Homes for Ukraine

Homes for Ukraine Key Points

• The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities introduced a scheme that matches sponsors with available rooms to Ukrainians fleeing the war.
• Someone is eligible for the scheme if they are a Ukrainian national or the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national, and were resident in Ukraine prior to 1 January 2022
• People arriving under this scheme will be able to live and work in the UK for up to three years as well as access healthcare, benefits, employment support, education, and English language tuition.
• The Government will provide a thank you payment of £350 per month to sponsors.
• Local authorities will receive a tariff of £10,500 per beneficiary person.
• Further funding for education will be paid at a rate of £3,000 per 0-4 year old, £6,580 per 5-11 year old, and £8,755 per 12-18 year old. Further information can be found at gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.

More information about the scheme can be found at gov.uk/homes-for-ukraine.

Apply for a visa under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine)

• Eligibility criteria, how to apply for a visa, and details including how long you can stay can be found at gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-visa-under-the-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme
• Visa Application Centre locations (if you do not have a Ukrainian Passport):
  • Budapest, Hungary
  • Chisinau, Moldova
  • Warsaw, Poland
  • Bucharest, Romania
  • Paris, France
• UKVI 24/7 helpline if you are outside the UK is +44 808 164 8810

Frequently Asked Questions

• Please visit gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions for the complete list of questions.
• Examples of questions include
  • Will the person I am supporting be eligible for benefits and/or to work?
    • All those from Ukraine coming to the country under the scheme will be able to apply for benefits and to seek and take up employment.
  • What is the entitlement to housing benefit of someone coming to the UK under this scheme?
    • Nothing about the sponsorship scheme reduces the entitlement to housing benefit. The sponsorship scheme assumes no rent will be paid. Where someone wishes to rent privately, or when the sponsorship ends, the housing benefit element of Universal Credit will be available.

Additional Information

• The charity Reset, are helping to register and match refugees from Ukraine with sponsors across the UK. Reset provide a hub for community sponsorship activities who can connect with selected charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in supporting refugees from Ukraine.
• Guidance for local authorities can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils
• Guidance for Sponsors can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-sponsor-guidance
• Guidance for refugees on bringing items to the UK (including pets)
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bringing-personal-items-to-the-uk-as-a-ukrainian-refugee
• Visa support for Ukrainians who arrived in UK before 18 March (including those on work visas who cannot return) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ukrainian-nationals-in-the-uk-visa-support
• Guidance for advisers https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-advisers-ukrainians-seeking-to-enter-or-remain-in-the-uk
• Applying for community sponsorship – guidance for potential sponsors and local authorities
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-full-community-sponsorship
• Free onward rail travel for refugees https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ukr-travel.aspx

(Updated: 5/4/2022)