Visas, Sponsoring and Hosting

Visa

A visa is the document giving a Ukrainian permission to be in the UK. There are different types of visas. Different visas give different permissions – some visas allow guests to work in the UK, some do not. The length of time the guest is allowed to be in the UK can also vary depending on the visa. Some visas require a sponsor and some do not. Some visa are free, some have a cost.

All Ukrainians wanting to come to the UK will need a visa of some kind.

More information about different visa types can be found on the UK Government website.

Sponsor

A sponsor is the person living in the UK who has sponsored the visa for the Ukrainian guest (if their visa requires a sponsor).

A guest will only ever have one sponsor.

Host

A host is the person living in the UK who is allowing a guest on the Homes for Ukraine scheme to live in their property. Providing they pass suitable checks the host is eligible to receive the monthly ‘thankyou’ payment of £350 (rising to £500 if the guest has been in the UK for more than twelve months).

The difference between sponsors and hosts

In some cases the sponsor and host are the same person but this is not always true – it is possible for a guest to have multiple hosts – this typically arises when guests move to new accommodation.

For example, a guest may be sponsored to come to the UK by Mr A and the guest may live with Mr and Mrs A for a while. Then Mr and Mrs A may no longer be able to offer accommodation to the guest. A second couple, Mr and Mrs B, decide to offer accommodation to the guest. So the guest moves to new hosts Mr and Mrs B.

In this situation Mr and Mrs B are now the hosts for this guest but they are not the sponsor.

 

7^th December 2023 changes

The UK Government amended the process for applying for a Homes For Ukraine visa from 7th December 2023. The updated visa application process is explained here on the UK Government website (also available in Ukrainian and Russian).

The new visa process requires guests to apply for their Homes For Ukraine visa online as before. Now, however, guests will also be asked to make an in-person appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to provide biometric information – a facial photograph and fingerprints. The visa application will not be considered until biometric information has been provided at a VAC. Any children travelling as part of a group will also need to attend an appointment to provide a facial photograph.

Once biometric information has been provided, guests will need to return to their place of residence to await a decision on their visa application. If the visa application is approved then the guest will need to physically return to the VAC to have a vignette placed in their passport to allow them to travel to the UK. A biometric residence permit (BRP) will be waiting in the UK for collection after the guest arrives.

The online application form will direct guests to select the VAC they would like to attend. There are VACs all across Europe. There is one VAC in Ukraine, in Kyiv.

The Kviv VAC is actually the one exception to the above rule about vignettes. In most cases, if you attend a VAC to give your biometrics - and then your visa application is approved – you will then return to that VAC to receive the vignette in your passport allowing you to travel to the UK.

The Kyiv VAC does not issue vignettes. If you provide your biometrics at the Kyiv VAC and your visa application is approved, you will then need to travel to the Warsaw VAC to collect the vignette allowing you to travel to the UK.

 

19th February 2024 changes

On February 19th 2024 the UK Government announced two additional changes to Homes For Ukraine visas:-

1 - from now on, any Homes For Ukraine visas that are issued will give the Ukrainian guest permission to be in the UK for 18 months rather than three years (guests can then use the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, described below, to add another 18 months)

2 - from now on, any Homes For Ukraine visa sponsors must be British or Irish citizens or have settled status in the UK. So visa sponsors must have the right to live in the UK permanently.

These rules are now being applied to any new Homes For Ukraine applications that are received.

 

Visas are issued by UK Visas and Immigration (who are part of the Home Office). UKVI are the experts on visas and their advice should be sought in the first instance with any visa queries.

UKVI offer a telephone helpline specifically to give guidance on visas to Ukrainians. The telephone number is 0808 164 8810 and this is a free telephone number available Monday-Friday 9am-4:30pm. Ukrainian translators are available if required. Please note that this phone number gives general advice about visa processes, the staff on the phone line cannot answer questions about the progress of individual visa applications.

Further details are available on the UK Government website.

