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.
Homes for Ukraine visa application
People, charities, community groups and businesses from across Plymouth can now record their interest in supporting Ukrainians fleeing the war.
Phase one of the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme allows anyone in the UK to apply to host a named refugee or refugees in their home, or another property, for at least six months.
Refugees could be a friend, someone you are already connected with, or it could be someone you have been linked with by a charity, faith group or other organisation.
Each household housing a refugee will be offered £350 a month, tax-free. They will not be expected to provide food and living expenses but can choose to offer this.
Anyone interested in offering a rent-free space in their home or a separate residence, can now register their interest online.
If you have a named person who you wish to sponsor you should get in contact with them directly and prepare to fill in a visa application with all their details and yours. If you don’t know anyone who you wish to sponsor you may wish to get in touch with charities, faith groups or local community organisations who are starting to make connections between individuals.
Those offering to host a refugee will be vetted by the government and Ukrainian applicants will also undergo security checks before they are matched with a host.
More information and register your interest for Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Attend an online webinar to find out more about the scheme.
See Government guidance for sponsors.
See Government FAQs on the scheme.
See the Government welcome pack for Ukrainian visitors.
Homes for Ukraine information and FAQs
If you have offered to be a host and have had a match approved we understand that you will have a lot of questions.
Plymouth City Council will be contacting you as soon as possible to go through the next stage of the process. This includes the process for fulfilling our duty to assess suitability of accommodation and for carry out DBS checks if they are required.
This is a new scheme and the Government is still working through some of the detail. We may not be able to answer all the questions you may have immediately but we will endeavour to provide all the information you need when we have it.
Please note that the City Council has no influence over visa applications for Ukrainian guests as this is a separate process carried out by UK Visas and Immigration.
Support
We have been working with a number of local partners to develop a package of support for hosts, and Ukrainian guests when they arrive. This includes:
PATH (Plymouth Access To Housing): Who are providing host support and ongoing liaison. This includes helping hosts understand their role, providing guidance, linking hosts together.
START (Students and Refugees Together): Are helping to support the Ukrainian guests when they arrive - helping them to access: education / health services / housing and providing support on how to stay safe.
PLYMOUTH HOPE, with support from ODILS: Are helping to provide community integration support. This includes supporting new volunteers and smaller organisations to engage with the Ukrainian community.
PLYMOUTH AND DEVON RACIAL EQUALITY COUNCIL: Will be providing development support to the Ukrainian community, to enable them to develop and form a network across the city.
ODILS LEARNING FOUNDATION: Will be providing practical, educational, support to help Ukrainians get into employment in the city. This could be by helping them learn English, referral to Skills Launch Pad and other vocational training, volunteering or workplace experience. ODILS will also be providing support for young people aged 12-18 who are waiting to access school or college. Support will include English, Maths, IT and other subjects.
When Ukrainian guests arrive in Plymouth, hosts are provided with information about all the support that is available.
There are also other resources available online:
- Advice for Sponsors from the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities
- Resources - Refugees At Home
If you have any questions, you can email: ukraineresponses@plymouth.gov.uk
If you are a sponsor, when you have been given a date that your Ukrainian guest/s will arrive, please can you contact us and let us know.
Anyone in the UK, of any nationality and any immigration status providing they have at least six months leave to remain in the UK, with a spare room, or separate self-contained accommodation that is unoccupied can come forward to help.
Accommodation must be available for at least six months, be fit for people to live in, and suitable for the number of people to be accommodated.
Named individuals can offer residential rooms or unoccupied self-contained residential units to a specific person or people, and charities.
We are starting the first phase of the scheme with named individual contacts, in the future government will work to help organisations to also sponsor individuals.
Please consider these things before applying to sponsor a refugee.
We have a number of key roles:
- to undertake property and safeguarding checks
- to put in place support arrangements for refugees and their hosts
- provision of education
- homelessness assistance
- Provision of social care to children and adults
- interim payments for refugees arriving under the Homes for Ukraine scheme
- community integration
Further information about this support will be updated on this website.
In Phase One of the scheme, it will be for UK residents to sponsor to match with a particular named person or a named family. Everyone who applies to this scheme will be subject to a range of checks, including those in the sponsoring household and those coming to the UK.
The government has asked local authorities to assess whether space offered by sponsors is suitable for use in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. A Council officer will visit the property and check that taking in a refugee will not lead to overcrowding and that the rooms are in a reasonable condition.
The checks will involve a DBS check, and enhanced check if children or vulnerable adults are among your guests. Details of what is involved are available on GOV.UK. We will arrange and meet the cost of the checks.
The Government is making available an optional £350 per month payment for up to 12 months towards costs you may incur as a host. Before you can claim this we will need to undertake a number of checks.
We are still awaiting detailed guidance from government but it is likely to involve a home visit before we can commence payment. Payment will be a month in arrears once the checks has been successfully completed.
We are working closely with specialist local refugee service providers to ensure that support is in place for when people arrive. This will mean that when a refugee first arrives in Plymouth they will be assigned a caseworker. This person will help the refugee complete key tasks such as registering with a local GP, enrolling children in schools, applying for a national insurance number and any benefits they are entitled to. Included in this will be:
- Education: The caseworker will also be able to refer arrivals to other Council services such as services which provide access to English as a Second Language classes in conjunction with the voluntary sector, and organisations which can help people find employment.
- Safeguarding: Refugees are likely to be vulnerable and may be traumatised by their experiences, and potential hosts should be aware of this when signing up to the scheme. All adults in host households will be required to have a basic DBS check, and if there is a child or vulnerable adult in the arriving Ukrainian family an enhanced DBS check will be required. If a host has a concern about wellbeing of either the refugee family or themselves, they should contact our safeguarding teams.
More information about the support available will be updated in the coming days.
As of 23 February, 35% of Ukraine's population had been fully vaccinated (at least two doses) and a further 1% had been partially vaccinated. Refugees will be able to access all NHS services, including vaccinations, and will be supported to do so including discussing any concerns they may have.
Hosts should however be aware that individuals they provide accommodation for may not be vaccinated and some may be hesitant to do so. Details of local vaccine sites.
Contact
If you are unable to find the information you need on these pages or on our website or on the Government’s FAQs you can contact the Council via email ukraineresponses@plymouth.gov.uk