17th October 2024
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 9:00 -17:00 and Friday from 9:00 - 16:30. Our 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 team support
This email address is monitored from Monday to Thursday, 09:00 - 17:00 and Friday 09:00 - 16:30. When you email please include as much detail as possible about the situation you are getting in touch about so that we can triage and respond appropriately. We will reply to all emails within two working days but we prioritise responding urgently to any hosts and guests needing immediate help.
If your enquiry does require a member of the Migration Team to call you please be aware that our call may appear as an 'unknown number' on your phone.
UK Government Guidance
The UK Government issues the guidance covering the Homes For Ukraine scheme. The guidance is split into three sections: guests, sponsors and councils - although some guidance appears under more than one of those headings. Whilst there is a lot of documentation here it is worth having a look through. The Government have split it into smaller sections to help keep everything straightforward. The links to the guidance pages are:
Guidance for guests (this is in English, Ukrainian and Russian)
Guidance for sponsors (and hosts)
Guests and Hosts
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. The definition of a close family member includes:
- a spouse, or civil or unmarried partner;
- a parent;
- a parent-in-law;
- a son or daughter;
- a son- or daughter-in-law;
- a step-son or daughter;
- a sibling;
- a grandparent; or
- the spouse, or civil or unmarried partner of any of these people
This means that we will no longer approve any applications to start receiving thank you payments for people who are hosting close family members.
However if you were hosting a close family member before 01 October 2024 - and you were already receiving the thank you payments before 01 October 2024 - then your thank you payments can continue each month and there is no requirement to pay anything back.
The change only applies to new hosts starting to claim for thank you payments for hosting close family members from 01 October 2024 onwards.
There is more information in the UK Government guidance but if you have any questions please just email us at homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk and we can explain if you will be affected by this policy change.
Utility bills
When a host is receiving a monthly thank you payment for hosting one or more Homes for Ukraine guests, the host is not allowed to charge rent from their guests. Hosts not being allowed to charge rent is made clear in the Government guidance for hosts and the Government guidance for guests.
However hosts are legitimately allowed to ask guests to make a reasonable contribution to household utility bills. This is made clear in the Homes For Ukraine guidance which has always stated that guests may be asked to pay a reasonable and proportionate contribution towards household utility bills.
The monthly thank you payments are not designed to cover the additional costs of utility bills. We know that this is what some hosts use the thank you payments for but we also recognise that every hosting situation is different and not all hosts are in a position to do this. The link to the UK Government guidance on utility bill contributions is here.
Stop Loan Sharks is the UK Government's project to prevent illegal money lending.
It has produced an article in Ukrainian explaining what loan sharking is, how to report it and how to get help if you need it.
Support for carers
We know that some hosts or guests may be in situations of caring for someone else who is a host or guest. Lincolnshire County Council provides advice and support for carers - please visit LCC website for more information.
Visas and Immigration
eVisas need setting up before 31 December 2024
All Homes For Ukraine guests can now create a UK Visas and Immigration account to access their eVisa.
eVisas are replacing Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and will be the new way of demonstrating your current immigration status and your current rights in the UK - the right to work, to rent a property, to access public funds and so on. Most Homes For Ukraine guests will have a BRP with an expiry date of 31 December 2024. The UK Government advice is to create a UKVI account and access your eVisa before your BRP card expires.
Please note that the BRP expiry date of 31 December 2024 is the date that the BRP expires it is not when your Homes For Ukraine visa expires. The BRP is simply a way of demonstrating what rights your visa gives you - the eVisa will become the new way of demonstrating those rights.
You can find out more about eVisas on the UK Government website including details of where to go if you need any help.
The UK Government has also released a YouTube video explaining the process (the video is in English but you can change the subtitles to different languages).
The UK Government have also recommended that Ukrainians keep their expired BRPs even after applying for an eVisa because old BRPs may be needed in order to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.
Possible error on the eVisa website
The UK Government have told us that some Ukrainians are seeing an error when they are registering for their eVisa.
The problem seems to relate to Ukrainians being shown some sort of incorrect visa status on the eVisa website - instead of a status of 'Ukraine Scheme' the website is showing 'Leave outside the rules' or 'Humanitarian protection'.
