Ukrainian grandmother, 78, stranded for 2 days after being refused flight to UK over eVisa points | EUROtoday

A Ukrainian grandmother was left stranded at Krakow airport after being stopped from boarding a flight to the UK over eVisa points.

Liudmyla Karpenko, 78, had spent 25 hours travelling by bus from Kyiv to Krakow, from the place she was because of catch a flight to go to her daughter within the East Midlands.

But she was not allowed to board the Ryanair flight because of an issue in her digital visa account, which might not hyperlink to her outdated residency allow.

The authorities has been shifting tens of millions of overseas nationals from bodily Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) to digital visas. Ms Karpenko had affirmation from the Home Office that she had appropriate visa standing within the UK however was denied boarding on her flight due to the eVisa challenge.

Her daughter, Maria Bondarenko, who lives within the UK along with her British husband, stated the expertise confirmed how tough the brand new digital visa system was for aged individuals.

She stated: “We tried to connect her BRP to her eVisa but we had problems with her photo, because her eyes were shut. The Home Office sent an email saying you need to do it again but it won’t affect your status in the meantime.

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“When my mother got to the airport, the staff just kept not listening when she showed them the email from the Home Office. They were just saying ‘it’s your problem’. We tried to call the visa centre that’s supposed to help with eVisa problems but they didn’t know what to do. They suggested getting a separate temporary visa, but she already had a visa for the UK.

“It’s so wrong, this system, especially for old people. For my mum, it was really hard even to sign in to the online visa account. You need to sign in with your email, and then get a code, and then put it into gov.uk – for older people it is hard for them to do. What would happen if you are without a phone?”

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She added: “My mother was crying when they refused her. She was at the check-in desk maybe for four hours. She was also worried about a place to stay. She said she would sit in the airport and she hadn’t slept the night before because she was on a bus. She was worried about money and I said, ‘No, don’t worry, we have no choice, we have to get a hotel’.”

Luckily a volunteer who was serving to Ukrainian refugees at Krakow airport was in a position to assist her mom attempt to hyperlink her BRP card along with her eVisa account the following day. However, Ms Bondarenko estimates she needed to spend an additional £600 on nights within the airport lodge for her mom, an additional aircraft ticket, and taxis to the UK consulate in Krakow, which turned out to be closed.

She additionally needed to spend £16.56 on two calls to the federal government’s Ukraine visa helpline, which is operated by personal firm Teleperformance. The helpline is labelled as free on the federal government web site, however can incur prices relying on the place you name from.

Ms Bondarenko booked her mom on a brand new flight on 26 June to the East Midlands however Ms Karpenko had issues once more when she bought to the check-in desk. Her eVisa account had robotically translated to Ukrainian on her telephone and the airport workers wished to see it in Polish.

Ms Bondarenko, who was supporting her mom by means of speakerphone, stated: “They refused to check her status, they kept saying ‘show it to us in Polish’. They refused to talk to me. They finally found some girl who was able to understand Ukrainian and they finally said it was alright.”

Andreea Dumitrache, a campaigner at the3million rights group which helps EU residents within the UK, stated: “This heartbreaking situation highlights the urgent need for the Home Office to recognise the disproportionate impact the eVisa system has on older and vulnerable people. Technology is failing many people like Liudmyla when they need it most.

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“The shift to eVisas assumes a level of digital access, confidence and literacy that not everyone has. Even for those who can navigate the system, when errors occur, there is no safety net. People are left distressed, isolated and in limbo, despite having the legal right to return to their home in the UK.”

A Home Office spokesperson stated: “While it is our longstanding policy not to comment on individual cases, free and practical support is available for vulnerable individuals who need help creating a UK Visas and Immigration account and accessing their eVisa.

“Biometric Residence Permits are no longer valid for travel to the UK; however, they can still be used to create an eVisa account, even if they have expired.”

A Ryanair spokesperson stated: “All visa-required passengers travelling with Ryanair must present the correct travel documentation for the country of destination as determined by that country. Ryanair must comply with these rules and airport agents are trained in these visa rules, however it is each passenger’s responsibility to carry valid travel documents.

“In this case the passenger was required to hold a valid UK visa which she failed to present to the agents at Krakow airport and she was correctly denied travel. Once this passenger provided the correct UK visa documentation, she was permitted to travel.”