Before you arrive in the UK
The UK government have written a summary of what you need to do to Move to the UK if you’re coming from Ukraine.
Three visa types were launched for Ukrainians to travel to and stay in the UK, but as of May 2024, one visa route remains open, two have been closed, and one will be launched in early 2025:
- Visa Route Open: Apply for a visa under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme– if you want to be sponsored by a UK household for 6 months, you can apply to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
- To be Launched: Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) You’ll be able to apply 3 months before your existing visa is due to expire. Further information about this new scheme will follow shortly. See Government extends stay for Ukrainians in the UK
- Visa Route Closed: The Ukraine Family Scheme closed at 3pm on 19 February 2024. You can no longer apply under this scheme.
- Visa Route Closed: The Ukraine Extension Scheme closed for most new applications on 16 May 2024. The Ukraine Extension Scheme will remain open after 16 May 2024 for children who are born in the UK to apply for permission to stay.
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Ukraine Visa Scheme Eligibility
Before you travel to the UK, you will need to confirm that you can apply for a visa and that you have a sponsor if you are arriving on the Homes for Ukraine visa.
All schemes:
Allow you to stay in the UK for 3 years if you applied before 3pm on 19th February 2024, or for 18 months if you applied after 3pm on 19th February 2024.
Are FREE – do not pay any money to people or organisations offering to help with a visa or find a sponsor.
Allow you to live, work and study and rent property in the UK.
Eligibility for the Homes for Ukraine visa: you must
- Be Ukrainian, or the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national that qualifies for this visa.
- have been living in Ukraine on or before 1 January 2022 (including those who have now left Ukraine)
- be outside of the UK.
- have found eligible UK-based sponsor that lives in the UK.
Eligibility for the Ukraine Extension Scheme: you can apply for your child if the following are true:
- You have permission to be in the UK under one of the Ukraine Schemes (including the Ukraine Family Scheme)
- Your child was born in the UK
- Your child is in the UK when the application is made.
This route does not require a UK-based sponsor.
Each link above will take you to the government website where all the details are translated.
How to find a sponsor on the Homes for Ukraine visa
If you want to travel to the UK on a Homes for Ukraine visa you will need an eligible UK-based sponsor who has agreed to provide you with accommodation for at least 6 months and is a British or Irish citizen, or have the right to live in the UK permanently (be ‘settled in the UK’)
There are lots of ways to find a sponsor, but it is safest to use charities and volunteer groups who are helping to match Ukrainians with sponsors. The government has made a list of organisations that can help, called Homes for Ukraine Recognised Providers, but there are others like Sunflower Sisters, Nadiya and Artists in Exile.
It is really important to get to know your sponsor before you agree to apply for the visa. Arrange video calls and ask lots of questions, as recommended in this guide to establishing a relationship with your sponsor from the charity Reset Homes for Ukraine
There is government guidance to help you stay safe online when finding a sponsor, and local councils will complete checks on the sponsors house and checks with the police to make sure they are a suitable and safe sponsor.
Ukraine scheme visas are free, so do not give anyone money to find you a sponsor or apply for a visa.
Unaccompanied Ukrainian children
Children and under 18’s can travel without their parents if their Ukrainian parents or guardians authorise this by completing a Homes for Ukraine: UK sponsorship arrangement consent form. The sponsor must already know the children’s parents and they must provide accommodation the whole length or the visa.
Full guidance can be found in the Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for parents or legal guardians (children and minors applying without parents)
Applying for a Homes for Ukraine visa
Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, once you have got to know your sponsor and both agreed that you would like to go ahead with sponsorship, you will need to apply for a visa under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme
The visa application is in English so agree with your sponsor who is best to fill this in. You will need to share passport information with each other, but do not share this with anyone else. If you have any concerns, you can read this article from Ukrainian Refugee Help on Ukraine Visa Scams and also use their guide on the Homes for Ukraine visa application process to answer any questions you may have.
A sponsor is not needed for other Ukraine Scheme visa types and, if you are eligible for a Ukraine Scheme visa, you can apply here: Apply to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Extension Scheme.
The Ukraine Extension Scheme closed for most new applications on 16 May 2024 – it will remain open after 16 May 2024 for children who are born in the UK to apply for permission to stay.
Apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa – The Ukraine Family Scheme closed at 3pm on 19 February 2024. You can no longer apply under this scheme.
You will need to Prove your identity and providing your documents as part of your application and this is done by making an appointment to have your photograph and fingerprints taken at a visa application centre (VAC).
Here is a list of where to Find a visa application centre.
Children under 5 do not need to have their fingerprints taken, but will need to go to a visa application centre to have their digital photograph taken.
You will need to prove your identity at the visa application centre and should take any identity documents you have with you, for example:
- a valid passport
- a Ukrainian national identity card
- a combination of official documents – for example, a photo driving licence and birth certificate
- or an emergency certificate issued by a Ukrainian authority since March 2022
This process changed in December 2023, and for more information, please go to the TLS website.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will contact you once a decision has been made on your application.
If approved, you need to return to collect your visa from the visa application centre (VAC) 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 a visa application centre (VAC) in Kyiv and your visa application is successful, you’ll need to travel to the VAC 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 VAC you attended.
If you need any help with your visa, you can find out more information on UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals and you can contact UK Visas and Immigration by telephone on:
Telephone number +44 808 164 8810 (or +44 (0)175 390 7510 if you cannot contact UK 0808 number)
Operating hours: Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4:45pm and Friday, 9am to 4:30pm
Arranging to travel to the UK on a Ukraine Scheme visa
It is important that you do not arrange to travel to the UK until you have received your decision from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and received confirmation that all safeguarding checks have been completed on your sponsor (if travelling on a Homes for Ukraine visa)
Once your decision letter has been received you can start to prepare to make travel arrangements, including where to meet your sponsor, bringing medical devices and medication and bringing personal items from Ukraine to UK, and how to travel when bringing pets from Ukraine to UK.
The charity Reset Homes for Ukraine have put together this guide to Free or Low Cost Travel for Ukrainians.
Information about the UK for Ukrainians
Before you arrive, it can help to know more about the UK. You can do this by google searching the area you will be moving to, looking at activities and groups you can join, and how to travel around by bus, car, or train. You can also look on Facebook to see what community groups are in the area.
Reset Homes for Ukraine have made a video to help Ukrainians get to know the UK, and the government has created translated guidance on moving to the UK if you’re coming from Ukraine as well as a Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for guests.
The UK is currently experiencing a cost of living crisis, and this Cost of Living in the UK page from Reset Homes for Ukraine helps explain what this is and how it can effect different parts of the UK as well as rent, bills and food shopping.
Staying safe: Ukrainians in the UK
Lots of Ukrainians will have met their sponsors for the first time online, and while this has allowed people to be matched quickly, it is important that you are aware that there can be risks when meeting people online. The Government have created a guide to Staying safe online and in the UK: Homes for Ukraine
If you are worried about your safety and need more advice, contact your local council.
If a child or adult is at immediate risk of harm, call 999 or 112.
There is also more information on how to get urgent help.
Community, Events and Support for Ukrainians in the UK
There are so many community organisations that can help and support you.
Here are some examples but not an exhaustive list:
- AUGB Ukrainian Community Events – Join our AUGB branches and partner community organisations for their events, activities and community days and experience what makes our Ukrainian community truly special.
- Barnardo’s Ukrainian Support Helpline – Barnardo’s have set up the Ukrainian Support Helpline to provide a holistic support service. The Helpline is available to anyone fleeing to the UK as a result of the war in Ukraine.
- British Red Cross – If you need of a wheelchair or mobility equipment, the Red Cross hires out equipment for short-term use. The service is free to Ukrainian refugees.
- Micro Rainbow – Facilitating access to employment, volunteering, training, and education for LGBTQI refugees.
- Opora – supporting Ukrainians in rebuilding their lives sustainably in the UK.
- Rainbow Migration – provide practical and emotional support for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum to help improve their confidence and self-esteem and reduce isolation (also see How to support LGBTQI+ Ukrainians)
- Reset Homes for Ukraine – Connect, support, and guide you in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the rules for entry to the UK from Ukraine?
Please have a look at the above section on Ukraine Scheme Eligibility, or visit the government website to understand the current Eligibility for the Homes for Ukraine visa and Eligibility for the Ukraine Extension Scheme. - What happens to Ukrainians after 3 years?
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 of 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. We will provide further information about the new scheme shortly.