This is an error that the UK Government are aware of. Homes For Ukraine guests should be reassured that their underlying record and immigration status are correct. There is nothing that needs to be done by guests to correct this error, the UK Government are hoping to fix it imminently.
Lost or stolen Biometric Residence Permits
If you lose your BRP or it is stolen then you can no longer get a replacement BRP. This is because BRPs are being replaced with eVisas (explained above).
The UK Government provide advice on what to do if your BRP is lost or stolen. It is important to report a lost or stolen BRP.
How to find out when your HFU visa expires
We know that many guests are concerned about when their current Homes For Ukraine visas expire, and the date that the visas run out is not always obvious. There is the additional confusion that Biometric Residence Permits expire on 31 December 2024 but this is not the date that the visa expires on.
Guests may have been told the date their Homes For Ukraine visa expires in the correspondence they received from the UK Government when the visa was granted. Alternatively guests may have had their visa expiry date confirmed when they entered the UK. Or guests may simply never have been told the date their visa expires.
If you are a guest who is unsure of when your Homes For Ukraine visa expires, the easiest way that we have found to confirm the dates is to use the Government share code website that proves your right to work in the UK (you will need your BRP to do this):
Prove your right to work to an employer: Get a share code online - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Click on the green 'Start now' button and select the 'I have a biometric residence card or permit'. Say 'Yes' that you do have a biometric residence permit. Then input your BRP number and your date of birth.
You will then be shown a screen showing a date range when you are allowed to work in the UK. This date range corresponds to your Homes For Ukraine visa date range - so the last date shown is the date your Homes For Ukraine visa expires.
Immigration Advice
If you have any questions about your visa or need immigration advice, you can speak with a qualified adviser for the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).
The UK Government has a helpful page about how to Find An Immigration Advisor and that will lead you to the Adviser Finder which can be used to find local OISC-qualified advisors.
You can search for someone to help you with advice, complaints and applications to stay in the UK. There are both free and paid-for services, with advisor levels ranging from 1 to 3.
Citizens Advice is a charity that offers free support and advice to residents. They 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 and can attend community groups in Lincolnshire with translation support.
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 are also OISC-qualified to provide immigration advice.
Education
Applying to secondary schools
You should apply for your child to start secondary school when they are in year 6. The deadline for 2025 applications is 31 October 2024.
In Lincolnshire County Councils going to school guide, you can find out more information about applying for a secondary school place and what to do if your child is educated in a year group outside of their age group.
It is recommended to check if your child is eligible for free school or post-16 school transport before you apply, as this might determine which schools you choose to apply for.
Apply for a school in Lincolnshire here.
University places for Homes For Ukraine guests
The UK Government has published an information sheet about what support is available for university students from Ukraine. The information covers tuition fees, student loans, visas and bursaries - it is worth reading if you or one of your children is from Ukraine and is considering applying to attend university in the UK.
IELTS preparation course at Lincoln College
Lincoln College is starting a new course to help people with the skills and knowledge needed to pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) qualification.
The preparation course starts on 30 October 2024 and will last for 14 sessions. The cost of the course is £150 per person. For more details please contact adult@lincolncollege.ac.uk or visit www.lincolncollege.ac.uk.
Please note that £150 is the cost of the preparation course.
There is an additional fee for the cost of taking the IELTS exam at an approved testing centre.
Lincolnshire County Council may be able to reimburse you for the cost of the IELTS exam after you have taken it. Please contact homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk if you would like to talk to us about reimbursing you for IELTS exam costs.
Events
TEDx event in Lincoln
The TEDx Brayford Pool event in Lincoln this year is a joint event with TEDx Kyiv. The theme is 'United By Ideas' and the event is being held on the weekend of November 2nd and 3rd.
For more details please visit the TEDx Brayford Pool website.
Health and Wellbeing event in Lincoln
On Wednesday 23rd October from 10:00 - 13:30 there will be a Health and Wellbeing event at Lincoln College. This is an opportunity to come along and see what support is available for you on your journey to good health and wellbeing. There will be various different organisations in attendance and anyone is welcome to come along. The venue is Dean's Sports Centre, Lincoln College, Monks Road, Lincoln.
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.