UKVI also offer a broader visa telephone helpline which can give advice on any visa scheme for all nationalities. The telephone number is 03007 906268. This is the telephone number to use for enquiries about other visa schemes that Ukrainians may be eligible for – for example work visa schemes or academic visa schemes. You can find information on other visa schemes on the UK Government website.

 

There were three types of visas that were set up as part of the UK Government’s Ukraine Scheme.

These three types were the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes For Ukraine), the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Extension Scheme.

These visas allowed Ukrainians to secure up to 3 years’ right to remain in the UK. The 3 years was a total no matter which of the visas a guest is on. Guests cannot extend their leave to more than 3 years by switching from one visa to another.

On 19^th February 2024 the UK Government announced the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme to allow Ukrainian guests the opportunity to extend their visas by 18 months.

Homes for Ukraine visa

The Homes for Ukraine scheme exists to allow permanent UK residents to sponsor visas for Ukrainians wanting to seek refuge in the UK.

A number of changes were made to the Homes For Ukraine visa scheme on 19^th February 2024.

Homes for Ukraine hosts have to meet certain eligibility criteria – have permanent right to live in the UK, be able to offer suitable accommodation for their guests for a minimum of six months, pass suitable background checks and facilitate a safeguarding visit once the guests have arrived.

Ukrainian guests who are granted Homes for Ukraine visas are eligible to live in the UK for up to 18 months, will have the right to work and will have full access to public funds.

If the various checks are passed then hosts qualify for a thankyou payment of £350 per month (which rises to £500 a month once guests have been in the UK for twelve months).

Guests can only apply for a Homes for Ukraine visa from outside the UK.

A UK-based sponsor is required for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

There are full details of the eligibility requirements, visa conditions, guidance on the scheme and details on how to make an application here: Homes for Ukraine

If a Ukrainian guest is wanting to come and visit the UK for a short time – for example a Ukrainian relative visiting for a couple of weeks – then a Homes for Ukraine visa is not appropriate. Instead the guest should apply for a Standard Visitor visa (details below).

Ukraine Family Scheme visa

The Ukraine Family Scheme visa was closed down on 19^th February 2024. It is no longer possible to apply for visas on the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Ukraine Extension Scheme visa

The Ukraine Extension Scheme visa is appropriate for Ukrainians who were already in the UK pre-March 2022 – for example, Ukrainians who were in the UK on work visas and who would like to apply to extend the length of time they are allowed to stay in the UK.

A UK-based sponsor is not required for the Ukraine Extension Scheme.

There are full details of the eligibility requirements, visa conditions and details on how to make an application here: Ukraine Extension Scheme

The Ukraine Extension Scheme is due to close in May 2024.

 

Ukraine Permission Extension scheme

On 19^th February 2024 the UK Government announced the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme to allow Ukrainian guests the opportunity to extend their visas by 18 months.

(Please note that this is different from the Ukraine Extension Scheme, despite their similar names).

Full details of the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme are still to be released by the UK Government. However we believe that this scheme will allow guests on existing visa schemes (Homes For Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme, Ukraine Extension Scheme) to apply for another 18 months of leave to remain in the UK. Most people on these visa schemes will have been given 3 years of leave to remain – so this will extend it to 4 ½ years.

The Ukraine Permission Extension scheme is not open yet. The UK Government have indicated that guests will be able to apply for their 18 month extension when they are within the last 3 months of their current visa. So we expect this scheme to open around January 2025.

We will update this page with further details when they become available.

Standard Visitor visa

For short visits to the UK – up to 6 months – the correct visa to use is a Standard Visitor visa.

This is the visa that should be used when friends or relatives in Ukraine are hoping to come to the UK for a short visit.

Ukrainians in the UK on Standard Visitor visas cannot work and cannot claim any benefits from public funds.

