24th April 2025
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 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.
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. Full details are available on the UK Government website - this is also available in Ukrainian and Russian.
Applicants should have a UKVI account and have access to their eVisa before applying for a UPE visa.
UPE applications can be made by people with 28 days or less remaining on their Homes For Ukraine visa. However it might take up to 8 weeks for a UPE visa to be issued. This means that some guests may find themselves "between visas" for a period of time because their HFU visa might expire before their UPE visa is issued.
If you apply for a UPE visa before your current visa expires you will continue to have the right to work/rent/study/claim public funds while you are "between visas".
If you apply for a UPE visa after your current visa expires you will lose your current entitlements to work, rent and to receive benefits until a decision is made on your UPE application.
It is important that you know the date on which your existing visa 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.
Ukrainian language guides to making a UPE application
Lancashire County Council has produced some useful guides in both Ukrainian and English on how to complete the UPE application - these guides are available on the Lancashire County Council website - and they provide a step-by-step guide to working through the UPE application form.
If you are concerned or worried about how to make a UPE application, or how to answer the questions, then you might find these guides very helpful.
Providing biometrics for a UPE application
As part of making a Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) visa application, Ukrainian guests have to provide biometric information (fingerprints and a facial photograph).
Rather than travel to a UK Visas and Citizenship Applications Services location to provide fingerprints and photographs in person, UPE visa applicants can now re-use their biometric information by scanning their Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) with a smartphone when making their UPE application. This process uses the UK Immigration: ID Check app.
For many people it will be far more convenient to scan their BRP with the ID Check app than booking an appointment and travelling to a UK visa centre.
Most guests will have a BRP that expired on 31 December 2024, but even though the BRP is expired it can still be used to provide biometrics for a UPE application.
We have had some reports of people struggling to scan the chip on their BRP using the ID Check app so here are a few tips that might help:
- It might take a few attempts to scan your BRP - please be patient and retry scanning
- Remove any protective cases on the back of your phone to prevent them interfering with scanning the BRP chip
- Try and scan the chip when you are in an area of strong WiFi/internet signal
- Try and scan the chip while you are in a well-lit area (the quality of lighting can affect the chip scanning even though the phone camera is not used)
- Sometimes you may find that you are locked out of using the scanning app for 24 hours. The lockouts are unpredictable and could be caused by various issues - you have not necessarily done something wrong.
If you are locked out please wait the full 24 hours before trying again. If you try again with the 24 hours the app will lock you out for ANOTHER 24 hours.
The lockout relates to the specific document you are trying to scan - so if you are locked out scanning a BRP, you might instead be able to scan a biometric passport if you have one.
The lockout also relates to the specific device you are scanning with - so if you have another device you can try rescanning with that. - To use the scanning app as part of your UPE application you must have a modern smartphone.
Further information and advice is available on the UK Government website.
Help to make a Ukraine Permission Extension application
Although many Ukrainians will be able to make a Ukraine Permission Extension application without help some people may require assistance. Here is a list of organisations who can help:
We Are Group
The Home Office Digital Assistance website explains what help is available for people struggling to make visa applications for technical reasons - 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 in the following ways:
- 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
Citizens Advice
The Citizens Advice team in Lincolnshire have advisers who are Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) level 1 qualified, and there is a dedicated phone number and email address for Ukrainians to use to ask for help - please call 0344 847 6128 or email ukraine@citizensadvicesouthlincs.org.uk.
Other immigration advisers
If you would like to talk to a qualified immigration adviser, you can search for one on the Immigration Advice Authority adviser finder.
Lancashire County Council guides
Another UK council - Lancashire County Council - has produced a set of guides on how to complete the UPE application. Its guides are available in both English and Ukrainian - some guests may find these helpful.
Lincolnshire County Council Migration Team
You can always email the team here if you have any questions and we will do our best to help you. You can email us on homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
Proving your right to work or rent while you are "between visas"
How you might be "between visas"
Ukrainian guests can only apply for Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) visas in the last 28 days of their Homes For Ukraine (HFU) visa.
However the Home Office might take up to 8 weeks to issue a UPE visa.
So it is possible that a guest's HFU visa will expire before their UPE visa is issued. This is how a guest may end up "between visas" for a time.
As long as a guest has submitted their UPE visa application before their HFU visa expired they will continue to have the same rights while they are "between visas" - the right to work, rent, study, claim public funds.
So guests will continue to have these rights as long as the UPE visa application has been made before the HFU visa expires.
However it can sometimes be difficult to prove your rights when you are "between visas". Normally guests can provide a share code to prove they have the right to work or rent, but guests may find themselves unable to generate a share code when they are "between visas".
However there are other ways you can prove you have the right to work or rent in the UK if you are "between visas" - these methods are explained below.
Right to work and the Employer Checking Service
If a Ukrainian guest is "between visas" and needs to prove that they currently have the right to work in the UK then they should ask their employer to use the Employer Checking Service.
The employer will need the guest to provide the 16 digit Unique Application Number (UAN) of the guest's Ukraine Permission Extension application.
The employer can then send this UAN number to the UK Government via the Employer Checking Service website, and ask if the guest still has the right to work in the UK.
