MORE than a third of Ukrainian refugees accepted to stay with hosts in Braintree have not yet reached the UK, new figures have revealed.

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

Sponsors offer accommodation for at least six months, with those receiving sponsorship allowed to live, work and study in the UK for up to three years.

Home Office data from Tuesday shows 168 visas have been granted to stay with hosts in Braintree, from 190 applications – but as of Monday, just 105 of these refugees had arrived 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.

The Government warned the data is likely to contain some duplicate records, while around 2 per cent of sponsors could not be assigned to a local area.

As of April 19, 71,800 applications had been granted through both schemes – including 73 in Braintree – and 21,600 had arrived in the UK as of the day before.

The Home Office said some refugees are choosing to stay put or travel elsewhere, which may explain some of the gap between arrivals and the number of visas granted.