A MAN from Cirencester is desperate to be reunited with his fiancée and her family who are currently ‘stuck in limbo’ in Poland, having fled the war in Ukraine.


Steven Barnes is frustrated by visa delays which have left his wife-to-be Olga Nimak, her children and her mother waiting in Krakow.


They applied for visas for her and her children months before the conflict started.
And while Olga’s came through at the end of last year, the visas for her three children - aged five, eight and 10 - were denied.


These finally came through last week, but the family is now waiting for Olga’s mum to be allowed to travel.


He said: “We’ve now applied for Olga’s mum's visa through the Homes For Ukraine scheme, which an awful lot of UK people have applied for, and we’ve just had no response at all from the Home Office. The phone number gives no information at all. 


“I know they’re getting a lot of applications through, but we need to understand why the visa hasn’t been given, because we provided all the right paperwork.”


Olga’s family endured a 27-hour train journey via Lviv, out of Ukraine and in to Poland where they staying in the apartment of a friend as they wait for news on their final visa application.


“It’s hard to know how traumatised they’ll be,” said Steven.


“The kids are aged five, eight and 10, so maybe the youngest one will be a little bit too young to understand what’s going on, but the older ones will definitely pick up on the stressful atmosphere.


“Now they’re stuck in a state of limbo. The children can’t go to school.”


He said Olga and her mum are teaching the children as best they can and looking forward to the time when the youngsters can take up school places that have been offered to them in Cirencester.


Olga has also set up a page on Telegram, which is like the Russian/Ukrainian version of Whatsapp/Facebook, to try to match UK families wanting to house Ukrainians with people fleeing Ukraine.


“She’s doing very well, she’s got about ten or 12 families matched up all ready to go and apply to the system,” said Steven.


To visit Olga’s page visit: bit.ly/37fBd7p


Steven and Olga are planning to get married in Stratton church in May, and he said he is hopeful the family will arrive in time for the ceremony to go ahead.


Cotswold District Council leader Joe Harris: said: “The family is desperate to be reunited, and take up places offered to them at local primary schools and to be able to marry as planned at Stratton church this summer.”