There are full details on how to apply here: Standard Visitor

 

Homes For Ukraine hosts are eligible to receive monthly ‘thank you’ payments if they continue to meet the requirements of the scheme – offering suitable accommodation to their guests, passing the required DBS checks, undertaking a successful safeguarding visit once the guests have arrived, not charging their guests rent and so on.

Thank you payments are £350 a month for the first year, this increases to £500 a month once a guest has been in the UK for more than 12 months.

The length of time that thank you payments can be made will depend on the guest’s visa. For visas issued before 19^th February 2024 the guest will have 3 years’ permission to be in the UK and therefore hosts can receive thank you payments for up to 3 years. For visas issued after 19^th February 2024 the guest will have 18 months’ permission to be in the UK and therefore hosts can receive thank you payments for up to 18 months.

It is not yet known if thank you payments will still be paid if guests extend their stay for an additional 18 months using the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.

Thank you payments are paid in arrears and will be paid to you via your district council. The payments are tax free and should not affect a host’s eligibility for benefits or their council tax status. Only one monthly payment is made per residential address, regardless of the number of guests being hosted, size or location of property.

When a hosting arrangement comes to an end and guests move on to accommodation elsewhere we bring the host thank you payments to an end as well. This leads to the question of what happens with payments when guests leave part way through a month. Of course, very few guests leave their hosts exactly on the same day of the month they arrived - so in the majority of cases guests have stayed with their host for a full number of months and then part of a month.

The UK government guidance is that we should look at the final part-month to determine if an extra monthly payment should be made. If this final part-month is 16 days or more then the hosts are eligible for another thank you payment; if it is 15 or fewer days then the hosts are not eligible for another thank you payment.

For example, if guests arrive with a host on 1st January 2023 and then leave on 20th August then the guests have been there for 7 months and 19 days - so this host would receive 8 thank you payments in total.

If guests arrive with a host on 1st January 2023 and then leave on 10th August then the guests have been there for 7 months and 9 days - so this host would receive 7 thank you payments in total.

We do not pay pro-rata payments for individual extra days. Please contact homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk if you have any further questions.

 

On 19^th February 2024 the UK Government amended the eligibility criteria for becoming a Homes For Ukraine sponsor. Sponsors must now have permanent right to remain in the UK. It is unlikely that any Homes For Ukraine guests have permanent right to remain in the UK, therefore it is unlikely that any current Homes For Ukraine guests can act as sponsors for new Homes For Ukraine guests.

 

The criteria for guests becoming hosts – and receiving monthly thankyou payments - are less clear. As the Homes for Ukraine scheme has evolved a wide variety of arrangements have emerged involving various combinations of Ukrainian relatives and friends living together. There is no published guidance yet on when thankyou payments are or aren’t allowed in these situations, but the government have confirmed that the rule is:

Where two or more Homes for Ukraine visa holders are related or in a relationship, and have the same visa sponsor, it would not be permissible for one of these guests to receive a thank you payment for ‘hosting’ the other guest(s). Otherwise the thankyou payments can be made.

If you would like more advice on whether or not the arrangements you are considering will or will not make you eligible for a thankyou payment it is best to contact homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk to discuss your proposed arrangements. We can confirm whether or not thankyou payments will be approved for your proposed arrangements.

The government have also confirmed that it is not possible to change the sponsor on an existing visa. It is also not possible to cancel a visa that has been issued in order to make another application with a different sponsor. This is why it is best to contact homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk before making any visa applications.

 

When your guest arrives

• Meet your guests and help them settle in
  Information about how to make your guests feel more comfortable in their new home, set expectations about how to live together and communicate with your guests.
• Sponsors of children travelling to, or staying in the UK without their parent or legal guardian
  What to do if you are asked to look after your guest's child or children unexpectedly. This could include if your guest needs to leave the country, or travel separately.
• If you're worried about a guest or their children
  What to do if you are concerned for your guests or their children's safety. Includes what to do if you think they are being exploited.
• If your guest will be absent temporarily

What to do if your guest will be temporarily absent from your accommodation.

