MORE visas have been issued so the Isle of Wight can welcome Ukrainians fleeing war.

The first batch of 39 visas were issued under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme as of April 6, as previously reported.

Now, as of April 19, the latest available figures published by the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, there have been a total of 88 visas issued.

Ukrainian nationals and their family members can come to the UK and stay in people's homes if they have a named sponsor.

Visas have been issued to local authorities based on the postcode of the sponsor’s address, or of the accommodation address if the applicant is not staying with the sponsor.

Not all records of visas have a postcode that has been mapped to a local authority area, but the number of records excluded is less than one per cent.

The data is provisional and is likely to include some duplicate records, so may not be an exact record of the number of individuals who have been issued visas.

The data does not contain the number of visas issued through the Ukraine Family Scheme, which allows applicants to join family members or extend their stay in the UK.

There were roughly 30 Ukrainian residents living on the Isle of Wight before the start of the war, Office for National Statistics figures outline.

On the Island, aid is being collected by Mad-Aid. 

Aid can be delivered to the County Press office on Pyle Street, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Here's how to apply to help a Ukrainian citizen