Homes for Ukraine: guidance for councils

Overview and purpose

Councils have a critical role to play in the success of the Homes for Ukraine scheme and are uniquely placed to support local communities to offer Ukrainians the warmest possible welcome to the UK.

This document contains guidance to councils and does not replace or contradict their statutory duties or responsibilities.

This initial guidance on the Homes for Ukraine scheme outlines the role of councils across England in supporting the scheme. Additional advice will be published for councils in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland shortly. We are working with councils and Devolved Administrations to produce further versions of this guidance in the coming days (see final section for details on future guidance topics).

This guidance does not cover displaced persons coming in via the Ukraine Family Scheme.

There is separate guidance for sponsors,sponsors, and a welcome packguide for guests of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Definitions

“Sponsor” or “sponsors” refers to an individual, group or organisation who has been approved to accommodate an individual or household from Ukraine under the “Homes for Ukraine” sponsorship scheme.

“Guest” or “guests” refers to an individual or household previously resident in Ukraine, prior to 1 January 2022, who have secured a visa under the “Homes for Ukraine” scheme, which enables them to be housed by a sponsor.

Background and eligibility

The Homes for Ukraine scheme was launched on 14 March 2022 by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

This scheme is open to Ukrainian nationals who were residents in Ukraine prior to 1 January 2022 and also to their immediate family members (for example spouse/partner and children under 18) who may be of other nationalities, to be sponsored to come to the UK. Applicants can apply from Ukraine or from any other third country. Phase One of the scheme allows individual sponsors to named Ukrainians. https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk

The number of people who can access this scheme is uncapped and is dependent on the capacity of the sponsors who come forward.

Guests will be able to live and work in the UK for up to three years and access benefits, healthcare, employment, and other support.

The Those arriving need to meet standard security checks prior to being issued with a visa. Sponsors and all adults in sponsors’ households will also be subject to initial Police National Computer (PNC), criminal records and Warnings Index checks by the Home Office. Councils will be required to undertake basic DBS checks for all adults in the sponsor household;eligibility andcriteria inset casesout wherethat thethey incomingmust arrivals include children and/or vulnerable adults, an enhanced DBS with barred lists check will be required promptly on all adults in the sponsorUK, household.

Sponsors in the UK can be of any nationality, with any immigration status, provided they have at least six months’ leave to remain within the UK and pass the background checks. They can live in any part of the UK. Sponsors mustare asked to provide accommodation for a minimum of six months. Sponsors can also receive an optional ‘thank you’ payment of £350 per month for up to the first 12 months of sponsorship. This payment is limited to one monthly payment per residential address, regardless of the number of individuals sponsored. Payments will stop when the sponsorship ends.

Sponsors should not charge rent. They will not be expected to cover the costs of food and living expenses, although they may wish to offer this, especially in early weeks while guests are finding their feet in the UK.

Pre and Post arrival checks

Those arriving need to meet standard security checks prior to being issued with a visa. Sponsors will also undergo eligibility and suitability checks prior to any visa being issued and all adults in sponsors’ households will also be subject to initial criminal records checks by the Home Office.

Prior to arrival in the UK, the guest and sponsor are required to complete the online application form which also covers the biometric residence permit and gives authorisation for personal data to be shared to help support the sponsor arrangement. To enable visa and security checks to be completed, sponsors will also need to provide evidence of their identity (see details in the application and process section below).

Guests who hold a valid Ukraine international passport or expired passport with a formal extension stamp will not need to attend a Visa Application Centre. Guests without a passport will be required to book and attend an appointment at a Visa Application Centre to provide biometric information.

Once a visa application has been accepted and security checks completed, guests will be issued an official permission letter from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) confirming they can travel to the UK. Official permission letters will be issued to those travelling under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and will be issued electronically to the correspondence email listed in the application form. Individuals who have attended an appointment at a VAC will be issued with a vignette confirming permission to travel which will be attached to existing travel documents.

Upon arrival to the UK guests will be required to show their permission letter to Border Force officers who will endorse their passport with a 6-month entry stamp.

