Ukraine Conflict: A Refugee's Daughter Claims That There Is A Chance Of Riots At The Visa Center

People waiting for visas at a "understaffed" UK application centre are angry and frustrated, according to the daughter of a Ukrainian refugee.

"It does feel like there will be rioting," Marianne Kay of Yorkshire says if the delays continue much longer.

She traveled to Rzeszow, Poland, to assist her 79-year-old mother Antonina Kolodii in obtaining asylum in the United Kingdom.

She said that people began congregating outside the center in the early morning, despite the frigid conditions.

MPs have chastised the Home Office for its poor reaction to the influx of over two million people fleeing Ukraine, claiming that individuals seeking asylum are being held up or turned away by bureaucracy.

The Ukraine Family Scheme has granted about 500 visas, with more than 10,000 people applying to join family in the UK. A second visa path is also being developed, which will require a British sponsor.

The "large and very generous" immigration program, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, may eventually allow "hundreds of thousands" of refugees enter the UK.

However, the government has rejected the European Union's proposal for a three-year residency without a visa, alleging that officers in Calais had spotted people with fake Ukrainian passports. "To have a system of essentially uncontrolled immigration isn't appropriate," Mr Johnson remarked.

In addition to long lines at visa centers, hundreds of Ukrainians are trapped in Calais attempting to complete paperwork, with French authorities claiming that the UK Border Force sent back nearly 300 Ukrainian migrants, and criticizing the UK's "lack of humanity."

Marianne describes the scene inside the Rzeszow visa application center as "desperate" and heated, with people "shouting at each other all the time."

"It's evident that this facility is extremely understaffed," she continues, "and there's no way that the people who work here can process so many applications."

On Friday, Marianne abandoned her job and children in Yorkshire to travel to Poland and assist her mother in relocating to the United Kingdom.

She was initially informed the next available appointment was 14 March, despite confusing guidance regarding whether refugees should apply online or walk in to the center. Her mother's application was ultimately processed after two days of waiting at the center.

They must now wait to see if their application has been approved and visit another visa center in Warsaw before they may go to the United Kingdom.