Irish to take in 80,000 Ukrainians while Priti Patel under fire over UK response

His comments came as the UN announced that more than 1.5 million people have now fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

With more than 1m Ukrainians forced to flee their country, the EU has said it will offer “temporary protection” for 36 months - a decision hailed by UNHCR as “unprecedented”.

The updated estimate on the number of refugees expected in Ireland, which as with the rest of the EU has waived visa requirements for Ukrainians for three years, comes as the latest figures show that 1,349 people arrived there from Ukraine so far.

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The UK is under pressure to do more to help people - mostly women and children - fleeing the eastern European country after the Home Office revealed that than 10,000 people have applied for the UK's Ukraine Family Scheme since Friday - but so far, only "around 50" visas have been granted.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has led a barrage of calls this morning for the UK to allow more refugees into Britain, saying it is not doing nearly enough” for Ukrainians fleeing the war.

She said: “Having people fleeing the terror in Ukraine, spending hours and hours and hours on arduous journeys, then having to jump through bureaucratic hoops is unconscionable.”

Scotland’s pro-European campaign urged Ms Patel to follow the lead of the EU and allow Ukrainian refugees to settle here for up to three years without being forced to apply for asylum.

The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) called upon the five main political parties represented in Holyrood to put pressure on the UK Government to join forces with the EU-27 in welcoming Ukrainian refugees on the scale required.

“This is no time for a self-styled world leading country to impose cruel barriers to Ukrainian refugees seeking protection in our own country as in other European nations. We urge Home Secretary Priti Patel to change course and show generous compassion,” says Mark Lazarowicz, EMiS vice-chair.

The SNP’s shadow home secretary Stuart McDonald added: “These figures show just how lamentable and heartless the Home Office’s response has been.
 
“Each and every day, we hear strong rhetoric from the UK government about how they will support those fleeing the war – but that rhetoric is not being matched with appropriate action.
 
“In contrast, our European neighbours are stepping up to the challenge and have welcomed over 1.5million refugees, including our counterparts in Ireland who are matching their words with action – welcoming over 1300 Ukrainians so far with 80,000 more likely to follow." 
 
He added: “That is why I am urging the Home Secretary to undertake a complete overhaul of Home Office policies towards Ukrainians.

"She must now follow the example of our European neighbours and scrap visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, as well as scrapping the cruel ‘anti-refugee’ Nationality and Borders Bill which would criminalise those who seek refugee protection here, outside regular routes. 
 
“Countries all over Europe are playing their part in supporting the Ukrainian people in their time of need – the UK must follow suit.”

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper also hit out saying the Home Office is "completely failing" to understand the urgency of the crisis.

A child refugee who fled Ukraine with his mother and grandmother plays with a yellow ballon as he sits on a mattress inside a ballroom converted into a makeshift refugee shelter at a 4-star hotel & spa, in Suceava, Romania, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

"This is too slow," she tweeted. "Too many hoops for desperate families to have to jump through."

Sir Richard Dannatt, the former chief of defence staff, told Sky News this morning it was important ministers focus on speeding the process up.

"Frankly, if we have only issued 50 visas amongst the thousands that want to come to this country, just think again British government. We need to be generous. We need to be open hearted," he said.

Some 307 Ukrainians arrived in Ireland on Sunday while 46 others landed in Dublin Airport this morning.

READ MORE: Russia ‘opening humanitarian corridors’ for Ukraine refugees

So far 909 women and 437 men have sought refuge in Ireland. Some 486 of those who have arrived in Ireland are aged under 18 years.

Irish Government ministers are examining a variety of options to accommodate the unprecedented number of further arrivals.

The use of modular homes on state land is being explored and members of the public will also be asked to volunteer to host refugees.

"The last time we've seen a kind of movement like this, to this degree in Europe, was at the end of World War Two when we saw a huge movement of German people who became refugees at the end of that war," said Mr Browne.
"We haven't seen anything like this since then.

"Now we have learned a lot over recent years in terms of dealing with the pandemic that we do know we have that capacity and that generosity and capability within a country to mobilise when we need to in the face of a very, very serious situation.

"But we are now potentially looking at 80,000-plus, there is not going to be any cap on those numbers coming into this country."

Under the UK system, Ukrainian refugees who have family settled in the UK will be able to apply to come to Britain for three years.

The numbers were announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictureds below) yesterday - on the same day France publicly criticised the UK over its treatment of Ukrainian refugees stuck in the French port of Calais.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he had twice contacted Ms Patel and asked her to set up a consulate in Calais.

He claimed many of the hundreds of displaced people arriving at the port had been turned away by British officials who told them to get visas at UK consulates in Paris or Brussels - hundreds of miles away, calling it "a bit inhumane".

"The British must put their rhetoric into action, I've heard the big words of generosity from Mr (Boris) Johnson," Mr Darmanin said.

Ms Patel said it was "wrong and inaccurate" and that she had a number of staff in Calais "to provide support to Ukrainian families".

She said the UK is "doing everything possible" to speed up efforts to grant visas to Ukrainians fleeing the war.

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However, Jordan-Chelsea Carter whose father David, a British citizen living in Ukraine with his Ukrainian wife Maryna and their children, said they have received very little support.

They had applied through the family scheme for all of them to settle in the UK and had been to Kyiv to have their biometric checks completed and submit the required documents.

Three days later the Russian invasion began, and the family fled and for the past week they have been running, dodging fire and living with minimal clothing and supplies, Mr Carter said.

After being told there was no trace of their documents they managed to reach Brussels and resubmit them at a UK visa application centre there.
They were told they would receive news within 48 hours but more than 80 hours later they are still waiting a response.

Mr Carter told Sky News: "A British citizen living out of a bag, with little amount of clothes with his wife and two children - and the UK government have no remorse.

"The lack of care towards a British citizen and fleeing Ukrainians who are family members, is disgusting."

Ms Patel told Sky News: "This is the first scheme that is up and running in the world in this short space of time.

"I am surging staff across all application centres across the entire European Union as well as in the border countries such as Poland where huge numbers of people are coming through."

The British-French spat over refugees' treatment marked the latest diplomatic row between the two countries following Britain's departure from the European Union, which has resulted in arguments over how to tackle migrants crossing the English Channel, as well as fishing rights.