13th February 2025
Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire e-newsletter
Contacting us
Welcome to the latest issue of our e-newsletter for Homes For Ukraine guests and hosts. This newsletter is sent out by Lincolnshire County Council's Migration Team. You can email the team on: homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk. Our business hours are Monday to Thursday 09:00 - 17:00 and Friday from 09:00 - 16:30. The email address is constantly monitored during these times.
You can also visit our Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire website to find other information, and also to read this newsletter in Ukrainian or Russian. Use the 'Select Language' button at the top of the screen to switch language.
Відвідайте веб-сайт «Оселі для України в Лінкольнширі», щоб прочитати цей інформаційний бюлетень українською або російською мовами.
Для перемикання мови використовуйте кнопку «Вибрати мову» у верхній частині екрана.
Посетите сайт «Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire», чтобы прочитать этот бюллетень на украинском или русском языке. Для переключения языка используйте кнопку «Выбрать язык» в верхней части экрана.
Homes for Ukraine Visas
Policy change - sponsoring children
The UK Government has amended the eligibility criteria for who can act as a sponsor for Homes For Ukraine visas.
For the last year or so a sponsor of a Homes For Ukraine visa must have had the right to live permanently in the UK.
The UK Government has now changed this to allow parents with Homes For Ukraine visas to sponsor Homes For Ukraine visas for their children. So parents can now sponsor visas for their children to join them in the UK even if the parents do not have the permanent right to be in the UK.
Parents will have to be able to provide evidence of their relationship with the child and must be able to offer accommodation for the duration of their child's visa.
Full details are available on the sponsor eligibility guidance page.
Homes For Ukraine visa end dates
The Migration Team at Lincolnshire County Council are not given the dates when each guest's Homes For Ukraine visa expires. However we need to know this date in order to correctly administer the Homes For Ukraine scheme, in particular the thank you payments made to hosts.
The only way for us to confirm the visa end date is by asking each guest living with a host to send us a share code.
We are emailing guests who are living in hosting arrangements and asking for a share code. It is helpful if parents can also provide share codes for their children.
Guests can generate a share code here if they have an eVisa.
Guests who do not yet have an eVisa can still generate a share code here with their BRP card (even if it expired on 31 Dec 2024).
If we do not email you, you do not need to provide us a share code at this time.
Thank you to every guest who has already provided us with a share code - we really appreciate your co-operation.
Ukraine Permission Extension Visas
Ukraine Permission Extension scheme
The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme was announced to grant Ukrainians in the UK an additional 18 months permission to stay in the country. This visa scheme has now opened so that UPE applications can now be made.
1. You need to have created a UKVI account and have access to your eVisa before applying for a UPE visa
2. The earliest you can apply for a UPE visa is within the last 28 days of your existing permission to be in the UK
3. You must be in the UK when you make your UPE application and you must remain in the UK until the UPE decision has been made
4. In connection with a UPE application, temporary periods spent in Ukraine will not count as absences from the UK
5. All people applying for a UPE visa will need to also make an appointment to attend a UK Visas and Citizenship Application Services location to provide biometric information (fingerprints and facial photograph). There is currently no way for UPE applicants to re-use the biometric information that they have provided as part of their Homes For Ukraine visa application. We expect this to change in the near future and we believe there will be a way for most guests to re-use biometrics from Biometric Residence Permits without having to make an in-person attendance at a UKVCAS location - but right now the process is that all UPE applicants have to re-provide their biometric information at a UKVCAS location.
If you apply for a UPE visa too early (more than 28 days before your current permission expires) your application may be rejected.
If you apply for a UPE visa after your current permission expires you will lose your current entitlements to work, rent and receive benefits until a decision is made on your UPE application.
Therefore it is very important that you know the accurate date on which your existing permission expires so that you know when you can make your UPE visa application.
You can confirm the expiry date of your current visa by looking at your UKVI account/eVisa or by generating a share code.
Full details about the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme are available on the UK Government website.
Help to make a Ukraine Permission Extension application
If you, or someone you know needs help making a Ukraine Permission Extension scheme application then the Home Office Digital Assistance website may be useful.
Help is available for people struggling to make visa applications - for example people without internet access, or people who might struggle to use a computer or smartphone.
