Vigil for Visas: The end of week two. Our story

written by Kitty Hamilton, co-organiser, Vigil for Visas

Tomorrow marks two weeks since we first launched the Vigil for Visas campaign and almost six weeks since I first applied for the visas for my family of three, a mother and two children aged 5 and 17.  

As I write this, I’m on the train to Luton to pick them up. It’s been quite a journey since we realised the scale of the, at best, chaos of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. It started with a whistle blower on LBC radio, explaining that he believed the system was being deliberately slowed and one of several ways in which this was happening was through approving X family visas and leaving others, often children or the elderly, “under consideration”. That very day an email from my MP seemed to prove that theory. The mother had been approved but the children were “under consideration”. And that’s how Vigil for Visas began.  

After a week of vigil, it was becoming clear that these weren’t one-off incidents but that, in fact, hundreds, if not thousands of us were in a similar predicament. It was at this point that with the help of two other organisations, the Marlow Ukraine Collective and Taking Action Over The Homes For Ukraine Visa Delays, we decided to enlist the help of eminent lawyers who looked at our case and felt it worthy of judicial review. On Tuesday we launched the crowdfunder https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/vigils-for-visas-where-are-the-visas/ , which within 36 hours reached our first target of £5,000 and is now over £10,000. We need another £5,000, but we’re off to a good start.

People aren’t just liking us on social media, they’re putting their money where their mouth is.  

More than that, they’ve been prepared to share some stories with us about the visa delays, what that’s meant for their would-be guests and for themselves. Some are a very distressing to read. These now form part of a significant list of witness statements for the judicial review which is being prepared at pace.  

Under heavy threat of shelling, my family left Lviv for Poland yesterday. They are now on a plane and I’m hoping I won’t be late to meet them. There is mounting criticism in the UK press about how the scheme has been run, that in fact this scheme is open to abuse. It is. It’s difficult not to feel this scheme was set up to fail. It became apparent very early on that “doing our bit” actually meant “do-it-yourself”. Afterall, not only did we have to apply for visas, we had to first find our would-be guests.  

Many of us have not been put off and, despite the numerous obstacles, have persevered. In fact, are still waiting. Until that changes, we’ll hold the Vigil, on Wednesdays and Saturdays 2 – 4 pm outside the Home Office. We believe that a mix of this and the Judicial Review, will ensure that those of us still waiting, will not have to do so much longer.

While it’s unlikely we’ll ever really know if this was cock up or conspiracy it may help us get to the bottom of why it was so chaotic.  

A final note. Many are still fleeing Ukraine or stuck in neighbouring countries in terrible conditions because of the sheer number of those displaced. So far, we’ve taken in about 20,000 refugees in total, 200,000 of us have volunteered our homes, Poland has taken on more than 2 million people. As the government said when it launched the scheme, we must help those in their “hour of need”, the hour of need may be a long one. The scheme remains open and we may need yet more compassionate British people to come forward, we want to make sure a few, who may be abusing the scheme, don’t spoil it for the many.  

From where I stand the fact that thousands of us stepped up shows the very best of what Britain can be. Boris Johnson may be a hero over there, but he needs to be a hero over here too. Provide the weapons but look after the women and children too.

We’ve made a commitment and promise to people in their “hour of need”, the government needs to let us fulfil that promise.  

To help us do that please come to our third Saturday Vigil for Visas 2 – 4pm outside the Home Office on 2 Marsham Street, London. 

Katherine, Kitty, Anna and Rosemary