Councils will be required to undertake accommodation and DBS criminal record checks for all adults (16 and over) in the sponsor household. The level of check is determined by the age and needs of the guests. Further information on Accommodation and DBS checks can be found in the ‘role of Councils’ section below. The scheme will be rolled out in phases. Initially, individual members of the public can sponsor a guest from Ukraine who meets the eligibility criteria for this scheme. In later phases organisations and community groups will be able to sponsor multiple guests. Further details are set out below.

Application process and Phases

On Monday 14 March, anthe onlineHomes registrationfor Ukraine page opened on:for https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/.potential Potential sponsors (individuals and organisations) canto registerrecord their interest in sponsoring a guest.

Phase One – Individuals sponsoring named guests

On Friday 18 March, a Home Office form opened for visa applications.applications. Sponsors at this stage must be specific individuals.

In this phase, either a guest or a sponsor will be able to complete a single application for a visa. The form will ask the person completing it to name both parties.

Sponsors and guests will find each other and match themselves externally. There is no single route to matching, and both the sponsor and guest could use a number of channels to find a match. They could for example already have a relationship in place with a friend in the UK/Ukraine, they could be friends of friends, or could find a sponsor or guest through an NGO, charity, or other channel.

The process is as follows:

1. Sponsor and guest find each other and agree to a match.

2. Either the sponsor or the guest fills out the single visa application form online using both parties’ details.

3. 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.

4. After the application is submitted, security checks are done on both the sponsor, all other adults in the sponsor’s household, and the guest.

5. Once both sponsor and guest have passed the checks, the Home Office will issue the guest with a permit to travel.

6. The guest can then travel to the UK and coordinate their arrival with the sponsor.

7. Specific councils will provide welcome arrangements for guests, with additional immediate support provided to guests where it is required (see initial reception role of councils below).

A lead sponsor will be needed for each household. For example, where a couple has applied to sponsor, one of them should be designated as “lead sponsor”.

We have set out the expectation on safeguarding above but are undertaking further work on the safeguarding process around individual sponsors and the adults in their households and this will be shared in the next version of the guidance. More detail is given in the section on the role of councils below.

Future expansion of the scheme

The scheme will subsequently be expanded to enable organisations and community groups to sponsor multiple guests. We are undertaking further work on the safeguarding process around group sponsors.

We will update and reissue this guidance with further information on future phases in due course.

Role of sponsors

The guidance below for councils sets out what is needed from councils to ensure the scheme can work effectively for both sponsors and the people they are trying to help. The guidance in this section aims to ensure appropriate and important checks to ensure safety and safeguarding as well as recognise that sponsors are not doing this in a professional capacity.

Sponsors are required to:

• Meet the eligibility and suitability requirements to be approved as a sponsor.
• Provide suitable accommodation for a minimum of 6 months. Accommodation needs to be free from serious health and safety hazards ensuring the property is safe for guests and in a suitable condition, with considerations set out in the scheme FAQs.
• Check their mortgage lenders website for further guidance.
• Notify their insurers that they will be hosting guests from Ukraine, prior to their arrival.
• Stay in regular contact with their guestguests prior to their arrival to help organise and coordinate their arrival in the UK, meet them on arrival, and facilitateprovide transfertheir guests with instructions on how to reach their accommodation.accommodation if they are unable to meet them. Note: councils will still be required to provide general receptionwelcome point arrangements and immediate support on arrival if guests require it (see section below).
• SignpostSupport and help guests to adapt to life in the guestUK, initially checking if they have enough food and supplies such as toiletries, along with checking if they have access to publica servicesmobile phone and assistinternet themto stay in touch with tasksfamily suchmembers.
• Sponsors asshould help direct their guests to public services for example, registering with a local GP surgery.or NHS dentist.

Further information on the role of sponsors is available online.