 

Ending sponsorship or rematching

• When you have sponsored for 6 months
  Information about next steps when you have sponsored a guest for 6 months.
• Finding a new host (rematching)
  If your guests are not ready to leave sponsorship and move into their own alternative accommodation, but you can no longer accommodate them, they may want to find a new host.
• Ending your hosting arrangements, and helping your guest with their next steps
  Information about what to do if you need to end your hosting arrangements for any reason.

 

Arriving and living in the UK

• Arriving in the UK
  What to do when you arrive in the UK if you have a visa, don't have a visa or have a biometric residence permit.
• Welcome Points and travelling to your sponsor
  Where the welcome points are, what facilities are available and how to make travel arrangements to meet your host.
• Living with your sponsor
  How to live with your sponsor, what to expect from them and what to do if things don't work out.
• Parents of children under 18 travelling to, or staying in, the UK without their parent or legal guardian
  What you need to do if you need to leave your children in the care of your sponsor, or if you can't travel with your children to the UK.
• Driving and public transport
  The legal requirements for getting your driving licence, and how public transport works in the UK.
• Get urgent help and report a crime
  Who to call in an emergency, like police, fire or ambulance services.
• Get urgent medical help
  How to get medical help for emergencies, issues that can't wait until you can see your GP and dental emergencies.
• Continuing to live with your host or rematching
  What your options are if you want to continue to live with your host, or if you need to move on to a new host.
• Renting private accommodation
  How to rent privately, including your rights and responsibilities.

 

Access benefits and essential services

• Get a bank account and your arrival payment
  How to find the right bank for you, and when you will receive your arrival payment.
• Apply for Universal Credit and other benefits
  Benefits that are available to you and how to apply for them.
• Get a National Insurance number
  How to get a national insurance number if you are working or are claiming benefits.
• Register with a doctor and get medication
  How to register with an NHS doctor and patient questionnaires in Ukrainian and Russian.

 

Work and tax

• Find a job
  Where to find work, who can help you and how to access skills based training for employment.
• Working in Healthcare in the UK
  The regulations about working in any healthcare role, and how to register with the appropriate accredited bodies.
• Your rights at work
  What you can expect from your employer and what your responsibilities are as an employee. What to do if you think you are being treated unfairly at work.
• Paying tax
  The types of tax you will pay as an employee and how this could affect any benefits your claim.
• Paying taxes in the UK if you work for an employer based in Ukraine
  Find out about paying Income Tax and National Insurance contributions if you arrive in the UK but are still working for an employer in Ukraine.

 

Education

• Childcare and education up to 16 years old
  How and when to apply for childcare places and schools.
• Education for people from 16 years old to adults
  Sixth form, further education (like college), higher education (like university), apprenticeships and skills based training available.
• Learn to speak, read and write English
  Resources and training to learn English.

 

Health

• Adult Health
  Services and care available through the NHS for adults.
• Care for elderly, vulnerable or disabled adults
  How to access social care, plus support if you, or someone you care for is blind.
• Child Health
  Services and care available through the NHS for children.

 

You are here as guests in accordance with one of the following UK Immigration arrangements:

Ukraine Family Scheme Visa

If you came to the UK to join the household of a family member, it is important to note that you did that by mutual agreement and personal arrangement. The expectation is that you will continue to reside with your family for as long as you need that safe place to stay, or if you are able to source your own accommodation. Whilst the local authorities are not involved in that arrangement, you may find some of the information on this website useful to you during your stay.

 

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Those who offer a home to people fleeing Ukraine, are called a “sponsor”. They have registered their interest in being a sponsor with the UK Government. The sponsors offer of room(s) or a property is for a minimum of six months, but ideally for as long as your “guests” need a safe place to stay. Guests will be able to live and work in the UK for up to three years and access benefits, healthcare, employment and other support.

For more information on these national schemes and the role of the Lincolnshire councils, please visit the Ukraine Response page.

