A Ukrainian child refugee has won her right to come to Scotland in a groundbreaking change of visa rules.
Nataliia Zavhorodnia, 15, found herself in the bizarre situation where her two guinea pigs had been approved for travel but her case was held up by the Home Office.
Despite travelling with her aunt, she was classed as an “unaccompanied child” as she’d left her parents behind in the war zone – making her ineligible for a visa under current laws.
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But a campaign to approve her travel – highlighted by the Sunday Mail – has finally been successful and could now help others in the same situation.
Kate Fuller, 40, who’s been matched up to give Nataliia a spare room at her home in Hamilton she shares with husband Martin, 37, said: “It’s a great happy ending for Nataliia, we’re all just so delighted, but I just think about all the other children in the same situation.”
Her MP Margaret Ferrier was able to secure the approval of Nataliia’s visa on Wednesday after pushing for a last minute intervention from the Minister for Refugees, Lord Harrington, who personally signed off on the entry into the UK.
As late as Tuesday night, the application had once again been denied by the Home Office – making it look likely that Nataliia would have to either return to Ukraine or go into a refugee camp.
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