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.
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 want to be sponsored by a UK household for 6 months, 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.
The Ukrainian Extension Scheme remained open after 16 May 2024 for children who are born in the UK 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 is due to open to applications in early 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. 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
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)
- 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
Children applying at the same time as their parent or legal guardian
If the child is applying with their parent or legal guardian, they should travel together.
Children applying to join their parent or legal guardian
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
Children who are not applying with or joining their parent or legal guardian
To be eligible, the child must have:
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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.
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written consent from their parent or legal guardian to the sponsorship arrangement, including the UK sponsorship consent form
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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)
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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 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.
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 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.
Proving 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 (VAC) 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 VFS website.
Provide evidence that you’re eligible for the scheme
You must also provide documents that show your sponsor’s 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 we 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 with 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. You can download the app from the 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 the visa application centre 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 had an appointment in another country, you’ll need to collect your visa vignette in the same country you submitted your biometrics at.
Do not go to the visa application centre to collect your visa until you have been contacted.
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 and approved, 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.
If your application is successful
You’ll need to create an account to get an eVisa (an online record of your immigration status) once you arrive to the UK. Your decision email or letter will tell you how to get access to your eVisa.
You’ll be able to prove your immigration status and conditions to others, for example employers and landlords, using the view and prove service.
Travelling with a permission to travel letter
If you did not use the ‘UK Immigration: ID check’ app or attend a visa application centre, you may have been issued with a permission to travel letter to allow you to travel to the UK.
Permission to travel letters issued without accompanying digital status are valid for travel to the UK until 12:01am UK time on 13 February 2025. If you arrive after this date with a permission to travel letter, you may be refused entry to the UK and removed.
If you travel before 12:01am UK time on 13 February 2025, you must present your permission to travel letter with your passport to a UK immigration officer on arrival at the UK border. They will then decide whether to allow you into the UK to stay for 6 months.
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 but were granted a permission to travel letter.
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.
You will then book and attend an appointment at UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point.
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.
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
For group appointments of up to 5 members, please follow the normal appointment booking procedure. You will have the option to book an appointment as a group and will need to enter required details from each group member.
For group appointments of 6 members or more, please contact the TLS customer service team, by selecting ‘Large group appointments’ on the TLS ‘Contact Us’ page.
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:
- Isle of Man: ukraineguidance@gov.im
- Bailiwick of Guernsey (Guernsey, Alderney and Sark): ukraine@gov.gg
Updates to this page
Last updated 14 November 2024 + show all updates
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Updated with information about travelling to the UK with a permission to travel letter and attending a visa application centre.
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Updated information on needing to create an account to get an eVisa (an online record of your immigration status) once you arrive to the UK.
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Updated information on the Ukraine Extension Scheme. The scheme closed for most new applicants on 16 May 2024.
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Updated information on proving your identity, providing your documents, and providing biometric information.
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The helplines are closed on 25 December, 26 December and 1 January.
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Updated the way you prove your identity, and updated the opening hours for the UK Visas and Immigration phone number.
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Clarified that each individual must make their own application, including applications for children.
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Updated information for the reopening of the visa application centre.
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Updated helpline opening hours.
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Amended opening hours over the holiday period.
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Added information about the 3 different Ukraine Schemes available.
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Updated the section on under 18s as unaccompanied minors may now apply for this visa.
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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.'
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The temporary VAC in Rzeszow has now closed.
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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.
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Added guidance about booking biometrics appointments for family groups.
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Added translation
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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.
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Added a link to the Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme application screens translated into Russian and Ukrainian.
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Ukrainian and Russian translations updated.
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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.
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The process to submit your biometrics once you arrive in the UK has opened. Link to the form added.
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Information added about visa application processing times.
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Changed helpline opening hours.
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Added Ukrainian and Russian translations.
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First published.