 

Wellbeing Lincs is a countywide service funded by Lincolnshire County Council supporting adults across Lincolnshire to achieve confident, fulfilled and independent living. Wellbeing Lincs have established a service designed to assist Ukrainian citizens who have moved to Lincolnshire through the family, or sponsorship schemes recently launched by central government.

We can provide emotional support, as well as help accessing statutory services such as health, education, benefits and council services including housing. We can also help link you with community support services and charities.

While we will attempt to assist with requests for help outside the above list, we are not able to provide general updates to the public on where to send donations, or how to receive assistance for Ukrainian citizens who have been in the UK since before the current conflict.

To access our service please provide us with your name, address, contact information and a brief idea of your main reason for contacting us to ukraine.wellbeing@e-lindsey.gov.uk. We will contact you as soon as possible to discuss how we can help, which will usually be within two working days. You can also use our dedicated contact number; however, you should be aware, the telephone line can be very busy, so email is the quickest way to make contact. Our telephone number is 01507 613044 and will operate between 9am and 5pm Monday to Thursday, then 10am to 4.30pm Friday.

 

The welfare of you and your family is important to us, if you are in need of urgent assistance please note:

• Adult Social Care – urgent social care intervention that cannot wait until the next working day: 01522 782155
• Adult Safeguarding – where an adult may be experiencing abuse or neglect. Please note: If you believe a crime has been committed or there is an immediate risk of danger, call the police on 999 or 101
• Children’s Services – immediate and significant risk of harm: 01522 782111, or if outside normal working hours: 01522 782333

 

The county council is the upper tier of local government, below which are seven district councils with responsibility for services such as housing, planning applications, council tax and refuge collection. 

Find your local council

The districts of Lincolnshire are listed below with their contact details. Each council has also established a dedicated single point of contact for all enquiries associated with the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

 

Boston Borough Council

Tel: 01205 314200
Website: www.mybostonuk.com
Email: Housing.Standards@boston.gov.uk

 

City of Lincoln Council

Tel: 01522 881188
Website: www.lincoln.gov.uk
Email: UkraineSPOC@lincoln.gov.uk

 

East Lindsey District Council

Tel: 01507 601111
Website: www.e-lindsey.gov.uk
Email: HousingStandards@e-lindsey.gov.uk

 

North Kesteven District Council

Tel: 01529 414155
Website: www.n-kesteven.gov.uk
Email: HomesforUkraine@n-kesteven.gov.uk

 

South Holland District Council

Tel: 01775 761161
Website: www.sholland.gov.uk
Email: Privatehousing@sholland.gov.uk

 

South Kesteven District Council

Tel: 01476 406080
Website: www.southkesteven.gov.uk
Email: UkraineSPOC@southkesteven.gov.uk

 

West Lindsey District Council

Tel: 01427 676676
Website: www.west-lindsey.gov.uk
Email: homesforukraine@west-lindsey.gov.uk

 

Where you are staying should be available for you for as long as you need a safe place to stay.  However, in exceptional circumstances where the arrangement has irretrievably broken down and you have no alternative options, the Homelessness Team at the council will be able to offer you information, advice and assistance.  Please use the links above to access the council that covers the area where you are currently staying.

 

Housing services

District Councils are responsible for housing services, including emergency homelessness situations. The table below contains the contact details for each district’s housing team, and an out-of-hours phone number should there be an emergency need for accommodation.

District Council	During Office Hours	Outside of Office Hours
Boston	Housing.dept@boston.gov.uk	01205 362151
City of Lincoln	HousingSolutions@lincoln.gov.uk	01522 534747
East Lindsey	housing.hub@e-lindsey.gov.uk	01507 601111
North Kesteven	housingoptions@n-kesteven.gov.uk	01529 308308
South Holland	housingoptions@sholland.gov.uk	01522 782235
South Kesteven	housingadvice@southkesteven.gov.uk	01476 590044
West Lindsey	home.choices@west-lindsey.gov.uk	01427 613960