The quickly evolving situation in Ukraine has meant that the UK Government has
needed to put in place immediate concessions whilst working to amend the
Immigration Rules and primary legislation. The legal position is therefore subject
to change quickly and without advance notice.
Coming to the UK
Ukrainian passport holders need a visa to travel to the UK and they are almost
certain to be refused entry without one.
Ukraine Family Scheme (If they have family in the UK)
There are special visa arrangements in place allowing any British person or
immigrant who is settled in the UK (i.e. who hold Indefinite Leave to Remain or
Settled Status) to sponsor Ukrainian family members to come to the UK,
including parents, siblings, adult children, in-laws and cousins. This ‘Ukraine
Family Scheme’ opened for online applications on 4 March 2022.
Unfortunately, Ukrainian citizens with only temporary permission to live in the UK,
such as a Skilled Worker or Student visa, cannot sponsor relatives under the
Ukraine Family Scheme.
There is a special UK government immigration helpline for Ukrainians with family
in the UK who want to ask about visas: call +44 808 164 8810 and select option 1
(0808 164 8810 if you’re in the UK).
Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme - Homes for Ukraine (If they do not have family
in the UK)
This Scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the
UK if they have a named sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. It is free
to apply.
This bespoke scheme will offer a route to those who want to come to the UK who
have someone here willing to provide them with a home. It will enable
individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to volunteer accommodation and provide a route to safety for those forced to escape their homeland.
Sponsors should provide accommodation for as long as they are able, but the UK
government has a minimum expectation of 6 months.
Someone is eligible for the scheme if they are a Ukrainian national (or an
immediate family member of one) and were resident in Ukraine prior to 1 January
2022.
People arriving under this scheme will be able to:
Live and work in the UK for up to three years
Access healthcare, benefits, employment support, education, and
English language tuition
If you want to offer a home to people fleeing Ukraine, you can become a sponsor
as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. People wanting to be sponsors who do
not know anyone personally fleeing Ukraine can also record their interest in being
a sponsor.
You can use the service below to register your interest in becoming a sponsor.
You can register as an individual or as an organisation.
Ukrainian nationals who need any assistance can call the UKVI’s 24/7 free helpline
+44 808 164 8810 (0808 164 8810 if they are in the UK). If you cannot contact UK
0808 numbers, please use +44 (0)175 390 7510.
Licensed Employers in the UK
If you are an employer and hold a valid UK Employer Sponsor Licence you should
be able to sponsor Ukrainian nationals as Skilled Workers or Intra-company
Transferees provided the usual requirements are met, for instance, offer of a
skilled role and salary threshold being met. For ICT applicants, the overseas entity
needs to be named as a linked entity on your Sponsor Licence to facilitate the
transfer.
Your GDB Legal Solutions consultant can undertake an urgent assessment of
your candidate’s eligibility
How to apply for a visa
As per the usual process, all UK visa applications must be submitted online,
however some applicants to the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine
schemes do not need to attend a visa appointment to give their fingerprints and
face scans (biometrics) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) outside the UK***.
Biometrics were previously required for all applicants when the Ukraine Family
Scheme launched, however this aspect of the process was removed from 15
March 2022 for some (but not all) applicants***. All other visa applicants must
enrol biometrics at a VAC appointment. The VAC in Kyiv is closed, and although
there was a temporary pop-up VAC in Lviv, that is now suspended.
Applicants for Visitor visas or visas of any other type (such as Skilled Worker or
ICT) who can travel safely over the border can apply in a neighbouring country.
For example, applications can be submitted in France, Poland, Romania, Hungary
or Moldova, however, currently, all commercial flights from Ukraine have been
suspended so flights out of Ukraine are not available. Additionally, it appears that,
following the declaration of martial law by the Ukrainian government, all male
citizens between 18 and 60 have been banned from leaving Ukraine.
There are calls for the UKVI to allow all Ukrainian Visa applicants to only be
required to provide their biometrics once they are in the UK – provided they have
a valid biometrics passport – however, this is yet to be approved.
Already in the UK
Visa extensions
The UK government has made it easier for Ukrainian citizens already in the UK to
stay on within the mainstream immigration system, including by applying to
switch from a Visit visa to another type of immigration permission (such as a
Skilled Worker).
*** To be exempt from attending a VAC, only applicants to the Ukraine Family
Scheme who hold a valid Ukrainian international passport or an expired Ukrainian
international passport with a formal extension stamp issued by the Ukrainian
government can qualify. Those applicants will need to complete an application
online, but do not need to attend an appointment at a VAC.
If the application is approved, they will receive an official approval letter
confirming they can travel to the UK. That letter will allow them to board a plane
or other form of transport. On arrival in the UK, they can show the letter to a
Border Force official who will endorse their passport with a six-month stamp.
Each person will then need to submit biometrics (that may be possible through
an app, or alternatively by visiting an application centre in the UK) within that six-
month period to extend their stay by up to three years.