Role of councils

Councils have a number of important functions in supporting the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Councils will be expected to offer the categories of support listed below. Further details on each of these will be issued shortly:

• Initial reception. reception

  Relevant councils who have primary ports of entry have been asked to establish receptionwelcome point arrangements at particular ports of entry to support any short-term arrival needs. We have prioritised ports of entry based on number of arrivals from neighbouring countries to Ukraine and Border Force intelligence on priority arrival ports. These councils willshould likely work with Strategic Migration Partnerships and the voluntary sectorsector, under standard reception centre arrangements, and (only(if if a significant multi-agency response is required) they may call on the coordination support of Local Resilience Forums. These arrangements should include basic meet and greet arrangements as well as the ability to provide immediate humanitarian assistanceassistance. There (whichwill couldbe includesome smalllocal amountsvariation ofin emergencyresponse cashto supportmatch –local separateneeds toand requirements.

  Local authorities may consider the pre-Universalfollowing Creditcapabilities supportwhen i.e.,establishing a welcome points dependant on local need:

  • Welcome/rest point, with toilet facilities, telephone, telephone charging facilities and translation capability.
  • Provision of any necessary immediate humanitarian assistance.
  • Link with local travel operators for general provision of advice on onward travel.
  • Triage point if matching arrangements fall down or if not met by a host and potential provision of overnight hotel accommodation; and
  • Signposting the interimupcoming paymentonline detailedwelcome below).pack covering access to services

  Councils should also consider the provision of social care staff to respond to any safeguarding concerns that may be flagged by Border Force.

  DfT have announced their free onward travel for Ukrainian arrivals. They are working closely with the Rail Delivery Group (the group that brings together all passenger and freight rail companies in the UK) to roll out the offer of a free single one-way journey from a port of entry to a final destination for incoming refugees. Train Operating Companies will brief frontline staff to grant free access to the network to those holding a Ukrainian passport, with accompanying boarding pass dated within the last 48 hours

  From Sunday 20 March, guests arriving in the country willare 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.

  To Furthermake informationuse of this scheme, guests will need to show their Ukrainian passport and a boarding pass or ticket showing their arrival into the UK. The offer is availablevalid at:across https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ukraine.all train operators in England, Scotland and Wales, and guests will have 48 hours from arrival in the UK to complete their journey.

  CouncilsGuests shouldwill also considerbe theable provisionto oftravel socialfor carefree staffacross toLondon respondusing toTfL’s anyLondon safeguardingUnderground, concernsDocklands thatLight mayRailway be(DLR), flaggedbus byand Bordertram Force.services so they can reach their destination as quickly as possible. Further information is available on the National Rail website.

  • Data sharing.sharing

    In UnitaryEngland unitary and county councils will receive the necessary data from DLUHCthe Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, about sponsors/guests who have applied for visas (including the accommodation address). County councils can pass this data on to the relevant district councils. Data will also be passed to the Devolved Administrations for(Scotland, theirWales areas.and DLUHCNorthern Ireland). The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is exploring how to provide councils with live data on expected arrivals and will work with councils directly on this,this. withPlease annote updatethat beingfor providedfunding into subsequentbe guidance.released, Councils will need to ensure data is accurate when updating the system.

  • Safeguarding checks.checks

    Accommodation checks

    Councils have a statutory duty to promote the welfare of adults and children at risk and reserve the right to check in on guests and inspect accommodation once they have arrived. The sponsor guidance makes clear that prospective sponsors will be subject to accommodation and safeguarding checks.

    Councils Themust checksmake outlinedat belowleast mustone bein-person conductedvisit prior to the arrival of guests wherever possible. Following the guest(s)’ arrival, councils should confirm as soon as possible afterthat the councilguest hasis beenwell alertedand that athere visaare applicationno hasserious beensafeguarding made.or Bestwelfare endeavoursconcerns or needs for care and support. Where it is suspected that the adult may have care and support needs, a needs assessment should be usedundertaken toduring conductthis thevisit checksin beforeline with the arrivalrequirements of the guest(s),Care recognisingAct that2014.

    Councils thismay willuse nottheir bediscretion possible in alldetermining circumstances.the Councilsappropriate mustapproach maketo atundertaking leastthese onechecks. in-personWhere visitpossible, eithercouncils beforeare orencouraged shortlyto afterconduct an initial check of the accommodation before a guest hasarrives. arrived,We have asked Councils to confirm that they checked that the accommodation isexists suitableas andpart of their data return to the guestdepartment. isSponsors wellhave andbeen asked to check that theretheir areaccommodation nois serioussuitable, safeguarding,with orconsiderations welfareset concerns.out ins the scheme FAQs.

