back soon. The language is similar to Ukrainian, culturally it’s similar. They have a long history together.”

The Home Office said it has “made changes” to the forms people have been filling out to speed up the visa process.

The Argus: A Ukrainian family waiting at the Polish border last weekA Ukrainian family waiting at the Polish border last week

The Home Office told The Argus last week: “We are moving as quickly as possible to ensure that those fleeing horrific persecution in Ukraine can find safety in the UK, setting up both the Ukraine family scheme and now the homes for Ukraine scheme which allows those without family connections to come here.  

“We have streamlined the visa application process so valid passport holders no longer have to attend in-person appointments before arriving and made changes to the forms people have to fill out in order to help people through the process as quickly as possible.

“Support is available to applicants through our free 24/7 helpline and in Visa Application Centres.”