Full details are on the website, but the support is provided by the We Are Group. They can be contacted:
- by email on visa@wearegroup.com
- by telephone on 03333 445 675
- by texting the word 'visa' and a number to call you back on to 07537 416 944
Proving 3C status to landlords and employers
We are expecting that some guests will find themselves "between visas" for a period - their Homes For Ukraine visa might have expired but they may still be waiting to be granted a Ukraine Permission Extension visa.
The UK Government UPE guidance confirms that - as long as guests have made a UPE application before their HFU visa expires - guests will continue to have the right to work, rent and receive benefits while they are 'between visas'.
Being "between visas" in this way is known as having a 3C status. 3C means that you have made a new visa application before your old visa expired.
However it can be hard to prove to employers or landlords that you have 3C status.
If you are having difficulty proving your right to work while you are 'between visas' you can ask your employer to use the Employer Checking Service to demonstrate that you still have the right to work in the UK.
If you are having difficult proving your right to rent to a landlord you might find this section of the UK Government Landlord Guidance useful.
You may also be able to write to the Home Office to request digital proof of your 3C status. A template email is available here.
Updates on Ukraine Permission Extension scheme
The UK Government has published extensive guidance on the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.
You can subscribe to the page by clicking the "Get emails about this page" button - this will ensure you are alerted whenever the guidance is updated.
Council Tax
Council tax discount ending under UPE
The UK Government has released some new guidance about council tax and the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.
At the moment anyone with a Homes For Ukraine visa is ignored for the purposes of council tax. This means that:
- if you are single host who has guests with Homes For Ukraine visas then you still qualify for a single person discount on your council tax
- if you are Homes For Ukraine guests living in independent accommodation (not with a host) then you may have also received a discount on your council tax
However this new UK Government guidance states that the Council Tax situation will change once people have moved onto Ukraine Permission Extension visas:
- if you are a single host who has guests with Ukraine Permission Extension visas then you will continue to qualify for a single person discount on your council tax, so the switch from HFU to UPE visas will have no impact
- however if you are a group of guests living in independent accommodation (not with a host) then you may no longer qualify for a council tax discount when you switch from Homes For Ukraine visas to Ukraine Permission Extension visas. However you could still be eligible for some help if you’re on a low income or claim benefits. You can find out more by looking at the UK Government website about council tax reductions.
We ask guests living in rented accommodation to be aware of this upcoming change.
E-Visas
Help with eVisas
We believe most HFU guests will have set up their eVisas now.
If you still need help setting up your eVisa there are various organisations that are funded by the UK Government to help you.
In Lincolnshire there is an organisation called Lincoln Embracing All Nations (LEAN) which is based in Lincoln and can help you set up and access your eVisa.
LEAN is running two days of eVisa support sessions at its office in Lincoln on Monday 17 February and Tuesday 18 February.
You must book in advance if you wish to attend the session - either by emailing admin@lincoln-lean.org.uk or by text message/WhatsApp to +447458 301 091.
The UK Government has also released a YouTube video explaining the eVisa process (the video is in English but you can change the subtitles to different languages).
Thank You Payments
February thank you payment date
We will be sending thank you payments to hosts on Wednesday 26 February. As usual these payments will be sent by BACS and therefore should clear into your bank account within three working days - so payments should be with all hosts by Friday 28 February. Please wait for this clearing period to pass before contacting us to chase your payments.
Thank You payments are changing
The UK Government has confirmed that from May 2025 all thank you payments will be £350 a month - there will no longer be any payments made at £500 a month for guests who have been in the UK for more than 12 months.
Payments will be £350 irrespective of whether guests hold Homes For Ukraine visas or Ukraine Permission Extension visas.
If you think that the changes to thank you payments will impact on your ability to host beyond May 2025 please let us know by emailing homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk as soon as possible to help us understand how many guests may need to look for alternative accommodation. It is also important to talk to your guest about the options for their next steps with as much notice as possible. We have provided some useful information about housing options on our Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire website.
Thank You payments for hosting close family members
On 01 October 2024 the UK Government announced a change to the policy around thank you payments. The policy change affects people who are hosting Homes For Ukraine guests who are close family members.
From now on we are no longer able to start making thank you payments to people hosting close family members on Homes For Ukraine visas.
The UK Government says we should continue making thank you payments to hosts of close family member if they were already receiving the thank you payments before 01 October 2024. However these thank you payments will end once the guests' Homes For Ukraine visas expire, even if the guests subsequently obtain Ukraine Permission Extension visas.
There is more information in the UK Government guidance - including who is or isn't defined as a "close family member" - but if you have any questions please email us at homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk and we can explain if you will be affected by this policy change.
