UK Visa for Ukrainians
If you are a Ukrainian national considering coming to the UK to protect yourself and your family, there are two individual sponsorship schemes available. The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) and Ukraine Family Scheme visa offer pathways to stay in the UK for up to 3 years. As immigration professionals, our team can support you in finding the proper visa to allow you to legally come to the UK, providing protection from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Get in contact today to find out how we can help.
Applying for the Ukraine Family Scheme visa
The Ukraine Family Scheme is a specialist visa that allows applicants to join family members living within the UK. This visa can also extend your stay in the UK up to a maximum of three years and requires every family member to make an application, including children travelling with a parent or relative.
The Family Scheme visa is free to apply for and allows you to live, work and study in the UK while your visa remains active. You can apply for this visa outside of the UK and wait for a decision on your application before travelling to the country. If you are inside the UK already you may be eligible to switch inside the UK, please contact us to get case specific advice.
Eligibility requirements for Ukrainian nationals
To be eligible for the Ukrainian Family Scheme, you must be applying to accompany or join a UK-based family member. You must also be a Ukrainian national or hold permanent residency in Ukraine or the family member of a Ukrainian application to be eligible to enter a UK-based family member. You must also have been resident in Ukraine before or on the 1st of January 2022, regardless of whether you left Ukraine after this date. If you are already in the UK with temporary permission, you can use the Ukraine Extension Scheme to extend your stay in the country.
Eligibility requirements for UK-based family members
If you are the UK-based family member listed in the Ukraine Family Scheme visa, you must also meet the set criteria for approval. You must either be a British national, someone settled in the UK, or hold pre-settled status as a person from Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein or the EU. You may also have refugee status or be under humanitarian protection in the UK.>p>
Applicants for the Ukrainian Family Scheme must be immediate family, extended family or a spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, child or parent of an extended family member. For example, a spouse or child under 18 would be classified as immediate family. A brother, niece, mother-in-law or grandchild are extended family members. More distant relatives may also be considered for this scheme in exceptional circumstances.
How to apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa
Prove your identity
Proving your identity can vary depending on the available documentation and technology. If you can access the UK Immigration: ID check app, you can use your Ukrainian international passport as proof of identity. If you cannot use the app, you can provide biometrics when you arrive in the UK. If your passport is expired or you don’t hold one, you can offer alternative forms of identification such as a national identity card, birth certificate or emergency certificate.
As part of your application, you’ll also need to provide fingerprints and a photograph through a visa application centre (VAC). Children below five will still need to attend appointments and have a digital photo taken, even though fingerprints are not required. The current, closest temporary VAC for the Family Scheme is in Rzeszow, Poland, with appointments necessary for attendance.
Provide evidence of eligibility
Documentation that proves your relationship with your family member, your Ukrainian residence and any other evidence is submitted through the TLS or VFS website. If you cannot supply proof of your relationship, you can explain why you have no documentation – such as if you were forced to flee your home.
Await approval outside of the UK
On submitting your application, you can await confirmation of your approval from outside of the UK. Once a decision has been reached, you’ll receive a visa allowing you to travel to your family member to the UK.
Applying for the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visa (Homes for Ukraine)
The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme allows you and your family members to come to the UK with the support of a named sponsor, who offers accommodation for a minimum of six months. This visa is free to apply for, and you will be able to study, work and live in the UK during the maximum three years you stay within the country.
Eligibility requirements Homes for Ukraine
To apply for this visa scheme, you must be a Ukrainian national, either 18 or older, or apply with a parent or guardian if you are under 18. You must be outside the UK to apply for this visa and have an eligible UK-based sponsor. Only immediate family members are eligible to join you on this visa, including your spouse, unmarried partner with more than two years of cohabitation, a child under 18 or a parent if you are under the legal age of 18.
Sponsors must be based in the UK, be 18 or over and have at least six months’ permission for UK residency. As a sponsor, you’ll be required to submit either biometrics or a valid ID document such as a passport or driving license for the UK or Ireland. You must also meet suitability requirements for safeguarding and confirm you have accommodation available for at least six months in the UK.
How to apply for the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visa
Prove your identity
The process of proving your identity for the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visa is the same as the steps detailed above for the Family Scheme visa. Ensuring you have proper documentation and providing that information through the UK Immigration: ID check or attending a VAC is essential.
Provide evidence of eligibility
This stage differs slightly from Family Scheme visas, with the sponsor supplying relevant documentation and information to prove their identity. If your sponsor has a UKVI account, this can be used to submit documentation online, which helps support your application.
Await approval outside of the UK
Once you and your sponsor have submitted the necessary documentation, you must wait outside the UK for the decision. Once approved, you can arrange to travel to the UK to stay with your sponsor.
Need help with your UK visa for Ukrainians?
Whether you’re applying for a Family Scheme visa to escape Ukraine or planning to become a UK sponsor, our team can help. Get in touch directly to find out how our immigration specialists can support you in choosing the correct visa and coming to the UK as a Ukrainian resident.
