Homes for Ukraine Scheme
The Homes for Ukraine Scheme allows people with permanent residency in the UK (British or Irish citizenship, or settled status) to sponsor a Ukrainian person and their family members to come to the UK. You can apply to the scheme from outside of the UK, but you need to apply in partnership with your sponsor.
It also enables adults with status under one of the Ukraine Schemes to sponsor their minor children (under 18 years old) to come to the UK
Who can apply to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme?
The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme enables Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members who were living in Ukraine immediately before 1 January 2022 to come to the UK under the sponsorship of someone in the UK.
The sponsor must usually have either British citizenship, Irish citizenship, Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Since 3pm on 19 February 2024, people in the UK on a temporary visa, such as one of the Ukraine schemes, are not normally eligible to be a sponsor. As an exception, parents and legal guardians can be sponsors for their minor children.
Sponsors will be subject to DBS checks and are expected to accommodate successful applicants for at least six months - the accommodation they provide must be suitable for the people they are looking to host, and should be reviewed by a local authority.
If you submitted your application under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme before 3pm on 19 February 2024, you will be granted permission to live, work and claim benefits in the UK for up to three years. If you submitted your application after 3pm on 19 February 2024, you will be granted permission to live, work and claim benefits in the UK for up to 18 months.
How do I apply?
You will need to complete and submit an online application form, then attend a biometric appointment at a UK visa application centre. You can either have your supporting documents for your application scanned at the visa application centre or upload them to your online application before attending your biometric appointment.
At your biometric appointment, you will have your photograph and fingerprints taken and will need to provide proof of your identity. Once a decision has been made on your application and your passport is ready for collection, you will be contacted by the visa application centre. If you have been issued a visa under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, you will be able to travel on it to the UK.
Each family member applying under the scheme should complete a separate application form. There is no fee for a Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme application, so beware of scammers who may try to charge you for this visa.
The UK government currently says Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme applications can take up to three weeks to be processed, from the moment the applicant enrols their biometrics.
Which visa application centre should I go to?
The visa application centre in Kyiv is open. Other visa application centres are open across Europe and are listed on the government website.
Please note that if you successfully apply for a UK visa through the visa application centre in Kyiv, you will be able to collect your visa in Kyiv. You can find more information here.
Bad advice can do more harm than good. Always ask the person giving you immigration advice to provide you with their OISC or SRA reference number, to ensure they are suitably qualified. You can check accredited OISC advisers using the Home Office adviser finder tool and accredited solicitors using the Law Society’s search engine.
If you don’t have a valid passport
There are other ways to prove your identity and nationality when you apply to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, including:
- A recently expired passport, so long as the photograph clearly resembles the holder.
- A valid or recently expired Ukrainian national identity card that contains a photograph clearly resembling the holder.
- UK-issued biometric residence permit or biometric residence card.
- A combination of ‘other official documents,’ one of which contains a photograph of you. For example: a photo driving licence submitted alongside a birth certificate.
- An emergency certificate issued by a Ukrainian authority since March 2022.
If you have none of the above, you can still apply but you will have to explain why you don’t have these documents. Try to think of any other documentation you might have that could evidence your identity and nationality.
Please remember: while there is some flexibility at the point you make an application, you will need to obtain status under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme if you want to enter the UK legally.
Entering the UK
To enter the UK legally, you will need to have a visa and will generally require a passport.
In some circumstances, people received a permission to travel letter to enable them to travel to the UK. Permission to travel letters issued without digital status are valid for travel to the UK until 12:01 am UK time on 13 February 2025. If you arrive after this date with a permission to travel letter, you may be denied entry to the UK and removed.
Eligible family members
The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme enables Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members who were living in Ukraine immediately before 1 January 2022 to come to the UK.
Immediate family members of Ukrainian nationals are defined as:
- Partner of the Ukrainian national. This includes spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner in a durable relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership of at least 2 years. The relationship must have started before 1 January 2022.
- Child under 18 on the date of application of the Ukrainian national or of their partner.
- Parent of a Ukrainian national child aged under 18 on the date of application (where the child is also applying under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme).
- Fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner of the Ukrainian national, where the relationship started before 1 January 2022.
Unaccompanied children
For children who wish to come to the UK and stay with a sponsor, and are not travelling with or joining their parent or legal guardian, there are additional requirements under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. These include obtaining parental consent.
If your relationship with your sponsor breaks down, you should find alternative accommodation. If you are worried you have nowhere to go, you should tell your local authority if you are at risk of homelessness. Contact the charity USPUK or your local council who may be able to rematch you with a new sponsor.
How can I find a sponsor?
If you are in Ukraine and are looking for someone in the UK to sponsor you, you can register with the charity USPUK which will try to match you with a suitable person.
How can I become a sponsor?
If you already know someone in Ukraine you want to sponsor, they should make a visa application naming you as their sponsor. If you don’t know someone you would like to sponsor but would like to make your home available, you can register your interest in becoming a sponsor with your local council or with the charity USPUK.
Other immigration routes
If you are unable to meet the requirements of the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and wish to come to the UK, you may need to consider other UK immigration options which are not specific to Ukrainian nationals and their family members. You should obtain advice from a regulated immigration adviser when exploring other immigration options for coming to the UK.