Ukraine: information for hosts

Homes for Ukraine is the UK Government scheme to enable the British public to sponsor and host Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK.  You can read more about the scheme on the government website. We use the term “sponsor” for those who sponsor a visa application and “host” for anyone offering their property to house Ukrainians.

Read the Government’s guide for Sponsors and Hosts here:  Homes for Ukraine: sponsor guides - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Accommodation

Hosts with a spare room or separate self-contained accommodation that is unoccupied can come forward to help.

Accommodation must be available for at least 6 months, be fit for people to live in, and suitable for the number of people to be accommodated. This can be anything from an empty room to an unoccupied home, as long as it’s safe, heated and free from health hazards, and gives your guests adequate access to bathroom and kitchen facilities. As an example, providing a sofa bed in a living area would not be suitable as there must be a separate room to give the guests some privacy. Basic accommodation needs: Homes for Ukraine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Any council tax discounts you receive will not be affected if you sponsor and host Ukrainian guests in your home under this scheme.

If you rent, you should seek the permission of your landlord (written evidence of this will need to be provided). You’ll need to check with your landlord, freeholder or mortgage provider, and insurance company, about whether they’ve got any policies which you need to factor in. It’s important you think through any possible implications for your tenancy, mortgage, lease and insurance before your guest arrives.

You should also consider if the location of your accommodation is suitable in terms of easy access to services, for example, public transport, schools and shops.

For the host to be eligible for 'thank you' payments, the guest is expected to use the host property as their main home. 'Thank you' payments are not able to be made for properties which are a second or part time dwelling.

Application Requirements 

All new sponsors of Homes for Ukraine applications must be either British or Irish citizens or have indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK and commit to a minimum 6-month sponsorship period.

To become a recognised sponsor, and to qualify for any payments and support, you will need to register with the Government Homes for Ukraine scheme. As part of this, you must be prepared:

• to be security checked
• for all members of your household to have their criminal record checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
• to obtain an Overseas Criminal Record Check if applicable (main host)
• for your accommodation to meet basic minimum criteria
• to be able to host for a minimum of six months
• to sign a declaration agreeing to the terms of the scheme
• consent to periodic visits to your guests 

New applications will not be eligible to receive "thank you" payments for hosting only close family members and partners.

If you already receive "thank you" payments then these will continue whilst you remain at your current property or accommodation. You can read more on the government website.

Other Considerations

Additionally, you should give careful thought to your ability:

• to provide a safe environment
• to cope with young people and children, if offering to host families
• to host people who have suffered hardship and trauma.

How do I apply to be a sponsor?

To become a recognised sponsor, and to qualify for any payments and support, you must register on the Homes for Ukraine website, managed and run by the UK government. If you are interested in hosting Ukrainians on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme who are already in Suffolk, you can use the same application form.

As part of this process:

• you will be security checked
• all members of your household will have their criminal record checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
• your accommodation will be checked to ensure it meets basic minimum criteria

You can find guidance for sponsors on the GOV.UK website.

How do I find someone to host or sponsor?

There are three routes to finding a Ukrainian guest to sponsor.

Firstly, you may already know whom you wish to sponsor. If you already know an eligible Ukrainian person and have agreed to sponsor them, you can liaise with them directly to fill in their visa application together (please see below for more information on this process). There are no officially recognised methods for doing this, and care must be taken to ensure you are confident regarding who you are in contact with and to avoid sharing your personal information with unscrupulous people who may be seeking to exploit the current situation.

Secondly, there are a number of charities and non-government organisations working to match potential sponsors and guests. Once registered on the government site you may wish to approach a charity and register your interest with them. Please note that local charity Suffolk Refugee Support are not involved in registering offers of accommodation or matching hosts with refugees.  

Some charities working in this field include:

• Reset, which has run a community sponsorship scheme for refugees since 2018
• Room for Refugees, which has previously settled unaccompanied child refugees with families in the UK
• Shelter 4 Ukraine, a Ukrainian-run service that registers hosts and refugees

Find out more about linking with a guest on the GOV.UK website.

Thirdly, you may prefer to host someone who has already received their Homes for Ukraine visa and settled in Suffolk but now needs to move on. If you have registered your interest through the Government website Homes for Ukraine: record your interest - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), Suffolk County Council will contact you when a guest is seeking accommodation in your area. If you already know the guest(s) you wish to host, please contact refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk

Those who are already in the UK and move in with a close family member are classified as having left the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Therefore these hosts would not be eligible for "thank you" payments.

