GovWire

Guidance: Apply for a visa under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

Home Office

January 31
10:00 2025

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There are different schemes in place to support those Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members who wish to either come to or remain in the UK.

Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

If you have an approved sponsor, you may be able to apply under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme to come to the UK.

Ukraine Extension Scheme

The Ukraine Extension Scheme closed for most new applications on 16 May 2024.

It remained open after 16 May 2024 for children who are born in the UK to enable them to apply for permission to stay.

Read more information about applying to the?Ukraine Extension Scheme.

Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme

If you have been given permission to be in the UK under one of the Ukraine Schemes, you may be able to apply for a further 18 months permission to stay in the UK under the new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme. The scheme will open to applications on 4 February 2025.

Other visas you may apply for

You may be eligible to make an application under other immigration routes.

Check which visas you may be able to apply for.

Overview

The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members to apply for permission to come to the UK, if they have an approved sponsor. Everyone must make a separate application, even children travelling with a family member.

Your sponsor must be:

  • a British or Irish citizen, or be settled in the UK (which means having the right to live in the UK permanently)
  • able to provide accommodation for a minimum of 6 months

If you are a parent or legal guardian intending to sponsor your child only (who should be under 18 on the date of application under the scheme), then you:

  • do not need to be a British or Irish Citizen or have settled status in the UK
  • must hold permission under any of the Ukraine Schemes (or Leave Outside the Rules granted due to the conflict in Ukraine before the Ukraine Schemes were introduced)
  • must offer accommodation for the duration of your childs permission to stay in the UK
  • must be able to provide evidence of your relationship with the child (such as, birth, adoption, or legal guardianship documents)

The Scottish and Welsh governments previously operated their own Super Sponsor routes, in which they acted directly as sponsors for Homes for Ukraine applicants. These schemes were paused in 2022 and remain paused for new applications.

Applications made under the two Super Sponsor routes before they were paused will be processed and visas issued under the scheme will still be valid.

It is free to apply.

If your application is successful, you will be able to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds.

Eligibility

To apply to the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme you must be Ukrainian, or the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national who has been granted permission under, or is applying and qualifies under, the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

You must also:

  • have been living in Ukraine on or immediately before 1 January 2022 (including those who have now left Ukraine), unless you are a child born after that date
  • be outside of the UK
  • have an eligible UK-based sponsor

Your UK-based sponsor does not need to register with the Homes for Ukraine Scheme if youre already in contact with them.

Applicants aged under 18

Children under 18 years old must either:

  • apply at the same time as their parent or legal guardian
  • apply to join their parent or legal guardian if theyre already in the UK
  • apply with the consent of their parent or legal guardian to travel to the UK as an eligible minor to join an approved sponsor

If the child is applying with their parent or legal guardian, they should travel together.

If the child is applying to join their parent or legal guardian, the parent or legal guardian should either:

  • travel to meet the child before they depart, and then travel together to the UK
  • collect the child from the airport, port, train station or other point of entry into the UK

To be eligible, the child must have:

  • written consent from their parent or legal guardian for the child to leave Ukraine, notarised or certified by the Guardianship Service of the city or regional council in Ukraine; or, where the child is in another country, notary authorities in that country or by the Ukrainian Embassy or Consulate.

  • written consent from their parent or legal guardian to the sponsorship arrangement, including the UK sponsorship consent form

  • a commitment to sponsorship for 18 months or until the child turns 18, whichever is sooner (so long as the sponsorship lasts at least 6 months)

  • approval of the sponsorship arrangement by the local council where the child will live

For evidence that is not in English, you must upload a translation.

If the child applied before 10 August 2022, they will have received a letter with instructions on what to do next.

You can also read detailed information on GOV.UK if you are a:

If youre applying as the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national

An immediate family member is your:

  • spouse or civil partner
  • unmarried partner (you must have been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years)
  • fianc(e) or proposed civil partner
  • child who is under 18
  • parent (if you are under 18)

How long you can stay

If your application is successful, you can stay in the UK for up to 18 months.

If you are a child joining your parent who is also your sponsor and they have less than 18 months permission remaining, your permission to stay will be aligned with your parents.

Fees

It is free to apply.

You do not need to pay the immigration health surcharge or biometric enrolment fee.

Apply

You must apply online.

Family members can also apply to join you or stay in the UK if they meet the eligibility requirements above. Theyll need to complete separate applications.

Start now

If you have a named sponsor, you or your sponsor can fill in the form, or you can fill it in together.

If you are a child applying to join their parent or legal guardian who is also your sponsor under the scheme, the parent or legal guardian should:

  • complete the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visa application form on behalf of their child, naming themselves as sponsor
  • choose none of the above when asked about their immigration status on the form
  • provide further information about their permission in the UK, including the date of issue and expiry, in the text box following this question
  • state that they are the parent or legal guardian sponsoring their child in the same text box

The form is aimed at the person applying to the scheme.

This application is also an application for a biometric immigration document.

By completing this application, you confirm that both the applicant and

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