Visas for Ukrainian Nationals

In response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, while maintaining a visa requirement, the Home Office has introduced two new routes for Ukrainians – the Ukraine Family Scheme, and Homes for Ukraine. Those arriving under either scheme can stay in the UK for up to three years with the right to work, study, and claim public funds.

If you need legal support with UK immigration concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our expert solicitors can help with the visa application process or advise on visa requirements for different routes and are experienced in working directly with Ukrainian citizens who want to come to the UK.

To speak to a solicitor about visas for Ukrainian nationals, call us on 0044 161 234 6800 or 0044 207 046 7185, or fill in our contact form to request a call back.


The Ukraine Family Scheme

The Ukraine Family Scheme allows certain UK residents to sponsor Ukrainian relatives who would not normally qualify for a family visa. The Ukrainian applicant must have been ordinarily resident in Ukraine immediately before 1st January 2022, unless they are a child born on or after that date.

To sponsor a family member, you must meet one of the following conditions:

  1. Be a British citizen
  2. Hold indefinite leave to remain
  3. Hold pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
  4. Hold refugee status or humanitarian protection

If you fall into one of the above categories, you can sponsor the following immediate family members in their visa application:

  1. Your partner – defined as a husband or wife, a civil partner or an unmarried partner (when you have been living together for at least two years)
  2. Your or your partner’s children aged under the age of 18
  3. If you are under the age of 18, your parents
  4. Your fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner

You can also sponsor the following extended family members:

  1. If you are over the age of 18, your or your partner’s parents
  2. Your child’s other parent (where the child is under the age of 18)
  3. Your or your partner’s grandparents
  4. Your or your partner’s grandchildren
  5. Your or your partner’s siblings
  6. Your or your partner’s adult children
  7. Your aunt or uncle
  8. Your cousin
  9. Your niece or nephew

Your extended family members can also bring some of their own immediate family members:

  1. Their partner
  2. Their children under the age of 18
  3. If the extended family member is a child under the age of 18, their parents
  4. Their fiancée or proposed civil partner

The UK government will consider other family members where there are exceptional circumstances. Home Office caseworkers are instructed to take a pragmatic approach and to carefully consider the applicant’s circumstances, including what meaningful connection the applicant has to the sponsor.

Those with criminal records will not be accepted under the scheme.

If you believe you or your family member may be eligible for this route, or you have questions about who qualifies as an immediate family member, please contact our immigration solicitors for legal support through the application process.

The Homes for Ukraine Scheme

The Homes for Ukraine scheme allows Ukrainians to come to the UK if they have a sponsor willing to let them stay in their home, or in a separate property, for at least six months. The UK sponsor will need to provide a residential spare room or separate self-contained accommodation that is unoccupied.

To be eligible under this scheme, an applicant must be:

  1. A Ukrainian national
  2. A Ukrainian national’s partner, fiancé(e), or proposed civil partner
  3. A Ukrainian national’s child or their partner’s child aged under 18
  4. A Ukrainian national’s parent (where the child is also applying)

The applicant must also:

  1. Have been living in Ukraine on or before 1st January 2022, unless they are a child born on or after this date
  2. Be outside the UK on the date of application
  3. Have an approved UK-based sponsor. The sponsor must have at least six months’ permission to be in the UK. Where a family group is applying under the scheme, it must have the same approved sponsor

Prospective sponsors can register their interest online. Interested sponsors can also get in touch with charities, faith groups, and local community organisations to make connections with individuals/families. You do not need to have any family ties with the individual or family in order to sponsor them.

Eligible sponsors can receive £350 per month for up to 12 months for sponsoring one or more people at one address, as an optional ‘thank you payment’. At the end of the six-month period, the Home Office has stated that individuals can continue to sponsor Ukrainian citizens for a longer period, but this is not required for the individual(s) to stay in the UK.

If you believe you or your family member may be eligible for this route and you want to come to the UK, or you would like more information about your legal rights and responsibilities as a sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, please contact our immigration solicitors.

If you are a Ukrainian national already in the UK, there may be other ways for you to remain in the UK. Please contact us for more information about the routes available to you and advice on making a visa application.

Contact Us

Contact us today to arrange an initial consultation in relation to visas for Ukrainian nationals. Call on 0044 161 234 6800 or 0044 207 046 7185, or complete our contact form and we will get back to you shortly.

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All content on this page was reviewed by Latitude Law and is accurate as of 02/02/2023