Once you have matched with a Ukrainian person or family that you wish to host, the following steps must be undertaken:

• Visa application(s) if your guest is not already in the UK
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
• Overseas Criminal Record Check (if applicable - see section below)
• Household and safeguarding checks
• Provision of Landlord permission (if living in rented accommodation)

These are not always done in the same order, but they must all be completed.

Visa applications

If your guest is not already in the UK, you or your guest must apply for a visa to enable them to travel to the UK. A separate form must be completed for everyone who wishes to be sponsored and is intending to travel. 

The visa application will ask for your personal information in order to confirm your identity and eligibility to be a sponsor. As much as we wish to believe everyone is genuine, there have been reports of people exploiting the current situation to commit identity fraud or apply for more visas than agreed with their sponsor. If you are providing your personal information to your guest to enable them to apply for their visa, or if you are offering your accommodation via a community group or other organisation, please make sure you know they are legitimate.

If you have concerns about sharing personal details, you may prefer to fill out the visa application form on behalf of the individuals you are sponsoring. To do this, you will need to ask them for their information. Read more about this or apply for a visa on the Government website.

Sometimes visas will be issued before other checks are completed. 

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks

Once you have registered as a host, your details will be downloaded by Suffolk County Council. The Council is then required to do a DBS check of all adults over 16 in your household, even if you have an existing certificate.

The process for this is as follows:

1. You will receive a call from Suffolk County Council to gather some initial information, including how many people over 16 years live in the host household. We aim to make this call within 2 working days of receiving your information.
2. You will then receive an email from the Community Action Suffolk DBS Service asking you to complete an online DBS checking form.
3. You will be asked to make an appointment via a Teams video call so that your ID documents can be verified.

There is a range of documents that each person will need to produce to verify their identity. Visit what documents do you need for a DBS check application? - DBS Checks to see a list of documents suitable for a DBS check. If all guests are adults who are not classed as vulnerable, we will undertake a standard DBS check. We will undertake an enhanced DBS + barring list check where any guests are children / aged over 65 / adults with identified disabilities/illnesses/learning difficulties.

We aim to undertake our checks before guests arrive whenever possible. If your guests have already arrived or are arriving imminently and your check has not yet been undertaken, please contact us at refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk and we will endeavour to prioritise your checks.

Additional Overseas Criminal Record Check

From the 1 November 2023, Suffolk County Council will be seeking additional checks on hosts who have lived overseas in the last 5 years.

Any Suffolk resident wishing to become a host, who has lived overseas and in the last 5 years is required to obtain an overseas criminal record check as part of our local checking process, prior to a guest taking residence with them. Only lead hosts need to obtain the certificate.

This check will need to be undertaken before Suffolk County Council making the ‘Thank you’ payments.

You can obtain your overseas criminal record check from the following areas of the gov.uk website:

Countries A to F 

Countries G to P 

Countries Q to Z

Cost of Certificate

The cost of the certificate is the responsibility of the applying host. Please note, further costs may be involved if translated copy is required. However, an un-translated version will require further time to process by Suffolk County Council.

On receiving the certificate, a copy should be sent via email to refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk.

Please include your Host ID for reference, this can be found in the subject of the confirmation email which will be sent to you after your initial telephone call with the Homes for Ukraine team member.

A complete copy of the certificate is required and must clearly show all pages for processing as part of your application.

Suffolk County Council, alongside its partner organisations, will continue to administer, process and pay for DBS checks.

Household and safeguarding checks

We will also check the suitability of your property. The process for this is as follows:

1. You will receive a telephone call from Suffolk County Council to collect information about your household and the property in which you will be inviting guest(s) to live in.
2. An in-person visit will then be undertaken by your local District & Borough Council who will ensure that your property meets the required standards including adequate smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, up to date gas and electrical certificates.

How we use your information

Suffolk County Council is committed to protecting your privacy and will treat an individual’s personal data in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Legislation. Your information will not be used for other purposes or supplied to third parties except in accordance with the law. Under the Data Protection Legislation, you have a number of rights regarding any personal data held by us in relation to this project. See our Homes for Ukraine Scheme privacy notices for full details.

