John Cryer - Leyton & Wanstead

As you would expect my office has been contacted by anxious family members and other constituents sponsoring Ukrainian refugees who have applied to settle here under the Family or Homes for Ukraine schemes. Many are experiencing long waits whilst they contend with less than ideal circumstances in Poland, other European countries or, in some cases, still in Ukraine itself.

My staff have been working hard to obtain updates for applications where there has been a delay and/or urgent need. However, it is becoming clear that the hotline service we use is not resourced to meet the scale of demand and in recent days we have found it impossible to get through. We will, of course, keep on trying.

If you are sponsoring a Ukrainian refugee who has not received a decision on an application made two or more weeks ago, or if you believe there is a compelling medical reason why their case needs to be prioritised, I would still encourage you to contact me regarding their case via email: john.cryer.mp@parliament.uk. I will need their full name (exactly as stated on their application), date of birth and application reference number starting GWF. If you are not the sponsor I will need their consent or the applicant's before I can proceed.

There is also a public enquiry line, which can be reached on:  0808 1648810.

Coronavirus and how this could affect my team, my office and working for and with you.

John Cryer MP, House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA John Cryer MP, 6 Gainsborough Road, Leytonstone, London E11 1HT John.cryer.mp@parliament.uk

IF MY TEAM OR I HAVE SYMPTOMS:

If I or my team contract Coronavirus, this will obviously have an impact on our ability to attend Parliament (debates, lobbying, signing EDMs asking Questions etc) and in the constituency (attending events, meetings, surgeries and processing casework). Please understand I operate a small team and if any of them contract Coronavirus this will unfortunately have an impact on casework turnaround times.

We will look at each piece of casework as we do already and will prioritise on an individual basis (currently things like Universal Credit, Self-Employment worries, rental and mortgage cases are coming in due to Coronavirus) – this may mean your case may not be dealt with as swiftly as would normally be the case.

Please be patient with us. Issues such as bin collections, littering, parking, and Housing should first contact your local councillor. I have had several cases over consumer related matters such as holidays, tickets etc – please contact the venue, company or check with your insurance first.

If I have to cancel surgery appointments:

The last thing I would want is to endanger constituents if I or my team contract Coronavirus. Always check my twitter @JohnCryerMP and my website to check if surgeries have been cancelled. We will try and let you know in advance if this happens.