Visas, Sponsoring and Hosting

There are several different visa schemes that Ukrainians can use to stay in the UK. This page gives an overview of the various different schemes, explains some of the terminology used and contains links to fuller government guidance.

This page also covers details around sponsoring and hosting, in particular some details around when guests can become hosts or sponsors.

If you have any questions about whether or not you will receive a thank you payment for being a host it is best to contact homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk in advance to discuss your proposed arrangements. We can confirm whether or not thankyou payments will be approved for your proposed arrangements.

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 Kyiv 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.

Organisations providing immigration advice are regulated by the Office of the Immigrations Services Commissioner (OISC). They maintain a list of all organisations who hold OISC qualifications to provide immigrations and visa advice. You can find nearby OISC-qualified immigration advisers by looking on the OISC website.

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.

You can find out more about eVisas here: UK Government website.

The UK Government have 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.

How to find out when your Homes for Ukraine 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 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.

The UK Government are working on an extension scheme to allow Homes for Ukraine guests to extend their leave to remain in the UK by another 18 months. The details of this have not been confirmed yet but we will share them as soon as they are available.

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 closed in May 2024, although it is still available to regularise a child's immigration status when the child is born in the UK.

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 12 months after the guest first arrived in the UK.

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.

From 1st October 2024 anyone applying for thank you payments will be asked if they are hosting close family members. If your Homes For Ukraine guests are close family members then you will not be able to receive thank you payments. The definition of close family members is published by the UK government.

If you are currently receiving a thank you payment for hosting close family members because you applied for thank you payments before 1^st October 2024 then you will continue to receive a thank you payment each month.

This change only applies to hosts applying for thank you payments from 1^st October 2024 onwards for hosting close family members.

Thank you payments are paid one month in arrears and will be paid to you by the Lincolnshire County Council Migration Team. 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.

We will send your thank you payment on the last Thursday of each month (although it may not arrive into your bank account until 2-3 working days later, it varies depending on who you bank is).

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.

Homes For Ukraine guests can themselves become hosts on the Homes For Ukraine scheme, as long as they pass the relevant checks (can offer suitable accommodation for a minimum of 6 months, suitable DBS check results and so on).

However Homes For Ukraine guests will only receive monthly thank you payments if they are hosting other Homes For Ukraine guests who are not close family members. On 1^st October 2024 the UK Government changed the policy around thank you payments. From this date it is no longer permitted to apply for thank you payments for hosting close family members. However if you are a Homes For Ukraine guest who is hosting someone who is not a close family member then you may still be eligible to receive a monthly thank you payment.

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 UK Government publishes a lot of detailed guidance for Homes For Ukraine guests and sponsors/hosts, as well as for councils. The guidance can be access using these links:

Guidance for guests

Guidance for sponsors

Guidance for councils

Local Homes for Ukraine Guidance

The Homes for Ukraine Scheme in Lincolnshire is co-ordinated by the Migration Team within Lincolnshire County Council. We can provide support, advice and signposting to access statutory services such as health, education, benefits and district council services including housing. We can also help link you with community support services and charities.

To access our service please provide us with your name, address, contact information and a main reason for contacting us to homesforukrain@lincolnshire.gov.uk. We will contact you as soon as possible to discuss how we can help, which will usually be within two working days.

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 refuse 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