In addition to the Frequently Asked questions below, we recommend you also familiarise yourself with the contents of our Information for Ukrainian Guests section.

Why won’t you let us use a sofa bed – or swap our living arrangements around so we can fit more people in?

We recognise that refugees are escaping dire conditions, and we will do everything in our power to accommodate as many people as possible – but we also have to ensure that living arrangements are realistic over a 6 to 12 month period for both hosts and guests. We want to ensure we are giving people a stable and safe refuge and not further change and upheaval in 2-3 months’ time when their cramped living arrangements – however well-intentioned – become untenable for either party.

For this reason, we are likely to refuse applications that rely on the use of sofa beds in living rooms, and/or where adults cannot have their own bedroom space. You can find out more about the Government guidelines we use for housing checks on the Homes for Ukraine: guidance for councils webpage.

I already have a DBS check, why do I need another?

Not all DBS checks are the same or they may be out of date. To ensure the safety of Ukraine guests we require all adults over 16 in the household, or another property being offered by the Lead Sponsor, to undergo an appropriate DBS check.

Will my council tax be affected?

Council tax discounts will not be affected if you host a Ukrainian household in your home. If you rent, you should seek written permission from your landlord. You’ll need to check with your landlord, freeholder or mortgage provider, and insurance company, about whether they’ve got any policies which you need to factor in. It’s important you think through any possible implications for your tenancy, mortgage, lease and insurance before your guest arrives in the UK.

I am a childminder, can I be a sponsor?

The Department for Education understands that some childminders in England are keen to join the many others who have signed-up to host people from Ukraine under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and Ukraine Family Scheme. Please advise your clients that you will have additional people in your home.

How do I receive the monthly sponsor payment?

Government guidance advises that sponsors who have applied via the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be eligible for a monthly 'thank you' payment. As part of the initial contact with sponsors, Suffolk County Council will be asking if you wish to claim the monthly payment and, if so, will request bank details from the lead sponsor. Payments made after the 1^st of April 2024 will be made at the following levels:

• £375 per month where guests have been in the country less than 12 months and hosts have been on the scheme less than 6 months
• £525 per month once guests have been in the UK for 12 months
• £375 + £150 Suffolk County Council uplift once hosts have been hosting for at least 6 months You will be asked to opt-in to the additional payment. This is in recognition of the generosity of Suffolk hosts who have either continued to host the same guest(s) or have taken in new guest(s) after the initial 6 month period. You can read Cllr. Bobby Bennett’s statement here: Further support for Homes for Ukraine Sponsors - Suffolk County Council

Government guidance states that the payments can only start once the following six checks have been completed:

• The sponsor's residential accommodation exists
• The sponsor's accommodation has been visited and is suitable
• Written permission from your Landlord has been provided (if you live in rented accommodation)
• The DBS checks have been submitted (this means that all relevant host household members have completed their details on the DBS link they are sent, SCC has been able to verify three forms of ID and submit applications for checks against registers and we have received the result)
• The refugee guests have arrived at the sponsor’s accommodation
• Any overseas criminal record checks have been completed and received 
• The host declaration has been submitted
• The refugee guests have arrived at the sponsor's accommodation
• A welfare check has been carried out, meaning that guests have been visited at their accommodation.

Payments are made monthly in arrears on the second Wednesday of the month and may take a week to fourteen days to reach your bank account.

Host "thank you" payments will be paid for the length of the guests initial homes for Ukraine visa permission, whilst they remain with a host. 

If your guests arrive with you before the middle of a month, the first payment will be made the following month. So, if your guest arrives on 2 May, you will receive your first payment in June. If your guests arrive after the mid-month point, your payments will start in the 2nd month after their arrival. So, if your guest arrives on 19 May, your first payment will be made in July.

When guests leave your hosting arrangement, thank you payments due to sponsors are calculated by counting each full calendar month from when your guest arrived, to when your guest leaves. Any days your guest is with you before the first full calendar month and any days after the last full calendar month are added together (including the day of arrival but not the day of departure) and if this totals 16 days or more, sponsors will be eligible to be paid for an additional month. The calculations are based on the last date the guest spent at the host property.

It is the responsibility of the host to inform Suffolk County Council that their guests have left the property.

If you should have any further queries do not hesitate to contact us directly at refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk 

How does my guest receive their one off £200 arrival payment?