    Please note that, as no rent is payable for accommodation under the scheme, we therefore do not expect councils to require such accommodation to obtain an HMO license (per the HMO definition in the Housing Act 2004, S.254 (2)(e).

    DBS CouncilsChecks

    The mustDBS alsoapplication undertakeshould basicbe started as soon as possible following receipt of data on sponsors and guests. The council will facilitate the application, by the sponsor and any other eligible individuals within the household, for the appropriate DBS checkschecks. In terms of eligibility, within the Homes for Ukraine (HFU) scheme, the expectation is that:

    Checks on sponsors

    • If a match is made which involves a guest who is a child (i.e., under 18), an Enhanced DBS check will be undertaken on all adultsmembers of the sponsor household who are aged 16+. This includes a check of the children’s barred list. However, this does not apply if the child guest is related to the host sponsor, in this instance only a Basic DBS check is required. The Enhanced check (including a check of the children’s barred list) is needed due to the level of safeguarding risk within households where the sponsor household.and/or other individuals aged 16+ may provide care or supervision of a child guest under the scheme on more than 3 occasions in a 30-day period, or overnight, bringing the sponsors and other adults, for the purpose of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, into regulated activity (SVGA 2006, Sch4, Part1).
    • If your council decides that an adult guest requires additional support, due to age, illness or disability and it is proposed that an adult (16+) member of the sponsoring household provides them with this support, then the local authority may ask for an Enhanced DBS check (including a check of the adults’ barred list) to be undertaken on any member of the sponsor’s household who is proposed to provide that support. Existing guidance regarding Regulated Activity with Adults can support the council’s assessment of the eligibility of individuals for this level of check.
    • In householdsall other cases, including where there areis incominga arrivalsfamily relationship between the sponsor and the guest(s), a Basic DBS check should be undertaken on all members of the sponsor household who are childrenaged 16+.

    Applying for DBS checks

    In terms of initiating DBS checks, the council and/or vulnerableRegistered Body will provide the sponsor (and any adults, an16 enhancedor DBSover, checkin the sponsor’s household) with barredthe listsappropriate checkform, Basic or Enhanced, which will need to be requiredcompleted by the individual. The council will need to check the identity of each applicant and, for allthe adultsEnhanced incheck, countersign the sponsorapplication household.form.

    Councils should be aware that:

    • DBS is required to charge a fee for checks. Councils will be required to cover the cost of DBS checks from the £10,500 funding that is being provided to enable them to provide support to families to settle in.
    • To facilitate processing, councils or Registered Bodies must include the word “Ukraine” in the ‘position applied for’ field in the form for Enhanced checks.
    • To ensure that the relevant Enhanced DBS checks are delivered as efficiently as possible the council or Registered Body submitting the check must not tick the box on the application form (field x66) which indicates that the applicant will be working at their home address.

    Interim payment for guest. The council where the sponsor accommodation is located should provide an interim payment (in line with other resettlement schemes) of £200 per guest for subsistence costs. The £200 payment is factored into the tariff (see ‘Funding for Councils’) and does not need to be repaid by the guest. Councils will also have discretion within the tariff to top-up or further support guests with interim or additional payments. As those arriving will most likely not have immediate access to a bank account, it is recommended that this payment is made in cash, more information on access to bank accounts can be found in the scheme FAQs. Working age guests will be able to apply to receive Universal Credit and will be able to apply for advance payments where eligible. Pension age guests will have access to State Pension Credit and Housing Benefit provided they meet eligibility criteria.

  • Provision of education. education

    Councils are required to provide school places for children of school age. Councils will be paid additional funding to support with this. Further details are set out below.

  • Service referrals. referrals

    Where necessary, councils should provide advice and referrals to specialist public health services as appropriate e.g., mental health services, adult social care, and children’s services. DLUHC will provide further advice on this in due course.

  • Work and Benefits. Benefits

    Councils should support guests to access local Jobcentre Plus appointments for benefit assessments and job-seeking.

