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Key immigration information FAQ
On this page you will find answers to questions that practitioners working with Ukrainian children living in kinship arrangements in England may have about how children and their families can travel to England from Ukraine. They may also be questions that families have.
What are the relevant visa schemes?
The UK government have put into place three different visa routes for Ukrainians who wish to come or remain in the UK since the war in Ukraine started. They are:
- Ukraine Family Scheme
- Homes for Ukraine
- Ukraine Extension Scheme
The Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Extension Scheme can both be applied for within the UK. A person applying for the Home for Ukraine scheme must be outside of the UK at the time of applying.
What is the Ukraine Family Scheme and who may apply?
The Ukraine Family Scheme allows Ukrainian nationals to join family members, or extend their stay, in the UK. Some non-Ukrainian nationals can apply for a visa under this scheme, if they are the family member of a Ukrainian national who is applying under the scheme.
Visas granted under this scheme give the right to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds.
To apply to the Ukraine Family Scheme, a person must:
- Be applying to join a UK-based family member
- Be Ukrainian, or the family member of a Ukrainian national
- Have been living in Ukraine on or immediately before 1 January 2022
- Be applying to join a ‘UK-based family member.’ That family member must have a particular visa or nationality to meet the requirements of this scheme
- They must be an ‘immediate family member or an ‘extended family member’ (see table below) of the UK- based family member.
A person may apply from within the UK for a visa under this scheme if they met the requirements above.
More information can be found on the Government’s website here.
What is the Homes for Ukraine scheme and who may apply?
The Homes for Ukraine scheme enables UK households to sponsor Ukrainian adults or families to live with them.
In order to apply for the Homes for Ukraine scheme, a person must:
- Be Ukrainian, or the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national
- Have been residing in Ukraine on or immediately before 1 January 2022
- Be outside of the UK at the time of applying
- Have an eligible UK-based sponsor. An eligible UK-based sponsor can include a named sponsor who can provide accommodation for a minimum of 6 months.
If applying as an immediate family member of a Ukrainian national, the Ukrainian national to whom the applicant is related, must have been granted permission, or be applying to the Homes for Ukraine scheme. See here for who is considered an immediate family member.
Children under the age of 18 years old must either:
- Apply with their parent or legal guardian, or
- Apply to join their parent or legal guardian if they’re already in the UK, or
- Apply with the consent of their parent or legal guardian to travel to the UK to join an approved sponsor.
More information about the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be found on the Government’s website here, including the following guides:
What is the Ukraine Extension Scheme and who may apply?
The Ukraine Extension scheme enables a Ukrainian, or immediate family member of a Ukrainian, to remain in the UK. Visas granted under this scheme give the right to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds for up to three years.
To apply for a visa under the Ukraine Extension Scheme, the applicant must:
- Have held permission to be in the UK on or between 18 March and 16 May 2023 (the permission does not need to cover this whole period) OR
- Have previously held permission to be in the UK and that permission expired on or after January 2022.
More information can be found on the Government’s website here.
Can a child or young person travel to the UK without a parent under the Ukraine Family Scheme or the Homes for Ukraine scheme?
Yes, it is possible for a child or young person to travel to the UK without a parent under both schemes.
What steps must sponsors, parents/legal guardians and local authorities take for children travelling alone under the Homes for Ukraine scheme?
Sponsors must agree to:
- Sponsor the child or young person for 3 years or until they turn 18
- Provide support with transitioning to adulthood and potential independent living if turning 18 within the 3 years.
The parent or legal guardian for the child must:
- Provide notarised consent stating that they agree for the child or young person to leave Ukraine and travel without them, and to live with the sponsor
- Complete a UK sponsorship arrangement consent form. This confirms they agree it is in the child’s best interests to come to the UK and that they have shared information regarding the child or young person with the sponsor and/or adult relative who will be caring for them. It also
contains essential contact and next of kin information.
Both forms of consent are required for the application to be processed. The consent does not delegate any form of parental responsibility to the host, or to anyone else living in the sponsor’s home.
Local authorities must complete:
- A Disclosure and Barring Service check
- A check of the host’s accommodation
- A sponsor suitability assessment; which needs to follow the procedures and arrangements used for private fostering, see here.
The full guidance on children travelling unaccompanied under the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be found here.
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