Once your guest(s) has arrived at your address, please email refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk and use the title ‘Refugee £200 payment’ in the subject line. Please provide:

• your name
• address
• name(s) of the refugee(s)
• refugee(s) personal UK mobile phone number
• refugee(s) contact email
• the date of arrival

Where there are children in the group, please provide the names of the children but include the email address or phone number of their responsible adult from the refugee group.

Arrival payments will be made directly to your guest(s). They will receive 1 e-voucher per person (for example, a parent with 2 children will receive 3 e-vouchers. They all look the same, so they will need to make sure that they open all 3 text messages or emails in order to access all 3 e-vouchers). The e-voucher link can be opened directly from the text or email; there is no need to download the Wonde app. If the text is not accessed within an hour of delivery, the link expires and it is then sent to the email address but if your guest has any difficulty opening the e-vouchers, please email us at refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk. 

The e-vouchers can be cashed at Post Offices, and your guest can choose to cash all three at the same time, or separately on different dates. Please note that it can take up to 3 working days for the Post Office computer system to be able to recognise and redeem the voucher number and provide the cash payment. This means, for instance, that any e-vouchers we request on a Friday are not live on the Post Office system before the following Tuesday.

What do I do if my guest(s) go on holiday or visit Ukraine?

Please notify refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk if your guest is away for more than four consecutive weeks. In this instance, we will pause the thank you payments until your guest’s return. For more information, please see If your guest will be absent temporarily: Homes for Ukraine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Hosts providing childcare to guests with children. 

Hosts are under no obligation to provide childcare to guests who have children, and if childcare arrangements are agreed, these should not be prolonged or frequent.

In the event that the host takes responsibility for a guest’s children for more than 28 days the host must contact Suffolk County Council Homes for Ukraine team at refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk

How will you use my personal information?

Suffolk County Council is committed to protecting your privacy and will treat an individual’s personal data in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Legislation. Your information will not be used for other purposes or supplied to third parties except in accordance with the law.

Under the Data Protection Legislation, you have a number of rights regarding any personal data held by us in relation to this project. See our Homes for Ukraine Scheme privacy notices for full details.

Can my guest bring their pet(s)?

The bringing your pet to the UK from Ukraine guidance from the Government indicates that checks should have been made at the point of entry to the UK. However, we have become aware that some refugee guests have been able to bring their pets through without the checks being undertaken.

If your guests have met the requirements or have obtained a license from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) prior to travel, this will state whether the pet(s) needed to spend some time in quarantine or not. Please check and, if this is specified on the license, or if they did not obtain a license or comply with the requirements outlined in the above link prior to travel, please take photographs of any paperwork relating to the pet and contact Suffolk Trading Standards to discuss this as soon as possible on 01473 264859 (option 3) or e-mail trading.standards@suffolk.gov.uk during normal working hours. Outside of normal working hours please contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency, telephone: 03000 200 301.

Completing Ukraine Scheme Applications in the UK

Government update and guidance February 2024

Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs)

Those who already applied without the app will still need to enrol for a BRP. They must apply online for a visa, and if granted, can travel to the UK and receive entry clearance in their passport. This stamp is valid for 6 months. During this time, they need to apply for the full visa. Apply for a Biometric Residence Permit via the GOV.UK website.

Once an online application has been completed, applicants will be able to book a biometric appointment. Find your nearest biometric centre.

Find out more about UK Visa and Citizenship Applications and Biometric Residence Permits on the UKVCAS website.

Ukrainian Family Scheme Visa

The Ukraine Family scheme was closed to new applications from 3pm on 19 February 2024.

Ukrainians wishing to join family members in the UK will need to obtain a visa under a different visa route. Please see the government website for further guidance on visas.

Ukraine Extension Scheme

The Ukraine extension scheme is closing to new applications on 16 May 2024, however it will remain open for children born in the UK to those children whose parents hold permission to "enter or stay" under the Ukraine scheme. 

Find out more and apply for the Ukraine Extension Scheme on the GOV.UK website.

Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme

From 3pm on 19 February 2024 the Home Office announced that existing Ukraine scheme visa holders will be able to apply for permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under a new Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme set to open in early 2025 (before the first Ukraine scheme visas start to expire in March 2025). 

eVisas

Biometric residence permits and cards are being replaced with eVisas. Your guest will need to keep their BRP/BRC even after it expires. For more information you can visit the government website. 

