Українською читайте тут / To read this in Ukrainian, please click here.

Yuliia Ismail has led our Ukraine Advice Service since March 2022. She is an accredited immigration adviser (OISC level 2), supported by Ukrainian-speaking volunteers and Settled’s wider team of  Settled’s accredited immigration advisers. Where appropriate we escalate complex or very delayed cases to the UK Home Office.

For free accredited immigration advice in Ukrainian or English please email [email protected] 

Alternatively, we have a Facebook group, in Ukrainian, in which you see relevant information and ask general questions.

Please see information boxes below on the Ukraine schemes and training that Settled can provide to other organisations.

January 2025 update

On 31 January,  new guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government clarifies that parents or legal guardians holding permission under any of the Ukraine Schemes can now sponsor their child under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Key Points:

• Children can be granted up to 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK, with access to education, healthcare, benefits, and employment (if eligible).
• Parents do not need settled status but must hold permission under one of the Ukraine Schemes.
• A birth/adoption certificate or legal guardianship document is required as proof of relationship.
• No “thank you” payments will be provided to parents sponsoring their own children.
• Local councils will conduct safeguarding and accommodation checks after arrival.
• If a child does not meet the criteria, Leave Outside the Rules (LOTR) may be granted in exceptional cases.

Funding:

• Local authorities will receive £5,900 per child under this scheme.

This update provides greater clarity on family reunification under Homes for Ukraine, ensuring that children can safely join their parents or guardians in the UK.

November 2024 update

On 26 November, the UK government published an update regarding the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

On November 14, 2024, the Home Office introduced significant changes to the process for Ukrainian arrivals in the UK using previously granted Permission to Travel Letters (PTLs).

Key updates:

PTLs will no longer be valid after February 12, 2025.

• • PTLs issued before this date will be valid for travel only until 12:01 AM on February 13, 2025. Arrivals after this date may be refused entry and face removal.
  • If travelling before February 13, 2025, travellers must present their PTL and passport. Border Force (BF) officers will determine whether to grant 6 months’ leave to enter and stamp passports accordingly.
  • The full update is available here.

February 2024 update

The Home Office released a Statement of Changes to legislation on Ukraine visa schemes on 19 February 2024.

We’re waiting for detailed guidance from the government, but for now we can highlight four significant changes:

1. The Ukraine Family scheme has been ended with immediate effect.
2. To make a new application to the Homes For Ukraine scheme, the potential sponsor needs to be either British, Irish, or have EUSS settled status. This means that a Ukrainian resident in the UK under a Ukraine visa scheme can non longer be a sponsor.
3. Successful applications submitted from 19.2.24 (15:00GMT) will now be granted visas for 18 months. Any pending applications submitted before this date will still be granted visas for 36 months if successful.
4. The Home Office has said that the process for ‘Permission to Extend’ existing visas will be opened from January 2025. We await detailed guidance on this.