Guest eligibility, application process and checks: Homes for Ukraine  

Eligibility for the scheme

This scheme is open to people from Ukraine who were residents there before 1 January 2022, and to their immediate family members (for example spouse or partner and children under 18). They do not have to be Ukrainian citizens to be eligible.

Eligible people may be sponsored by a UK resident to come to the UK. They can apply from Ukraine or from any other country outside the UK. Children who are currently outside of the UK can use the scheme to reunite with their parent or legal guardian who is currently living in the UK.

The number of people who can access this scheme is uncapped and is dependent on the capacity of the sponsors who come forward.

Guests will be able to live and work in the UK for up to 3 years and access benefits, healthcare, employment, and other support.

Those arriving need to meet standard security checks prior to being issued with a visa. Sponsors and all adults in sponsors’ households will also be subject to initial Police National Computer (PNC), criminal records and Warnings Index checks by the Home Office. Guests arriving from Ireland should only travel to the UK once they have a visa.

Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales

Guests arriving from Ireland should only travel to the UK once they have a visa.

In Scotland and Wales, people from Ukraine can also enter through the Devolved Government Sponsorship route. New applications to both the Scottish Government and Welsh Government as a sponsor are paused at present but all existing applications to both schemes are continuing to be processed, and existing visa holders continue to travel to Wales and be supported.

Application process

Sponsors must be named individuals at this stage of the scheme, not groups or organisations. Either a guest or a sponsor will be able to complete a single application for a visa. The form will ask the person completing it to name both parties.

Sponsors and guests will find each other and match themselves externally. There is no single route to matching, and both the sponsor and guest can use several ways s to find a match. They could for example already have a relationship in place with a friend in the UK or Ukraine, they could be friends of friends, or could find a sponsor or guest through a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), charity, or another channel.

Process to apply

1. Sponsor and guest find each other and agree to a match.
2. Either the sponsor or the guest fills out the single visa application form online using both parties’ details.
3. Passport numbers (alongside completion of eligibility questions and other personal details) for both guests and sponsors will be required to complete the application online. The guest will also need to upload a scan of their passport.
4. If the guest does not possess a passport, they will be required to travel to a visa application centre to process their biometrics. Security checks on both the sponsor and guest are commissioned from the name data declared in the application form. There is no requirement to upload a copy of identity documents for any other member of the sponsor household.
5. The government will conduct several central government checks on the applicant, the sponsor, and adults in the sponsors household, to ensure their eligibility and suitability for the scheme. These checks must be completed before a visa can be issued.
6. Once the visa is issued, the guest can then travel to the UK and should coordinate their arrival with the sponsor.
7. Local councils will be alerted as soon as an application is made and will be required to conduct accommodation and safeguarding checks, These are in addition to the checks carried out by central government. These should be conducted as soon as possible, but the issuance of a visa is not contingent on these checks being completed.
8. Specific councils will provide welcome arrangements for guests, with additional immediate support provided to guests where it is required (see initial reception role of councils below).
9. A lead sponsor will be needed for each household. For example, where a couple has applied to sponsor, one of them should be designated as ‘lead sponsor’.

Checks for guests arriving in the UK

Guests need to meet central government’s standard security checks prior to being issued with a visa. Sponsors and all adults (18+) within their household will undergo central-government eligibility and suitability checks prior to any visa being issued.

Prior to arrival in the UK, the guest and sponsor are required to complete the online application form which also covers the biometric residence permit (BRP) and gives authorisation for personal data to be shared to help support the sponsor arrangement.

To enable visa and security checks to be completed, sponsors will also need to provide evidence of their identity (see details in the application and process section below).

Guests who hold a valid Ukraine international passport or expired passport with a formal extension stamp will not need to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC). Guests without a passport will be required to book and attend an appointment at a VAC to provide biometric information.

Official permission letters

Once a visa application has been accepted and security checks completed, guests will be issued an official permission letter from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) confirming they can travel to the UK.

Official permission letters will be issued to those travelling under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and will be issued electronically to the correspondence email listed in the application form.

People who have attended an appointment at a VAC will be issued with a vignette confirming permission to travel which will be attached to existing travel documents.

The permission to travel letter is not restricted to single entry. However, if a guest chooses to leave the UK before providing their biometrics and receiving a BRP, they will be required to present their permission to travel letter again and receive a new Leave to Remain Outside the Rules (LOTR) stamp on arrival. It is recommended that guests obtain a BRP before leaving the UK.

Arriving in the UK

Upon arrival to the UK guests will be required to show their permission letter or passport with vignette to Border Force officers. For those with a permission to travel letter, Border Force will endorse their passport with a six-month entry stamp.

Councils will be required to undertake accommodation and safeguarding checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks on sponsors and all members of their household aged 16 and over. The level of check is determined by the age and needs of the guests.

More information about about checks is in Welfare and safeguarding responsibilities.