WITHAM MP Priti Patel has apologised after coming under fire over delays in getting Ukrainian refugees to arrive in the UK but denies visa requirements are slowing the process.

Around 12,000 people had arrived in the UK under Ukraine visa schemes as of Tuesday, according to Home Office figures.

Some 10,800 people had arrived under the Ukraine family scheme but only 1,200 had made it to the UK as part of the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme, provisional data shows.

As of Thursday, about 79,800 applications had been submitted to the schemes and 40,900 visas had been granted.

Of these, 43,600 applications were for the sponsorship scheme, with 12,500 visas issued.

Out of 36,300 requests made for family visas, 28,500 had been approved.

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In a BBC interview last Friday, Ms Patel said: “I apologise with frustration myself... it takes time to start up a new route.”

The news prompted criticism with calls for the Government to waive visa requirements to speed up the process.

Opposition politicians have also called for Ms Patel to resign over the issue.

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

At that time, 24,400 visas had been granted under the family scheme out of 32,800 applications received.

Ms Patel said it is “always easy to blame someone else” but security checks “are not the problem”.

After being told there is “huge frustration” among the public who are blaming red tape, she replied: “They’re not seeing delays.

“We are processing and, as I’ve said as well, I’m streamlining processes.

“We changed the way certain checks are done."