Guidance

Becoming a sponsor: Homes for Ukraine

Everything you need to know about how to become a sponsor including things to consider and thank you payments.

From:
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Published
16 January 2023
Last updated
19 February 2024 — See all updates

What is the Homes for Ukraine scheme?

The Homes for Ukraine Scheme was launched on 14 March 2022 by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

This scheme is open to Ukrainian nationals who lived in Ukraine before 1 January 2022, and to their immediate family members (for example spouse/partner and children under 18) who may be other nationalities. The scheme allows them to be sponsored to come to the UK. Applicants can apply from Ukraine or from any other third country.

Sponsors can live anywhere in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and can be of any nationality, provided they are a British or Irish Citizen or settled in the UK (which means having the right to live in the UK permanently) on the date of the guest’s visa application.

Children under 18 travelling alone

There is separate guidance for children under 18, who are not travelling with or joining a parent or legal guardian.

This is aimed at existing and new applications from children who are not travelling with or joining a parent or legal guardian, but are instead staying with a known sponsor in the UK (where the sponsor eligibility and parental or legal guardian consent requirements have been met):

The safeguarding and welfare of children remain a key priority.

Businesses and other private organisations are not currently eligible to sponsor people coming to the UK from Ukraine directly.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Additionally, the Scottish Government is running a Devolved Government Sponsorship Scheme which means that the Scottish Government, rather than individuals, sponsors the visa application.

This is currently paused but all existing visa holders can travel and will be supported as planned.

As part of the Scottish Government’s Devolved Government Sponsorship Scheme, you can offer to host someone from Ukraine in a spare bedroom or an empty home in Scotland.

Guidance for hosts has been published on the Scottish Government website.

The Welsh Government also has a Devolved Government Sponsorship Scheme.

This is currently paused but all existing applications will continue to be processed and existing visa holders can travel and will be supported as planned.

Detailed information for sponsors in Wales is available in the Homes for Ukraine: guidance for sponsors.

In Northern Ireland, support for arrivals and services more generally are provided by different organisations to those mentioned in this guide. Please see the following links for more details:

What you need to consider before becoming a sponsor

A decision to become a host family should always involve everyone in the household, including children, whose views, wishes and feelings should be considered.

If you foster children

There are additional considerations when the household includes children in foster care.

Foster carers must give written notice to their fostering provider when there is a change in the composition of the household.

We would expect foster carers to contact their fostering service provider, and also the council, for any children already living in their care when considering applying to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme (where the council is not their fostering service provider).

If a foster carer has capacity to take additional children, we encourage them to speak to their council about what support they can provide including to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children already in the country and to those who continue to arrive.

Accommodation needs

You will need to make sure that your accommodation meets the needs of the scheme before applying.

Eligibility and checks

You will need to make sure you meet the criteria to become a sponsor and that your accommodation is suitable.

Becoming a sponsor

You will need to find someone to sponsor (this can be an individual or a family group, if you have enough space to accommodate them). There are organisations that can help you find people to sponsor. Look at the list of Recognised Providers. These are voluntary and community sector organisations that provide support and help to link up sponsors with people coming to the UK from Ukraine.

You can find out what you need to do to host a guest who is already in the UK. This is also known as rematching.

Toolkits for sponsors

Organisations experienced in supporting new arrivals in the UK have produced toolkits to help new sponsors. These toolkits give a general overview and advice about being a sponsor and a host:

Training and advice

Training can help you to prepare to host people and understand how to deal with issues if they arise, so that you are better equipped to deal with the ups and downs of hosting.

Here are some links to videos and training courses:

  • RESET training: courses, videos, articles and more, all designed to help you and the family you support
  • The Sanctuary Refugee Support Course: essential basic training for all those living, working or volunteering with refugees, covering topics like safeguarding, trauma, cross-cultural communication and community integration
  • To Be Known: short films focused on how to prepare to host, and support throughout the hosting experience

Thank you payments

As a thank you for your help, you can receive a monthly payment when you sponsor a guest, paid in arrears. There can only be one payment per residential address and in England it will be administered through your council.

You will receive £350 a month during the first 12 months of your guests’ stay. This increases to £500 once your guest has been in the UK for 12 months in order to help sponsors who are able to continue hosting for longer.  

Thank you payments are available to sponsors for the duration of a guest’s Homes for Ukraine visa permission - up to 36 months for sponsors of guests on a three year Homes for Ukraine visa, and up to 18 months for guests on the new 18 month Homes for Ukraine visa (which came into effect on 19 February 2024).

This includes if you are hosting a guest who is already in the country.

This is provided that the accommodation is of a suitable standard.

The first payment will be made after your local council’s first accommodation check, once your guests have arrived. After this point, payments will be made monthly, in arrears, backdated to the date your guests arrived in your accommodation. If the council is not satisfied that you meet the needs of the scheme you will not receive the payment.

The payments should not affect any benefits you already receive. They will also not affect any council tax discounts you already receive for ‘single occupancy’.

Some local councils are offering discretionary top ups to the thank you payments over the winter. If sponsors need additional support to continue hosting before they reach 12 months, they should contact their local council to see what additional support they may be able to provide.

If you are experiencing concerns related to the cost of living, you may want to consider asking guests to pay a reasonable and proportionate contribution (according to use) for water, gas and electricity consumed or supplied to the accommodation or to any shared facilities. If you stop sponsoring a guest your payments will stop. If your guest moves out and you are no longer sponsoring someone from Ukraine, you need to tell your local council as soon as possible.

Keeping safe

Being a sponsor can be a rewarding experience but there are risks associated with allowing someone you do not know to move into your home. Below are some helpful tips to keep you safe:

  • When looking for a guest online, take your time to find the right match. It can help to have a list of pre-prepared questions for your prospective guest and make sure you satisfied with the answers. In the longer run, it is better to take more time to find the right person.

  • You might not be comfortable asking a prospective guest probing questions about their past. But an honest conversation early in the process could help you understand if you are a good match. Ultimately, trust your instincts. If you think that something is amiss, then do not proceed.

  • Setting boundaries is always a good idea. Before the guest moves in, you could discuss using a behaviour agreement that sets out the terms of the guest’s stay. This could include use of facilities in the home, keeping things clean and tidy and expectations around noise and visitors.

  • If things start to go wrong, it is worth speaking to your local authority early who might be able to help. But you should have a plan of action prepared in advance of what you will be if you ever feel unsafe. You should establish if it is legally possible for you to exclude your guest in these circumstances.

  • When rematching, council’s might not always know everything about a guest to determine if they are a good match for you. Do take time to ensure you are comfortable with the prospective match.

Published 16 January 2023
Last updated 19 February 2024 + show all updates

  1. Guidance has been updated following changes to the Homes for Ukraine Immigration Rules on 19 February 2024.

  2. Link updated to Scottish Government website for people to apply to host people from Ukraine in Scotland.

  3. First published.

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