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 thank you payments will be approved for your proposed arrangements.

Terminology

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 ‘thank you’ payment of £350.

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.

Applying for a Homes For Ukraine visa

Guests can apply for a Homes For Ukraine visa on the UK Government website.

There have been a number of changes to the Homes For Ukraine visas and the process for applying for these. These changes are detailed below:

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.

On February 19th 2024 the UK Government announced two additional changes to Homes For Ukraine visas:-

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)
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.

On 01 October 2024 the UK Government announced some changes around thank you payments. These are covered in more detail further down this page but the key details of this change are:

from 01 October 2024 onwards no new claims for monthly thank you payments will be approved for anyone hosting a close family member on a HFU visa.
anyone who was receiving monthly thank you payments before 01 October 2024 for hosting close family members on HFU visas would continue receiving them.

On 15 November 2024 the UK Government announced a change around Permission To Travel letters. This is covered in more detail in the section below.

Permission To Travel letters (PTT letters) were issued between April 2022 and 07 December 2023 to allow Homes For Ukraine guests to travel to the UK without providing biometric information in advance.

PTT letters were undated and have remained valid for travel to the UK. There are still many people who have been granted PTT letters but have never travelled to the UK.

The key message is that the UK Government has announced that the undated PTT letters will no longer be valid for travel after 13 February 2025. All HFU guests holding a PTT letter that has not been used have been contacted to be notified of this change.

On 26 November 2024 the UK Government released details about how the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme will work.

Further details are in the section below, but essentially this allows Homes For Ukraine guests to apply for a new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme to give them an additional 18 month permission to be in the UK.

However there are implications for thank you payments – thank you payments will be £350 a month for all hosts from May 2025 onwards, thank you payments can continue for people hosting guests with UPE visas, but not for people hosting close relatives.

Applying for a Ukraine Permission Extension visa

In February 2024 the UK Government made an announcement about the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, stating that it would provide a route for Ukrainians to extend their stay in the UK by 18 months.

The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) visa scheme is now open for applications. You can read further information and start your application by visiting the Ukraine Permission Extension page on the UK Government website (this page is also translated into Ukrainian and Russian).

There are various rules around UPE – for example you should only apply within the last 28 days of your current visa, you must be in the UK when you apply and remain in the UK until you have received a decision – so we would encourage all applicants to read the UK Government page carefully.

If you have any questions you can send them to us at homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk and we will do our best to help or signpost to someone else who can help.

Please remember that the government also provide a list of IAA-qualified immigration advisors.

Visa advice

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 08081 648 810 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 906 268. 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 Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). They maintain a list of all organisations who hold IAA qualifications to provide immigrations and visa advice. You can find nearby IAA-qualified immigration advisers by looking on the IAA website.

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 - 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

You can confirm the expiry date of your current visa by looking at your UKVI account/eVisa or by generating a share code.

Types of visa

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.

The types of visa are detailed below:

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. The duration of a Homes For Ukraine visa was also changed from 3 years to 18 months.

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).

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.

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).

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

Thank you payments

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.

More information on thank you payments is provided in the drop down below.

The arrangements around thank you payments are becoming increasingly complicated.

The length of time that thank you payments can be made will depend on the guest’s Homes for Ukraine visa. For Homes for Ukraine 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 Homes for Ukraine 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.

On 01 October 2024 the UK Government announced that thank you payments could no longer be started to anyone hosting a close family member. However if hosts had been receiving thank you payments for hosting close family members prior to 01 October 2024 then these can continue. Definitions of close family members can be found in the Homes For Ukraine guidance.

On 26 November 2024 the UK Government announced a change in relation to thank you payment amounts. Currently thank you payments are £350 a month, increasing to £500 a month after the guest has been in the UK for more than a year.

From April 2025 all thank you payments will be paid at £350. The £500 rate is being discontinued. As thank you payments are paid a month in arrears this means that anyone receiving £500 a month will receive this for the last time in April 2025. From May 2025 onwards all thank you payments will be £350 a month, regardless of how long guests have been in the UK.

On 26 November 2024 the government also announced the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme. The purpose of this is to allow Ukrainians to extend their stay in the UK. When a guest’s Homes For Ukraine visa is about to expire they will be able to apply for a Ukraine Permission Extension visa. If this application is approved the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme visa will allow a guest to stay in the UK for a further 18 months.

Thank you payments can still be paid at £350 a month for 18 months to hosts who have guests on Ukraine Permission Extension visas. The exception to this is if hosts are hosting guests who are close relatives.

When guests transition from a Homes For Ukraine visa to a Ukraine Permission Extension visa the host will need to reapply for thank you payments. As part of that application the host will need to declare if they are hosting close relatives.

If you are hosting a close relative once they transition to a UPE visa you will no longer be eligible for thank you payments (even if you were receiving these up until this point because your application for thank you payments was made before 01 October 2024). Hosts of close family members who are currently receiving thank you payments need to understand that their thank you payments will stop once the guests transition to a Ukraine Permission Extension visa.

However if a host’s guest is not a close relative then thank you payments can continue for 18 months after they have transitioned to a Ukraine Permission Extension visa. These thank you payments will be £350 a month.

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. This will be sent by BACS and should clear into your account within three working days.

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 2023 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 2023 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.

Homes for Ukraine guests becoming sponsors

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.

On 31^st January 2025 the UK Government announced that Homes For Ukraine guests are now eligible to sponsor children to join them in the UK. Further details are on the UK Government website.

Homes for Ukraine guests becoming hosts

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.

UK Government guidance

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

Migration Team

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.

Urgent social care services

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

District Councils

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 in the below dropdown, along 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 dropdown 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.

Boston Borough Council

Email: Housing.dept@boston.gov.uk
Tel: 01205 362151

City of Lincoln Council

Email: HousingSolutions@lincoln.gov.uk
Tel: 01522 534747

East Lindsey District Council

Email: housing.hub@e-lindsey.gov.uk
Tel: 01507 601111

North Kesteven District Council

Email: housingoptions@n-kesteven.gov.uk
Tel: 01529 308308

South Holland District Council

Email: housingoptions@sholland.gov.uk
Tel: 01522 782235

South Kesteven District Council

Email: housingadvice@southkesteven.gov.uk
Tel: 01476 590044