22nd August 2024
Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire e-newsletter
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 Homes For Ukraine team. You can email us on: homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk
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 to the language you want.
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
In Lincolnshire, the Homes For Ukraine scheme is co-ordinated by Lincolnshire County Council's Migration Team. If you require any help from the team please email us on: homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk
This email address is monitored from Monday to Friday, 08.00 to 17.00. 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 and prioritise responding quickly to any hosts and guests that need immediate help.
eVisas
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 such as; the right to work, to rent a property, to access public funds and so on.
You can find out more about eVisas here: UK Government website.
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).
Lancashire County Council have also created a Ukrainian-language guide to the process.
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:
- 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.
- you are advised to keep hold of your old BRP card, even after you have accessed your eVisa. This BRP card may be needed to travel internationally until it expires. Even after it expires it may be needed to make future applications to stay in the UK.
- all Homes For Ukraine guests need to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. This includes children - each child needs a UKVI account. Parents can use their own email address to create a UKVI account for their child.
- creating a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa does not extend the amount of time you are allowed to stay in the UK. The eVisa is simply a different way of demonstrating your current right to be in the UK.
- there will be an entirely separate process for Homes For Ukraine guests to apply to extend the length of time they can stay in the UK. This extension scheme is still being worked on by the UK Government and will be called the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme.
HOSTS
Thank you payments in East Lindsey
In accordance with national guidance you may be receiving a monthly thank you payment for hosting a Homes For Ukraine guest.
We are making some changes to how thank you payments are sent.
Until now, payments have been sent out by District Councils. We have decided that Lincolnshire County Council will take over making these payments. This will simplify the application process, help us resolve queries faster, and provide a single organisation that hosts can talk to.
We are working our way across the county, switching hosts from being paid by their District Council to being paid by Lincolnshire County Council.
The next group of hosts we will switch across are in East Lindsey District Council.
If you are a host in East Lindsey you will shortly receive an email from homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk with further information about the changes. This email will link to an online form for you to complete, with some details about you as a host including which bank account you would like your payments made into. We would appreciate it if East Lindsey hosts could look out for this email - we want to ensure that hosts are set up on our financial systems promptly so that nobody misses out on any payments.
This change does not affect how much you are eligible to receive, it is just a behind-the-scenes administrative change of where the payments come from.
We would also like to note that hosts are able to apply for thank you payments at any point during their hosting and - subject to meeting the eligibility criteria for being a host - may be eligible for back-dated payments.
Guests travelling abroad
If guests are away from their hosts for more than 28 days the UK Government instructs us to pause thank you payments until the guest returns.
We are seeing high levels of guest travel from and back to the UK. Please can we remind hosts and guests to let us know when a guest has left your accommodation - even if the guest is intending to return within less than 28 days - so that we can update our records. The situation in Ukraine remains difficult and guest travel plans are understandably fluid so, even if a guest is not intending to be away for long, plans can change. It is helpful for us to be informed when guests come and go, so that we can administer thank you payments correctly.
We do not receive this information from Border Force, so we are reliant on hosts and guests informing us when they are leaving/returning to the UK. Thank you for your understanding with this.
Other rules around thank you payments
There are various rules we need to comply with around thank you payments, for example, what happens if your guest leaves your accommodation part way through the month? If you would like to find out more about this please head to our Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire website, which explains the rules in more detail.
VISAS AND IMMIGRATION ADVICE
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
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.
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.
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 UK 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 is the date your Homes For Ukraine visa expires.
SCHOOL TRANSPORT
How To Apply For Free School Transport
Free transport to school is available for some children in some circumstances.
Please do not assume that if you move house or move school that your child will start to receive free school transport (or continue receiving free transport if they already have it). The rules around free school transport are complex and the best way to find out if your child is eligible for free transport is to make an application for it.
More information about school transport, including how to apply, is at: Lincolnshire County Council website.
LEARNING TO SPEAK ENGLISH
Lincolnshire Family Learning Service
LCC's Family Learning Service are starting some new English language classes in September in various locations across Lincolnshire.
Before each new course starts, there is an Information and Advice session where you can find out more about the course. You must book a place on an Information and Advice session, you cannot simply turn up.
To book a place on an Information and Advice session, please email adult.learning@lincolnshire.gov.uk
The Information and Advice sessions are taking place on the following times, these locations are also where the English language classes will subsequently take place:
- Bourne, Wake House: Thursday 12th September 9.30 to 11.30
- Stamford, Children's Centre : Friday 13th September 9.30 to 11.30
- Grantham, Jubilee Church : Wednesday 11th September 12.30 to 2.30
- Spalding, Welland Workspace : Thursday 12th September 9.30 to 11.30
- Lincoln, The Bridge : Monday 9th September 9.30 to 11.30 and Thursday 12th September 9.30 to 11.30
You can find information about other Family Learning Service courses on the 2Aspire website.
Community Lab in Sleaford
In September 2024 the Community Lab in Sleaford will be launching a new 12 week course that is designed to help Ukrainians with their English language skills. This course will also focus on employment skills such as job applications and interviews.
More information is available on the Community Lab website.
STEP Ukraine
The STEP Ukraine programme is reopening for new students who can start in either September 2024 or November 2024.
STEP Ukraine is an intensive 12 week course that takes place online and teaches Ukrainians a mixture of English language and employment skills. Attendance is daily during Monday-Friday and there are various time slots to fit in around things like picking children up from school.
More information is available on the STEP Ukraine website.
EVENTS
Jubilee Church in Grantham
Jubilee Church hosts a variety of activities for children on Saturdays from 11.00 to 12:30. To find out more, please see the Activities for Ukrainian Children flyer.
Jubilee Church is also hosting a Ukraine Independence Day party on Saturday 24th August 3pm - 7pm, there will be activities for all ages, but please bring some food to share. To find out more, please see the Independence Day Party flyer.
Lincoln Cathedral Peace Doves Display
Lincoln Cathedral is making a beautiful art installation of paper doves which will be suspended above the cathedral's nave. The doves will be on display between 5th September and 14th November.
Each dove will carry a message of peace, love and hope written on it. Members of the public are invited to come along and create their own dove.
More information is available on the Lincoln Cathedral website.
OTHER HELP
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact Lincolnshire County Council's Homes For Ukraine team on: homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk
You're receiving this email because you are a guest or host on the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme in Lincolnshire (or have recently made an application to become a host).
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