Guidance

Apply for a visa under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

Guidance for Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members to come to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

The UK has put 2 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 want to be sponsored by a UK household for 6 months, you may be able to apply under the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme.

Ukraine Extension Scheme

You can apply under the Ukraine Extension Scheme until it closes on 16 May 2024 if one of the following is true:

  • you had permission to be in the UK on or between 18 March 2022 and 16 November 2023 – the permission does not need to cover the whole period; or
  • you previously had permission to be in the UK and that permission expired on or after 1 January 2022

You can apply under the Ukraine Extension Scheme for your child born in the UK after 18 March 2022 if one of the following is true:

  • you have permission to be in the UK under one of the Ukraine Schemes (including the Ukraine Family Scheme)
  • you qualify under the Ukraine Extension Scheme

This route does not require a UK-based sponsor.

The Ukrainian Extension Scheme will remain open after 16 May 2024 for children who are born in the UK.

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. You’ll be able to apply 3 months before your existing visa is due to expire.

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. 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

Applicants to Scotland and Wales may previously have been considered under the super sponsor schemes, in which the governments of these nations act directly as sponsors. However, these super sponsor schemes are currently paused, so applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the relevant authorities.

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)
  • 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 you’re 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 they’re 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:

  • proof of consent by their parent or legal guardian 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.

  • proof of consent from their parent or legal guardian to the sponsorship arrangement

  • 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.

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 you’re 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)
  • fiancé(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.

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. They’ll 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.

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 the sponsor (if you have a named sponsor) have given permission for their data to be shared and contact details used for the purpose of checks and supporting the sponsor arrangement.

If you are a sponsor applying on behalf of the applicant

You’ll need to fill in the form online as if you’re the applicant coming from Ukraine.

Add the applicant’s contact details so that they have access the application form and all the decision letters.

If the applicant has a valid Ukrainian international passport they can upload a copy of the photograph page of their passport during the application. They will need to complete this part of the application themselves.

Read the whole guide to make sure you have everything prepared that you need before you apply.

Prove your identity and providing your documents

You’ll need to book an appointment to have your photograph and fingerprints (biometric information) taken at a visa application centre as part of your application.

Children under the age of 5 will not have their fingerprints taken but will still need to book and attend a VAC appointment and have a digital photograph taken.

At your appointment, you’ll need to prove your identity with a valid international passport.

Where you do not have a valid international passport, you may either use a:

  • a recently expired international passport
  • a valid or recently expired Ukrainian national identity card
  • a combination of official documents which states your identity and nationality – for example, a photo driving licence and birth certificate
  • an emergency certificate issued by a Ukrainian authority since March 2022

For more information including opening hours and appointment booking, please visit the TLS website.

Provide evidence that you’re eligible for the scheme

If you have a named sponsor you must also provide documents that show their identity.

This can be a:

  • UK or Irish passport or Irish passport card
  • valid biometric residence permit or biometric residence card
  • share-code and the person’s date of birth, so you can conduct an online check of their identity and status
  • a photo driving licence issued by the UK, Ireland, or the Crown Dependencies along with a UK, Crown Dependency or Irish birth or adoption certificate with matching personal details

British or Irish citizen sponsors are asked to provide a copy of the biodata page of their passport. Sponsors can use a recently expired passport if it has not been replaced.

British or Irish citizens who do not hold a valid UK or Irish passport can provide a UK or Irish birth certificate (if born before 1 January 1983), or a registration or naturalisation certificate alongside a photo document, such as:

  • Proof of Age Standard Scheme (PASS)
  • National Entitlement Card (NEC)
  • UK or Irish photo driving licence
  • Irish passport card and/ or non-UK or Irish passport

If your sponsor has a UKVI account, they can use the online View and prove service to show their identity.

It is not mandatory to provide these documents but it may help support your application if you are able to.

You can upload your documents using our commercial partner document upload app. This will be either TLS or VFS depending on which country you are applying in. You can download the app from the TLS or VFS website when you make your application.

If you need support to upload images of your documents, you can book an appointment at a VAC.

You will also be asked to provide your sponsor’s residential address.

After you’ve applied

You must attend an appointment at a visa application centre to prove your identity by having your fingerprints and photograph taken (biometric information).

You will need to wait for a decision from UK Visas and Immigration on your application before travelling to the UK.

If your application is approved, you’ll need to return to collect your visa before you travel to the UK. This visa will allow you to board a plane or other form of transport to the UK.

If you attended your biometrics appointment in Kyiv and your visa application is successful, you’ll need to travel to the visa application centre in Warsaw with a valid international passport to collect your visa vignette. If you had an appointment in another country, you’ll need to collect your visa vignette at the same visa application centre you submitted your biometrics.