Please note: external resources, tools and apps may not be accessible to users of assistive technology. Suffolk County Council has not checked and is not responsible for the content of third-party organisations, websites and apps.

How To Speak in Clear and Simple English to the Refugee in Your Home

English Unlocked provide communication courses for hosts of refugees which can support you to learn language techniques to help you better communicate with your guest. They run regular online workshops. Visit their events page to find out more or to sign up.

The Open University offers a free introduction to Ukrainian language and culture for hosts and those supporting Ukrainians.

Links CVS have compiled Cultural Sensitivity Sheets to help both Host families and Refugees.

Be very clear with the guest when you would like them to leave, preferably in writing and giving them adequate notice of your requirements.

At 4, 10 and 18 months after your guest arrival date you will be contacted by the Suffolk County Council Homes for Ukraine team. It is best if you can have the conversation with your guest(s) about what will happen at 6 months, 12 or 24 months in advance of the meeting. You can then discuss the options at the meeting which will include:

• guests finding a new host on the Homes for Ukraine scheme

or

• move to the rented sector.

You may be able to help find a new host through your friends, family, contacts at work, social groups, your local faith group or in the local Homes for Ukraine community group organised by Community Action Suffolk. If you are not aware of the local community group, please contact ukrainesupport@communityactionsuffolk.org.uk

You may be able to help with finding rented accommodation through your personal contacts. The Government have published a guide to help guests understand how to rent in England and there is also a note from Suffolk County Council on the rented sector.

If you have a property or annex you can offer for rent to your guest, be clear on the level of rent you will charge, who will be responsible for utility bills and Council tax, the usual amounts charged and draw up an agreement. Please note that if you charge rent you would not be eligible for the HfU host thank you payment.

Encourage your guests to be proactive and try to seek out new hosts or rented property. They can go back to Reset or the charity that matched them to you initially to ask, see Recognised Providers: Organisations who can help guests from Ukraine find sponsors in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) to try to find a new host, or they can contact your District/Borough housing team if they need help with a deposit for a rented property.

For more information about the support available, please see the housing tab on the information for guests page.

Please ensure your guests tell Suffolk County Council by emailing refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk as soon as a new host property is found as property and safeguarding checks need to be completed on new Homes for Ukraine hosts before they move to the new host.

If your guests are struggling to find a new host, especially if they wish to keep children in the same schools, or 4 weeks before the notice end date, ensure they email Suffolk County Council at refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk, who will try to find a new host. The Council cannot guarantee to find a host in the location or timescale requested as it will depend on the availability of hosts, so we kindly ask for your patience on this.

Email refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk when you know what your guest(s) plan is and when your guest(s) moves out. It is the host's responsibility to inform Suffolk County Council Homes for Ukraine team that their guest has left the property. Your "thank you" payments will then be calculated as described in How do I get my monthly sponsor payment in the FAQs.

If you would consider hosting more Ukrainian guests, please let us know at: refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk

Welfare visits and accommodation plans

Suffolk County Council will conduct a welfare visiting within 2 weeks of your guest(s) arrival. This is to ensure you have all the information necessary to support your guests. It is an opportunity to ask any questions you may have and we will outline the support available to you. 

Once you have hosted for 4 months, we will conduct another check. This is to ensure you are being supported and have everything you need. these checks are an in-person appointment. 

At 10 and 18 months we will arrange a call or visit to check in with you and your guest. Again, this is to ensure you are well settled and answer any questions you may have about your guest's future, with a particular focus on your next steps. 

During this time we can offer your guest a tailored plan to help them look for independent accommodation. We use this plan to signpost them to support for housing, as well as help you plan for your next steps. Usually these start at the 4-month visit but we can start planning for your guest's future accommodation at any time during their stay.  

You will periodically receive emails to confirm your situation. For "thank you" payments to remain in place, these need to be completed within 7 days of receiving them.

If at any time you would like to speak to a member of the Homes for Ukraine team, or have any concerns about a guest please email refugeesupport@suffolk.gov.uk

Protecting Ukrainian refugees from the risk of trafficking and being exploited on their arrival in the UK is a priority for councils. The following information aims to help you to be able to spot the signs of exploitation and to know how you can report any concerns.

• Modern Slavery (54KB)
• County Lines (142 KB)