More Ukranian refugees due to stay with sponsors in East Ayrshire have arrived in the UK, according to new figures.

Those fleeing the conflict with Russia can apply for a visa to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

The latest Home Office data shows 29 refugees due to stay in East Ayrshire under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme had arrived in the UK by June 13 – up from 20 on May 16.

There has also been an increase in the number of visas issued, with 54 successful applications as of June 14, a rise on the 47 four weeks prior.

The Family Scheme allows Ukrainian nationals to stay with relatives already living in the UK.

The Sponsorship Scheme, also known as ‘Homes for Ukraine’, allows individuals in the UK to host refugees for a minimum of six months.

But the schemes have been beset with delays and problems with processing visas – with some warning of safeguarding issues and mismatches between hosts and refugees.

As of June 14, the government had directly issued 8,647 visas, far more than the 3,425 issued for people to stay with individual sponsors.

There have also been more than 40,000 visas issued.