UK Visas For Ukraine Refugees: Visa Scheme Options

The Ukraine Family Scheme is open to Ukrainians and their family members of any nationality to join a family member who lives in the UK. If you intend to apply for this visa scheme, you must:

• Be seeking to join or accompany your UK-based family member.
• Be a Ukrainian citizen or a family member of a Ukrainian national who is applying to the scheme to reunite with a UK-based immediate family member.
• Have resided in Ukraine on or immediately before 1 January 2022, even if you have since left Ukraine.

If you’ve already arrived in the UK and meet these requirements, you can still apply.

To be eligible for this scheme, you must be a family member of any of the following:

• A British citizen
• Someone with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme.
• Someone with refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
• Someone with indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Also, you must be an immediate or extended family member of the UK resident. Immediate family members include:

• Spouses or civil partners, durable partners, fiancé(e)s, or proposed civil partners of the UK-based family member.
• Children under 18 of the UK-based family member or the UK-based family member’s partner.
• Parents of a child aged under 18 who is based in the UK.

It’s important to note that if you intend to join someone in the UK as their spouse, civil partner, fiancé(e), or proposed civil partner, your relationship with them must have commenced before 1 January 2022.

Eligible extended family members include:

• Children over 18 of the UK-based family member or the UK-based family member’s partner.
• Grandchildren of the UK-based family member or the UK-based family member’s partner.
• Parents and grandparents of the UK-based family member or the UK-based family member’s partner.
• Siblings of the UK-based family member or the UK-based member’s partner.
• Aunts or uncles of the UK-based family member.
• Cousins of the UK-based family member.
• Nieces or nephews of the UK-based family member.
• Parent of the UK-based family member’s child under 18 or of the UK-based family member’s partner’s child under 18.

You can also apply if you are the immediate family member of an extended family member of a UK resident. This means you can be the extended family member’s spouse, civil partner, durable partner, fiancé(e), proposed civil partner, child under 18, or parent (if the extended family member is under 18).

You must provide the following documents when applying for the Ukraine Family Scheme.

• A valid Ukrainian international passport.
• Proof of relationship to the UK-based family member with documents such as birth certificate or marriage certificate.
• Documents showing you were residing in Ukraine on or before 1 January 2022, such as a bank statement, utility bills, or employment letters showing your address.
• Other documents that prove your identity if you’re applying without a passport.
• Details of any criminal conviction, previous deportation, or visa refusal.
• Other evidence that is requested as part of the application.

You can apply for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme if you do not have a family member in the UK. This visa scheme allows UK-based individuals and organisations to sponsor Ukrainian nationals and their family members to the UK.

To apply for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, you must find a sponsor willing to accommodate you for at least six months. Your UK-based sponsor can be of any nationality but must have permission to be in the UK at least six months before your application is submitted.

The accommodation your sponsor provides must be fit and suitable for use and will be reviewed by the local authorities.

Like the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Sponsorship Scheme is available to Ukrainian nationals living in Ukraine before 1 January 2022 (including those who have left Ukraine).

Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme applications are also open to the immediate family members of Ukrainian citizens, regardless of nationality. Immediate family members include spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners who have cohabited for two years, children under 18, parents of applicants under 18, fiancé(e)s, or proposed civil partners.

To apply for the Sponsorship Scheme, you must be in Ukraine or a third country outside the UK.

Children under 18 who are not travelling with or joining a parent or guardian in the UK can also apply for the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

The child applicant must provide two different forms of parental or legal guardian consent, and these include:

• Proof of consent document for the child to leave their current country of residence, notarised by an approved government authority.
  • If the child is in Ukraine, it must be certified by the Guardianship Service of the city or regional council in Ukraine.
  • If the child is in another country, it must be certified by the notary authorities or the Ukrainian Embassy or Consulate in that country.

