Refugees, exhausted by 'hunger and homelessness', in UK to return to Ukraine

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Three families were forced to return to Ukraine due to the UK visa backlog, according to the Insider.

The families discovered that they couldn't afford to stay in Europe while their visas were being processed.

Only 1,200 Ukrainians who applied for the Homes for Ukraine program have arrived in the UK. This represents only 2.8% of the 43,600 applicants, according to the Home Office 

On his account, Lord Richard Harrington, UK's minister for refugees, has described the plan's implementation as "embarrassing" and "a slow and bureaucratic process."

A government spokesperson said, as cited by the Insider, that "in response to Putin's barbaric invasion we have launched one of the fastest and biggest visa schemes in UK history. In just four weeks, over 40,000 visas have been issued so people can rebuild their lives in the UK."

According to Home Office data, 41,000 visas have been granted to Ukrainians fleeing the crisis out of 79,800 applications. 12,000 Ukrainians out of that total have arrived in the UK.

Meanwhile, according to Ireland's taoiseach, Micheál Martin, the neighboring Republic of Ireland, which has one-tenth the population of the UK, has welcomed more than 20,000 Ukrainians.

Refugee organizations have urged the UK government to waive visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees in order to bring the country in line with other EU countries such as Ireland.

Many of the incoming refugees to the UK come through the Ukraine Family Scheme, which allows applicants to apply for a visa to join a UK-based family member.

According to Home Office statistics, 10,800 of the 36,300 applicants have arrived in the UK so far.