Families with Ukrainian relatives say they are 'stuck in limbo'

Yuliya Puglisi-Allegra said the ongoing wait for a visa for her mother was "so inhumane"

A month on from the start of the war in Ukraine, families trying to bring over their relatives say they are frustrated by ongoing visa delays.

Yuliya Puglisi-Allegra, from Bristol, applied for a visa in Moldova for her mother and nephew, who fled their homes before Russia invaded.

She was then advised to move them to France as Romania is flooded with refugees.

Now they are stuck in Paris waiting for their visas to be approved.

Ms Puglisi-Allegra is concerned for her mother, Vira, who collapsed with pneumonia after a seven hour wait for a visa in Moldova.

"She's getting better with pneumonia, but is absolutely depressed," she said.

Yuliya's mother, Vira, collapsed with pneumonia after fleeing Ukraine

"She has been misplaced for a month as she left her home on 25 February. She still cannot get here to England."

Ms Puglisi-Allegra is also concerned for her niece, who left university in Kyiv and fled to Ireland.

She too is stuck there waiting for a visa.

Earlier this month, Ms Puglisi-Allegra told the BBC she was very frustrated by the delay to the visas. She is still having to be patient.

"I just wait, this is so inhumane, so frustrating," said Ms Puglisi-Allegra.

Other families in the West of England are also disappointed by the wait.

Stephen Barnes, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, applied under the family visa scheme to bring his fiancée and family to the UK.

Stephen Barnes says being with his family cannot come "a moment too soon"

Olga and her children are travelling to Warsaw, Poland. She has secured visas for her children, but they still have not received one for her mother.

Mr Barnes said: "It can't come a moment too soon, being able to pick them up at the airport and bring them back here to safety, somewhere they can relax and start building their lives again.

"They're stuck in a state of limbo," he added. "The children can't go to school."

Mr Barnes has also tried applying for a visa for Olga's mother through the government's sponsorship scheme, but has heard nothing back from the Home Office in more than a week.

Meanwhile, the family remain stuck in Poland hoping the situation can be resolved.

The Home Office said it was "doing everything possible to ensure a rapid visa service".