Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme

A new Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme will open on 04 February 2025. 

You can apply if you are a Ukrainian national or their eligible family member, and you already have permission to stay in the UK under one of the Ukraine Schemes. If you are a non-Ukrainian national applying as a partner, you will also generally need to continue to be in a relationship with a Ukrainian national.

In some circumstances, you can apply if you have been granted permission to stay outside the rules. If this is your case, please seek professional immigration advice. Learn more on the government's website.

Your permission to stay in the UK will not be renewed automatically and you must apply before your current leave expires. You may want to check your eVisa or Ukraine Scheme decision letter to see the expiry date of your permission to stay. 

The earliest you can submit a Ukraine Permission Extension application is 28 days before your current leave expires. You can submit it anytime within this 28 days window.

If you apply too early, your application will be rejected and you will need to reapply closer to the expiry of your permission to stay. 

If you apply after your current permission to stay expires, you will lose your current entitlements to work, rent and receive benefits until a decision is made on your late application. You also risk having your application refused. Please seek immigration advice as soon as possible. 

You can apply online, on the government website.

Generally, you will need to provide proof of your identity and confirmation of your status under the Ukraine Schemes. You will also need to provide information about your accommodation in the UK, and any time you have spent living outside the UK or Ukraine after you obtained permission under the Ukraine Schemes.

Please remember: you must be inside the UK when making an application to the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme. You will not be able to travel in and out of the UK while your application is under consideration. If you do this, your application may be withdrawn.

If you are not a Ukrainian national, you can apply if you have been granted permission under one of the other Ukraine Schemes as the: 

• partner of a Ukrainian national 
• child of a Ukrainian national 
• parent of a Ukrainian national who was granted Ukraine Scheme permission before turning 18 years old 
• fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner of a Ukrainian national 
• a family member granted permission in accordance with the now closed Ukraine Family Scheme 

If you were previously granted permission as the partner, spouse, or civil partner of a Ukrainian national, you will be required to submit evidence to demonstrate that you continue to be in an eligible relationship.  

In other circumstances, you may be contacted and asked for evidence of your family relationship to a Ukrainian national.   

If you are no longer in a relationship, you may still be eligible for permission to stay in the UK under UPE if you are the parent of a child who is in the UK with permission under the Ukraine Schemes, or a child who would, if they made an application, be eligible for permission under the Ukraine Schemes. Learn more on the government's website.

If your child was granted status under one of the Ukraine Schemes, you will be able to submit an application to extend their stay in the UK under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

You can also apply to the scheme for your child if they were born in the UK after 18 March 2022 to a Ukrainian national parent who holds status under one of the Ukraine Schemes.

You can read about all applicable requirements for children under the age of 18 on the government website.

There are other ways to prove your identity and nationality when you apply to the Ukraine Permission Extension 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.

The Statement of Changes published by the Home Office on 26 November 2024 states that applications for the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE) may be refused if the applicant has not been living in the UK and Islands since they arrived with permission under the Ukraine Scheme or were granted permission in the UK. 

However, it suggests that temporary periods spent in Ukraine will not count as living outside the UK. Other short periods spent abroad may also not be considered as living outside the UK, as long as the applicant can show they have ongoing ties to the UK that could justify the need for further permission. 

We anticipate more guidance available on this to be available once the UPE opens on 4 February 2025.

The government confirmed that none of the time spent under any of the Ukraine Scheme will count towards the 10-year route to settlement. If you wish to settle in the UK, we advise you to seek immigration advice on other options available to you.