Do not go to the visa application centre to collect your visa until you have been contacted.

You’ll be able to pick up your biometric residence permit once you’re in the UK. Your biometric residence permit can be used to confirm your status and rights in the UK.

If your visa application is refused because your sponsor does not meet the eligibility requirements for the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, and you still want to come to the UK, you will need to find a new sponsor and submit a new application.

If you attended a visa application centre as part of your application

Once your application has been processed, you’ll be given a visa.

How long it takes to get a decision

We will start processing your application once you’ve applied online, proved your identity, and provided your documents. We aim to make a decision within 3 weeks.

Providing your biometric information in the UK

You need to apply to provide your biometric information within 6 months of arriving in the UK if you did not use the ‘UK immigration: ID check’ app or if you did not attend a visa application centre.

You will then be able to stay in the UK for up to 3 years.

You do not need to do this as soon as you reach the UK, but you do need to make sure that you have applied to provide your biometric information before the 6 months ends. You will be told how to do this in your decision letter.

Apply to provide your biometric information in the UK

You can start the application to provide your biometric information by completing the online form.

Start now

You will then book and attend an appointment at UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point.

Your biometric residence permit will be sent to the address you gave in your application. You do not need to collect it.

UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service points

You will need to provide your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a UKVCAS service point - this is to get a biometric residence permit.

Children under the age of 5 will not have their fingerprints taken but will still need to attend the UKVCAS service point and have a digital photograph taken.

Some services at UKVCAS service points have a fee. You do not need to use these services, such as document scanning, to complete your application.

If you want to use of any of these services at a UKVCAS service point during your appointment, you will not need to pay a fee for them and you should not pay for them in advance.

Booking appointments for you and your family members

If you would like to book appointments for you and your family members on the same date you will first need to set up individual accounts for all your family members, including children. You can use your own email address when setting up accounts for children.

You should then log in to your UKVCAS accounts and book your appointments together.

If there is more than one application linked to the same email address, you will need to provide the unique application number (UAN) for each application you want to book an appointment for.

A UAN is a unique 16-digit code (format xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx) that each person gets once they have made their online application to extend their stay in the UK.

We cannot guarantee that appointments will be available for all family members on the same date.

Contact UK Visas and Immigration

If you need help, contact UK Visas and Immigration.

Telephone: +44 808 164 8810
Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4:45pm and Friday, 9am to 4:30pm
Calls are free of charge

If you cannot contact UK 0808 numbers, you can use this number: +44 (0)175 390 7510. You may have to pay – check with your phone provider if you’re not sure.

Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4:45pm and Friday, 9am to 4:30pm

Crown dependencies

If you applied to the Isle of Man or Guernsey’s Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, you must finalise your application through that Crown Dependency’s process. If you need information or support, contact the relevant Crown Dependency:

Published 18 March 2022
Last updated 19 February 2024 + show all updates
  1. Updated information on proving your identity, providing your documents, and providing biometric information.

  2. The helplines are closed on 25 December, 26 December and 1 January.

  3. Updated the way you prove your identity, and updated the opening hours for the UK Visas and Immigration phone number.

  4. Clarified that each individual must make their own application, including applications for children.

  5. Updated information for the reopening of the visa application centre.

  6. Updated helpline opening hours.

  7. Amended opening hours over the holiday period.

  8. Added information about the 3 different Ukraine Schemes available.

  9. Updated the section on under 18s as unaccompanied minors may now apply for this visa.

  10. Removed this paragraph as the super sponsor schemes have been paused: 'If your sponsor will be the Scottish or Welsh Government, you must fill in the form yourself. You’ll be asked if you’re being sponsored by an organisation. Choose the ‘organisation option’ and select which government will be your sponsor from the list.'

  11. The temporary VAC in Rzeszow has now closed.

  12. Updated the guidance to include the pause in the Welsh and Scottish super sponsor arrangements and added a new section about unaccompanied minors. Other general improvements to help navigate the guidance.

  13. Added guidance about booking biometrics appointments for family groups.

  14. Added translation

  15. You can now apply online and use the ‘UK Immigration: ID check’ app to prove your identity if you have a valid Ukrainian international passport.

  16. Added a link to the Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme application screens translated into Russian and Ukrainian.

  17. Ukrainian and Russian translations updated.

  18. Updated guidance about whether your sponsor needs to register their interest with the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Updated guidance for sponsors applying on behalf of someone coming from Ukraine.

  19. The process to submit your biometrics once you arrive in the UK has opened. Link to the form added.

  20. Information added about visa application processing times.

  21. Changed helpline opening hours.

  22. Added Ukrainian and Russian translations.

  23. First published.