• A completed UK sponsorship arrangement consent form for the council where the child will live. The consent form must be signed by at least one parent or legal guardian and must:
  • Confirm the parent or guardian’s belief that staying with a known sponsor in the UK is in the child’s best interests.
  • State whether an adult relative will also be accompanying the child and the sponsor.
  • Share the sponsor’s contact details.
  • Include the child’s next of kin’s contact information for emergencies.
  • Provide the child’s details.
  • Explain the nature of the relationship with the sponsor.
  • Specify whether the sponsor or any accompanying adult relative will be responsible for the child’s care, including education and medical treatment decisions.
  • Confirm that the child’s specific needs, including medical, developmental, and special, have been discussed with the sponsor or accompanying adult relative and that they can meet them.
  • Provide the parent or guardian’s contact details for the council’s records and in case of any changes in the child’s circumstances.
  • Confirm that the parent, the sponsor, and any accompanying adult relative have discussed financial responsibility for the child during their stay in the UK.
  • Acknowledge that the parent/guardian will inform the sponsor if they wish to end the sponsorship arrangement prematurely, and they will then notify the council.
  • Acknowledge that the council may need to assume responsibility for the child’s care for safeguarding purposes if the sponsorship arrangement ends before the child reaches the age of 18.
  • Confirm an understanding that the UK government will make efforts to facilitate the child’s return to Ukraine once martial law there has ended, following their wishes and considering your child’s best interests.

It’s important to note that the sponsor must be someone the child’s parent or legal guardian knows personally and should have known before the conflict started on 24 February 2022. They must agree to sponsor the child for three years or until the child turns 18 and has been hosted for at least six months.

Additionally, the sponsor must pass the necessary safeguarding checks, including criminal records, council checks, and disclosure and barring service checks (DBS) before the child’s application can be approved.

Ukraine Sponsorship applications for children travelling alone involve a complex process aimed at protecting the safety of minors. If you’d like to apply for your child, discuss it with one of our immigration lawyers to guide you. Call us at 0121 667 6530.

The documents required for the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme include the following:

• A valid Ukraine international passport
• Other official documents with a facial image that prove your identity if you’re applying without a passport.
• The online application form
• Documents showing you were residing in Ukraine on or before 1 January 2022.

Your UK-based sponsor must provide evidence of their identity with the following documents:

• A copy of the biographical page of their passport if they are a British citizen
• The front and back copies of their biometric residence card if the sponsor has EU-settled status.
• A copy of their Right to Work Share Code if the sponsor has an eVisa
• A copy of both sides of their biometric residence permit if the holder has other types of visas.

The application process for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme depends on the applicant’s passport type and is the same as the application procedure for the Ukraine Family Scheme.

However, the applicant or the sponsor can begin the application process for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. The online visa application form must be filled with details of both parties, and all supporting documents must be submitted with the form.

If you’re applying with your family members, a separate application form must be filled out for each person.

After the application is submitted, the UK authorities will conduct some checks on the sponsor, all adults in the sponsor’s household, and the applicant.

Once all parties pass the checks, UK Visas & Immigration will issue a letter confirming the applicant can travel to the UK or get their visa vignette from Warsaw, Poland, depending on their passport type.

The Ukraine Scheme application is free for all applicants. Additionally, applicants do not need to pay for the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Furthermore, there is no specific processing timeframe for this scheme. The Home Office aims to make decisions on applications as quickly as possible.

Once you’ve applied to one scheme, it’s essential to avoid making another application to a different scheme, as it could delay the application process.

There are additional pathways available to Ukrainian nationals seeking entry to the UK. However, each has different requirements from the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Family schemes.

As a Ukrainian, you can apply for a visit, study, work or family visa to enter the UK if you meet the eligibility requirements.

The visa application processes are also different from the routes under the Ukraine Schemes. To start the process, you should complete an online application form to generate a GWF reference number. This number is essential for booking an appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) to collect your biometrics (fingerprints and photographs).

You can visit the VAC in Kyiv to submit your biometrics if you reside in Ukraine. If your visa application is approved, you must travel to the VAC in Warsaw with a valid international passport to obtain your visa vignette.

If you want to find out if you’re eligible to come to the UK through other immigration routes, call our immigration lawyers on 0121 667 6530.