Refugees waiting to enter the UK after months of waiting have finally got visas, but the process is too slow say hosts.

A beauty therapist looking to host a Ukrainian family in her home has spoken about the difficulties in getting visas for a family she is hosting.

Dozens of other Ukrainian refugees accepted to stay with hosts in Bolton have not yet reached the UK, new figures show.

The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, also known as Homes for Ukraine, allows citizens to volunteer to house refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Vicky Ann Kennedy from Westhoughton, opened up her home to refugees from Ukraine but stumbled at every hurdle to get a family to host.

After waiting six weeks, the family of three children and a mum have finally been given visas but have yet to arrive.

She said: “I was very pleased all visas were fine as I had never done it before and it’s quite complex.

“The hardest part was their evidence that they were in UKR in January. What about people who leave with no documentation in a rush or panic? It’s terrible.”

Home Office data from Tuesday shows 97 visas have been granted to stay with hosts in Bolton, from 112 applications – but as of Monday, just 43 of these refugees had arrived in the UK.

Nadia Tkachuk, a translator who helps with the Ukrainian community in Bolton, said: “It’s frustrating for everybody because the refugees want to get here but the paperwork is taking ages to process, not to fill in.

“With all the tech we have nowadays, I don’t understand why there is such a delay.

“The councils have known about this for a while so there really is no excuse not to be at least prepared.

“Bolton hasn’t had a massive influx, so it is taking too long, but of course they aren’t complaining, they’re just puzzled at the process.”

The Refugee Council said it had received reports of delays at every stage of the application process, and of necessary documents not reaching refugees quick enough for them to travel.

Head of advocacy at the charity, Andy Hewett, called the scheme "unfit for purpose".

He said: “Responding to a serious humanitarian crisis by offering complex visa routes, putting paperwork and bureaucracy before people was always going to have tragic consequences."

Refugees have also been arriving through the Ukraine Family Scheme, which allows Ukrainian nationals to join family members in the UK.

Across the UK, 107,400 visas had been issued to Ukrainian refugees through both schemes as of Tuesday, with 53,800 arriving in the UK by Monday.