Thirty-four visas under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme have been issued for Brent - putting it behind neighbouring boroughs.

This week’s provisional data, published by the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, is for a scheme which allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor.

Visas have been issued to local authorities based on the postcode of the sponsor’s address, or of the accommodation address if the applicant is not staying with the sponsor.

As of April 6, 132 visas had been issued in Barnet and 107 in Camden, putting them second and fourth in the country. In Haringey, 78 visas have been issued, with 65 in Islington and 82 in Westminster.

Brent Council and local MPs have already pledged their allegiance to Ukraine in the ongoing conflict with Russia, with the former giving a list of options for how residents can help.

Mayor of Brent Lia Colacicco, said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the brave people of Ukraine, those killed or injured during the violence and their families during this incredibly difficult time.

“Vladimir Putin’s attack is a grave violation of international law and we demand he pulls back his forces to avoid any further avoidable death or destruction.
“This needless act of aggression will not be tolerated. We demand the UK government impose the harshest possible sanctions to undermine the power of Russia and to try and bring peace to Europe once more.”

On Friday, in a pre-recorded interview with the BBC, home secretary Priti Patel denied visa requirements and checks are slowing the process and causing delays, insisting the UK will “absolutely see changes in numbers” as work continues.

As of March 31, around 4,700 visas had been issued under the sponsorship scheme out of 32,200 applications submitted, according to Home Office figures.

Ms Patel said it is “always easy to blame someone else” but security checks “are not the problem” when it comes to the time it is taking for Ukrainian refugees to reach the UK.

She said she is "streamlining processes" for applying for visas.

For more information of how you can help Ukraine in Brent, visit: www.brent.gov.uk/news-in-brent/2022/march-22/we-stand-with-ukraine