  • Homelessness assistance. assistance

    There may be some cases where the sponsor/guest relationship breaks down and the guest is homeless or at risk of homelessness. Councils’ statutory homelessness duties will apply in this instance. DLUHC will provide further advice on this in due course.

  • Community integration. integration

    Councils will play a key role in supporting the integration of Ukrainian families into their local communities. This will be particularly important in areas of the country that might not have strong links with the Ukrainian diaspora. Integration support might include the organisation of community events, the use of community champions and interfaith networks, increasing local authority contact/interaction with Ukrainians, access to translation services and working with local voluntary sector organisations and faith groups to help signpost advice and support.

  • Administering payments to sponsors.

    Sponsors will be eligible for an optional ‘thank you payment’ of £350 per month, asif long as the sponsorship arrangement exists, for up to 12 months in total. There will be a maximum of one monthly payment per address paid in arrears, regardless of the number of guests being hosted, and regardless of size or location of the property. Councils will administer these ‘thank you’ payments to sponsors. Payments must not be released to sponsors until property checks have been completed. Further guidance on property checks will follow in due course. We will allocate funding for these payments, but we expect councils to cover administration costs from the tariff including costs of fraud prevention. This payment will be tax free and should not affect the sponsor’s entitlement to benefits or council tax status. We will continue to work closely with councils on the delivery of these payments.

  Funding for councils

  The government is providing funding at a rate of £10,500 per person to councils to enable them to provide support to families to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. The £10,500 for Ukrainian nationals is for the first year. We will review funding for future years in due course.

  This funding will be un-ringfenced, with a number of conditions attached, and will match the tariff offered under the first year of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), although the role of councils will be different. For example, councils will not be asked to source initial accommodation under this scheme as this will be provided by the sponsor.

  Councils will administer ‘thank you’ payments at the £350 per sponsoring household per month rate. We will allocate additional funding for these payments, but we expect councils to cover administration costs within the tariff.

  The government is also providing additional funding to councils to provide education services for children from families arriving from Ukraine under this scheme. The Department for Education (DfE) will allocate funding on a per pupil basis for the three phases of education at the following annual rates:

  • Early years (ages 2 to 4) - £3,000
  • Primary (ages 5 -11) - £6,580
  • Secondary (ages 11-18) - £8,755

  These tariffs include support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

  We expect councils to use the tariff to meet all of their associated costs (both for providing council services and for administering payments). We recognise, however, that a small number of councils may incur additional essential costs above and beyond what could reasonably be regarded as normal expenditure and not available through other mainstream funding mechanisms. We will therefore consider claims for such costs on an exceptional basis only.

  Further details on funding, including the conditions, will be published shortly.

  Data

  The application form will ask for details on the location of the proposed accommodation for the guest so that details can be passed to councils and the Devolved Administrations. The data transfer steps are as follows:

  1. The sponsor and guest’s data are submitted to the Home Office via the visa application process.

  2. This data (which will include the address of the sponsor) is then passed to DLUHC and allocated to the relevant council. This will then be visible to the council.

  3. The visa application will then be processed by the Home Office.

  Note: councils will be prompted to contact sponsors and guests, ensure accommodation is suitable and to conduct safeguarding checks.

  Future guidance

  TheThis initialsecond guidance set outof aboveguidance willprovides be updated and expanded with further detail inof the nextcouncils’ week as Government agrees with councils the detail of their role in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.Scheme. Future guidance will likely cover outstanding detail on the role of councils in mostother aspects of this phase:

  • Checks

    • Pre-arrivalAdministration andof post-arrivalfunds, checksincluding;

    • Accommodation checks

    • Address validation checks

    • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks

  • Wraparound support

    • Safeguarding

    • Process for accessing public services

    • Providing local council tax support

    • Post 16 education, employment and training

  • Administration of funds

    • Initialthe cashthank allowanceyou for guestpayments

    • Operationthe ofpayment ‘thanksystem you’and paymentthe system

    • Tiertier of local government that receives the £10,500 funding.per person funding

  • Fallback accommodation

    • Re-matching role

    • Move-on accommodation

  • Data

    • Process for receiving data about new arrivals

    • Management information submission requirements