More than a third of approved Ukrainian refugees yet to arrive in Stirling

dailyrecord.co.uk:

More than a third of Ukrainian refugees accepted for a place to live in Stirling have yet to arrive, according to new figures.The latest data from the Home Office has revealed the number of visa applications approved through its ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme in the region, as well as the number of visitors who have been accepted for a new place to live.A total of 126 visa applications have been approved for Ukrainians from Stirling households out of 139 applications made.But only 82 visitors have so far actually arrived in Stirling under the scheme - despite it being launched back in March.In Clackmannanshire, 21 Ukrainian refugees have arrived there after seeing their application under the scheme approved, with a further four who have had a successful visa applications still yet to be settled.Across Scotland, the pattern of hold-ups in processing visa applications and bringing Ukrainians to the country is similar - with 3,748 applications under the Homes for Ukraine programme being given the green light, but only 2,470 visitors have arrived on Scottish shores.The delays have already faced criticism from Stirling MP Alyn Smith, who has previously called on the UK Government to reduce “needlessly complicated” paperwork associated with the scheme.Mr Smith said: “The UK government could have and should have done the same as all EU countries - simply waive the paperwork for three years - but instead they created a needlessly complicated paperchase their own officials have struggled to deal with and while my team has worked flat out to help people through the system it has been made all the harder by the UK government’s decisions.“The people in Stirling have stepped up and I pay tribute to them, the UK government hasn’t.”