Ukrainian grandmother at airport for two days after eVisa fails for flight to UK

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

- HOLLY BANCROFT

Liudmyla Karpenko, 78, had spent 25 hours travelling by bus from Kyiv to Krakow, from where she was due to catch a flight to visit her daughter in the East Midlands. But she was not allowed to board the Ryanair flight due to a problem with her electronic visa account, which would not link to her old residency permit.

The government has been moving millions of foreign nationals from physical Biometric Residence Permits to electronic visas. Ms Karpenko had confirmation from the Home Office that she had the correct visa status in the UK but was denied boarding on her flight because of the eVisa issue.

Her daughter, Maria Bondarenko, who lives in the UK with her British husband, said the experience showed how difficult the new electronic visa system was for elderly people.

She said: “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.

“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.