It might take a few days for the Government to respond, but they should reply to the employer and confirm that the guest has the right to work in the UK for another 6 months (during which time a decision should be made on the UPE application).
If employers need to discuss things further they can ring the UK Visas and Immigration employer helpline on 0300 790 6268 option 5.
Please note that a Ukrainian guest's right to work in the UK when they are "between visas" will only apply if they have made their UPE visa application before their HFU visa expires.
Right to rent and the Landlord Checking Service
Similar to the above process - if a Ukrainian guest is "between visas" and needs to prove that they currently have the right to rent in the UK then they should ask their landlord to use the Landlord Checking Service.
The landlord will need the guest to provide the 16 digit Unique Application Number (UAN) of the guest's Ukraine Permission Extension application.
The landlord can then send this UAN number to the UK Government via the Landlord Checking Service website, and ask if the guest still has the right to rent in the UK.
It might take a few days for the Government to respond, but they should reply to the landlord and confirm that the guest has the right to rent in the UK for another 12 months (during which time a decision should be made on the UPE application).
If landlords need to discuss things further they can ring the UK Visas and Immigration landlord helpline on 0300 790 6268 option 5.
Please note that a Ukrainian guest's right to rent in the UK when they are "between visas" will only apply if they have made their UPE visa application before their HFU visa expires.
Setting up an e-visa
New video to help with eVisas
We believe that most Homes For Ukraine guests will have set up their eVisa by now. However if you still need help, the UK Government has launched a new video to help explain how to create, link and access your eVisa.
Other sources of help with eVisas remain available.
Thank You Payments
April thank you payment date
We will be sending thank you payments to hosts on Thursday 24 April. 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 Monday 28 April. 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.
So from May 2025 onwards all thank you payments will be £350 a month irrespective of how long guests have been in the UK, and irrespective of whether guests hold Homes For Ukraine visas or Ukraine Permission Extension visas.
Re-applying for thank you payments
When guests' Homes For Ukraine visas expire we need to ask hosts to reapply for thank you payments if they wish to continue receiving them while the guests are on Ukraine Permission Extension visas. This is a quick and simple process for us to go through with a host.
We will contact hosts when they need to reapply for their thank you payments. So there is nothing that hosts need to do until we contact you.
Some hosts have guests whose Homes For Ukraine visas expire at different times. We will contact you to reapply for your thank you payments around the time the last guest's Homes For Ukraine visa expires.
If you reapply for thank you payments but you are related to your guests we will be unable to continue making thank you payments once your guests move on to Ukraine Permission Extension visas. This is in alignment with UK Government guidance about councils no longer approving thank you payments for hosts who are closely related to their guests.
Council Tax
Council tax discount and UPE visas
We would ask all hosts and guests to be aware of updated guidance around UPE and council tax.
Essentially, anyone with a Homes For Ukraine visa is ignored for the purposes of council tax. However people with Ukraine Permission Extension visas are only ignored for council tax if they are living with a host.
Guests and hosts should take time to understand the impact on council tax when they move to UPE visas.
If guests are living in a hosting arrangement when they move to UPE visas, they will continue to be disregarded for council tax purposes (this protects things like the single person discount for single hosts).
If you are living in a rented or social housing property and have a Homes For Ukraine visa you may currently be receiving a discount on your council tax. However you are likely to lose this discount when you move to a Ukraine Permission Extension visa (because UPE visa holders are only ignored for council tax if they are living in a hosting arrangement).
In Lincolnshire, council tax is collected by your district council. If you have any questions about how the changes might affect you, or if you think your council tax status is not correct, please contact your District Council's council tax team.
Mental Health Support
How to access NHS mental health support
Mental Health services in Lincolnshire are provided by Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust.
It provides talking therapies services for adults and for children and young people - leaflets explaining these services in both Ukrainian and Russian are available.
There is more information, and links to other sources of mental health support, on our Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire website.
Education
IELTS exams
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a widely-recognised qualification in English.
If you are interested in taking the IELTS exam you may be able to find a preparatory course at a college near you to make sure you are ready to take the exam. There are also practice tests on the IELTS website.
Once you are ready to take the IELTS exam, the exam itself has to be booked and taken at an approved IELTS test centre.
The cost of taking the exam is around £200 - but the LCC Migration Team may be able to reimburse you for the cost of taking the exam. If you would like to enquire about being reimbursed for the cost of taking the IELTS exam please email us on homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
University fees and UPE
University students holding Homes For Ukraine visas are eligible for "home" tuition fees at university, rather than "international" tuition fees.
If university students move to a Ukraine Permission Extension visa part-way through a university course they should continue being eligible for "home fees" for the duration of their UPE visa.
If a Ukrainian moves to a UPE visa and then applies to university they should also be eligible for "home" tuition fees.
If UPE visas expire before the end of a course, guests may need to look at other types of visas to continue their permission to be in the UK until the end of their course - for example student visas. The advice for guests in this situation is to discuss this with their university's international student advisers or with a qualified immigration lawyer.
However the UK Government has confirmed that students starting a University course in England while holding a Ukrainian visa will continue to be eligible for "home" tuition fees for the duration of their course, even if they switch to a non-Ukraine scheme visa (e.g. a student visa) part-way through their course.
Further information is available online here and here.
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 IAA 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.