Ukrainians arriving in Calais, a French port on the English Channel, hoping to join their families in the UK, can apply for their visas in their local prefectures from Friday. British authorities quickly set up the office after receiving complaints about the treatment of stranded refugees.

Britain has set up a consular office in Arras, in the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais region, French authorities said Thursday.

Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia arriving in Calais after a long journey were asked to apply for their visas in Paris or Brussels, a policy French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called “a little inhumane.” He called on Britain to “stop nitpicking technocracy.”

Several hundred Ukrainians were turned away at the British entry point in Calais, a situation the prefecture called “unrealistic”.

Forced to defend his position, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain could not allow people in “without verification or control”.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, urged the government to suspend visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the war, assuring lawmakers that in that case “we will take care of them”.

Over the years, Calais has been a magnet for migrants from around the world trying to sneak across the English Channel into England. London has left it to Paris to prevent crossings and provide assistance,

The European Union, of which Britain is not a member, has lifted immigration rules for Ukrainians arriving in refugee camps as a result of the Russian invasion. Britain said it expected to take in 200,000 Ukrainians, but had issued fewer than 1,000 visas as of Wednesday.