Guest absences
We continue to see a lot of movement of guests in and out of the UK. We need to pause thank you payments if guests are absent from their hosts for more than 28 days.
We remind hosts and guests to let us know of any guest absences so that we can adjust thank you payments as necessary. Failure to notify us could result in us later reclaiming payments made to you.
Guests or hosts can contact us on homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk with the dates guests are intending to be away. We also understand that travel plans can change at short notice, given the fluid and difficult situation in Ukraine.
Mental Health Support
How to access NHS mental health support
Mental Health services in Lincolnshire are provided by Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust.
They provide talking therapies services for adults and for children and young people - we have leaflets explaining these services in both Ukrainian and Russian.
There is more information, and links to other sources of mental health support, on our Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire website.
Driving Licence Update
Extension to how long Ukrainians can drive in the UK
The UK Government has announced that it will be extending the length of time Ukrainians can drive in the UK on their Ukrainian licences.
Essentially the UK Government is going to extend the length of time Ukrainian guests can drive in the UK on Ukrainian licences to 54 months from the time the guest became resident in the UK, although there appear to be exceptions to this (for example for guests granted 18 month HFU visas rather than 36 month HFU visas).
Please could we ask all guests to read the UK Government announcement - particularly the 'next steps' section - to ensure that they are correctly meeting the requirements to be able to drive in the UK. The different vehicle types that can be driven with a Ukrainian licence are listed. In particular please note the comment that if a UPE visa application is rejected, refused or withdrawn then the eligibility to drive in the UK on a Ukrainian licence will cease at that time.
Household Living Support
Cost of living support
The Household Support Fund is a UK Government initiative to help people struggling to afford essential items.
The current round of funding finishes on 31 March 2025. Funding is distributed at district council level - some district councils are now closed to applications but some district councils are still open. For more details, including the eligibility criteria, please see the Lincolnshire Community Foundation website.
Education
Education courses that go beyond visa length
We have had some reports of Homes For Ukraine guests struggling to enrol for college courses because their current HFU visa expires before the end of certain college courses.
The UK Government has confirmed that Ukrainian adults attempting to join a course that is covered by the adult skills fund can be permitted to enrol for the course, even if their Homes For Ukraine visa runs out before the course ends, if they can confirm to the college that they will be applying for a Ukraine Permission Extension visa.
This is covered in the UK Government funding rules which state that "Where a course continues past a learner's visa expiry date, providers may at their discretion fund that learner only where they have a high degree of certainty that a learner intends to (and will be eligible to) renew their visa".
Ukraine Permission Extension visas are not a renewal of Homes For Ukraine visa - it is a completely different visa - but we have been advised by the UK Government that they would still qualify here. So we believe that any HFU guests wanting to register for courses soon should be able to demonstrate that they will be able to complete the course by confirming that they will apply in due course for a UPE visa.
Upcoming Events
Grantham events run by Jubilee Church
Jubilee Church is running a couple of events to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Photo exhibition
An exhibition of photographs will be on display at Westgate Hall, Westgate, Grantham - these can be viewed from the street, and will be in place from 21 February - 03 March.
Commemorations on Monday 24 February
Jubilee Church will be running several events during the day on Monday 24 February. All of these events open for all to attend:
12pm - a short time of reflection and prayer at Jubilee Church
2pm - art and cooking workshops. The art workshop will create a giant piece of art, the cooking workshop will help prepare some Ukrainian food for the evening gathering
6pm - taste of Ukraine evening. A gathering for family and friends. Please bring food to share and a bar will be serving drinks in return for donations to raise funds for a Ukrainian charity.
If you have any questions about the events, or would like to volunteer to help, please contact Karen Marlor on karen.marlor@jubileegrantham.co.uk.
Other Help
Ukrainian Community Groups in Lincolnshire
If you are looking to join a Ukrainian community group, visit the Ukraine support groups directory on our Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire website.
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice is a charity that offers free support and advice. It can help with a range of issues including immigration and visa advice, claiming universal credit and other benefits. Citizens Advice can provide home visits in rural areas.
In Lincolnshire there is a dedicated helpline number and email address for Homes For Ukraine guests to use. If you would like to ask for help you can call 0344 847 6128 or email ukraine@citizensadvicesouthlincs.org.uk. Citizens Advice also have OISC level 1 qualified staff.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact Lincolnshire County Council's Homes For Ukraine team on: homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk.