A Ukrainian doctor working in the UK has been relieved that her family managed to flee the war in Ukraine.
Iryna welcomed her sister, Olya, along with her partner and children, at Bristol airport this week.
The meeting came after weeks of concern over whether the family would be allowed to enter the UK.
Iryna, who works in Nailsea, North Somerset, said Olya was “very scared” about where they would end up.
The family, from the city of Khmelnytskyi, initially fled the fighting for Poland, but did not know where they could stay or what they would work for.
They spent several days waiting to see if they would be eligible to come to the UK, before an anxious wait in the Polish capital to collect their paperwork.
“They went from Krakow to Warsaw to collect their visas and they waited from 2:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., so seven hours without knowing if they had visas,” Iryna said.
It was “amazing” to finally see them again in person, he added.
Olya and her family arrived in Bristol with just one suitcase between them, plus an extra suitcase each.
They are allowed to stay in the UK under the family visa scheme.
His parents and the family dog had to stay in the Ukraine.
Olya said the family hopes to return to Ukraine eventually, but is not sure when that will be possible.
“I think we should let them settle down and rest,” said Iryna, who has lived in the UK for eight years.
“Obviously they’ve been through a lot. After that, we’ll plan our future.”
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk
Add Comment