Information for residents who want to help
Homes for Ukraine scheme
Phase 1 of the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme is open for visa applications from those who wish to travel to the UK and who have named people in the UK willing to sponsor them.
You and the guest must to be known to each other by name and in contact with each other.
If you are not yet in contact with a Ukrainian please read the 'I want to be matched with a Ukrainian' section below.
You must be able to offer your home to your guest(s) for a minimum of 6 months.
Either the prospective sponsor or the person wishing to be sponsored will be able to complete the application.
There is one single application for both parties but one form is required per individual travelling under the scheme.
One application must be made per person coming to the UK, not one per family or household.
Applications are free.
The process
- Sponsor and guest find each other and agree to a match.
- Either the sponsor or the guest fills out the single visa application form online using both parties’ details.
- Passport numbers (alongside completion of eligibility questions and other personal details) for both guests and sponsors will be required to complete the application online. The guest will also need to upload a scan of their passport. If the guest does not possess a passport, they will be required to travel to a visa application centre to process their biometrics.
- After the application is submitted, security checks are done on both the sponsor, all other adults in the sponsor’s household, and the guest.
- Once both sponsor and guest have passed the checks, the Home Office will issue the guest with a permit to travel.
- The guest can then travel to the UK and coordinate their arrival with the sponsor. Guests arriving in the country will be eligible for a single onward journey via national rail, bus, light rail, and coach. This will be free of charge to anywhere in England, Scotland and Wales.
- The Council will provide welcome arrangements for guests, with additional immediate support provided to guests where it is required.
Home assessments
The Government have asked us to assess whether space offered by sponsors is suitable for use in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
One of our officers will visit the property and check that taking in a guest will not lead to overcrowding and that the rooms are in a reasonable condition.
Further information and apply
The Government has a full list of details about the scheme you should read.
These include information about the eligibility for the scheme, what type of accommodation can be offered and how to make sure your home is ready to welcome Ukrainian guests and your responsibilities as a sponsor.
Please ensure you are fully aware of what is involved before you apply for the scheme.
In addition to this information, we can confirm:
- the £350 per month ‘thank-you’ payment will be paid monthly, in arrears, for the duration of the time your guest(s) are living with you, up to 12 months
- you will not need to declare the ‘thank-you’ payment as income
- taking in guests to your home and receiving the thank-you payment will not impact your single person council tax discount
- hosting anyone from Ukraine in your home and receiving the thank-you payment will not impact your eligibility for Universal credit or other benefits
- we will provide £200 per guest for interim subsistence costs. More details about longer-term financial support for guests is available
Find out more about the scheme and apply
Please note all enquiries about the visa application process should be directed to UK Visas and Immigration.
Phase 1 of the Government’s Homes for Ukraine requires the sponsor and the guest to be known to each other by name and in contact with each other.
There are a number of charities and groups linking sponsors with guests. We recommend Reset Communities and Refugees.
If you want the Government to match you with a guest(s), you can register your interest to be a sponsor.
If you want to bring a close family member(s) from Ukraine to the UK, you can also choose the Ukraine Family Scheme Visa.
This may mean you and your family member(s) cannot access the financial support available through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
We are awaiting clarification from the Government on the support available through the Ukraine Family Scheme.
The Government is planning to expand the Homes for Ukraine scheme to enable organisations and community groups to sponsor multiple guests.
They are undertaking further work on the safeguarding process around group sponsors.
Ukraine Resettlement Small Grant Fund
Applications closed on Friday 11 November 2022.
If you have any questions you have about the grant, please email homesforukraine@havering.gov.uk.
The best way for you to support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is to donate financially.
The Disasters Emergency Committee has launched a Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal on behalf of 15 major charities who are in Ukraine and neighbouring countries supporting foreign nationals and displaced people.
Other key charities working with foreign nationals in the UK and abroad are:
If you would like to register to volunteer locally, please register with the Havering Volunteer Centre who coordinate volunteers and can match you with a local group supporting Ukrainians settling in the borough.