Important Travel Document Information – Please Read
Before traveling to the UK for whatever purpose, all Ukrainians must apply for a visa.
The Government’s first response was to assist British residents and their families residing in Ukraine. It has since widened the visa process for Ukrainians and relatives with family in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it aims to establish a sponsored visa path for Ukrainians who do not have family ties to the UK.
Ukrainians With Family Ties To The UK
The Ukraine Family Scheme is a new visa category for immediate and extended family members of British and non-British nationals residing in the United Kingdom. The relative residing in the United Kingdom must be on indefinite leave or have pre-settled status. The Home Office is considering expanding eligibility to relatives of those granted temporary leave to remain (such as students and workers).
Successful candidates are granted permission to remain in the UK for three years, with the right to work, study, and access public funds. The visa is complimentary.
Ukrainians With No Family Ties To the UK
The Government aims to develop a new ‘route for humanitarian assistance.’ This scheme enables Ukrainians who do not have familial ties to the United Kingdom to be sponsored to come by local communities, organizations, and businesses. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities will lead the initiative. It is unknown when applications will open or the eligibility criteria.
Demands for the Abolition of Visa Restrictions
Restrictions on whose relatives are eligible for Ukraine Family Scheme visas, as well as stories of applicants having practical obstacles during the application process, have fuelled calls for the Government to abolish the visa need for Ukrainians.
Campaigners claim that this is the quickest and easiest method to increase the UK’s response to those escaping Ukraine’s conflict.
The Government has continually refused to comply with these requests. It cites security issues and emphasizes the critical nature of validating applicants’ identities via biometric checks. However, it has expanded the eligibility conditions for the Ukraine Family visa numerous times and implemented various initiatives to improve the visa issuing process’s speed, accessibility, and efficiency. It is continuing to monitor arrangements.
Supporters of eliminating the visa requirement say that security and biometric checks would continue to be conducted if Ukrainians enjoyed the same visa-free status as some other nationalities.
In comparison, for several years, Ukrainians with biometric passports were permitted to travel to most European nations and remain for up to 90 days without a visa. Ireland (a non-Schengen state) eliminated the visa requirement for Ukrainian nationals on February 25. Additionally, EU Member States have opted to adopt the Temporary Protection Directive for those displaced due to Ukraine’s military operations. This defines several EU-wide minimum requirements for their treatment, including up to three years of legal status in the host state.
Visa Exemptions for Ukrainians in the United Kingdom
The Home Office has announced some temporary allowances for Ukrainians in the United Kingdom who cannot depart because their visas expire.
The traditional limits on extending visas or changing immigration categories in the United Kingdom have been loosened.
Ukrainians must still meet all other eligibility requirements and conditions associated with the visa they are applying for.
These may include being unable to access public money and being restricted in their ability to work and bring family members to the UK.
Ukraine to UK Visa Extension
Ukrainian nationals in the United Kingdom who have temporary visas, such as work, study, or travel visas, will be eligible to apply for the Ukraine Extension Scheme for free beginning May 3, 2022.
Ukrainians who held visas on or before March 18, 2022, or who held visas that expired on or before January 1, 2022, may apply. Their partner and children may also apply if they are currently residents in the UK as ‘dependents.’
Individuals will be granted three years of leave to remain in the UK under the Ukraine Extension Scheme, including the opportunity to work, study, and access public subsidies.
Ukraine's Family Scheme
The UK announced the Ukraine Family Scheme on Friday, March 4, 2022.
Ukraine’s Family Scheme enables immediate and extended family members of British nationals, UK residents, and others to visit the country.
Those awarded under the scheme would receive a three-year visa, providing them with security and assuring their future in the country.
The free scheme does not require applicants to meet salary or language requirements.
Applicants to the Ukraine Family Scheme show the following:
- Must be applying to join or accompany a family member residing in the United Kingdom.
- Must be a Ukrainian national or a member of the immediate family of a Ukrainian national who applies to the plan.
- Must have been physically present in Ukraine on or before January 1, 2022 (including those who have now left Ukraine).
- Individuals who have already arrived in the UK and meet the abovementioned qualifications may apply.
The UK Home Office will prioritize applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme.
Each family member must complete an application, including one for each child.
It is critical to give a valid email address when submitting the online application since they will need to contact them for additional information.
Applicants from outside the United Kingdom should wait for a decision before traveling to the United Kingdom.
Security checks will be performed on all applicants.
Applications are being expedited, and additional staff has been dispatched to our Visa Application Centres (VAC) throughout Europe to handle them.
UK Visa Types
You can apply in the usual manner to visit, work, study, or join relatives in the UK. Consult the list of available visas:
Homes For Ukraine Scheme
The Homes for Ukraine scheme enables individuals or organizations to sponsor those seeking asylum who have no family ties to the UK and can offer them a home, such as a spare room or vacant residential self-contained unit.
This scheme is not limited; it is accessible to Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members, and we will accept as many Ukrainians as they wish to come and have matched sponsors.
Individuals who enter the UK through this scheme are permitted to live and work in the country for up to three years and are entitled to healthcare, benefits, job assistance, education, and other forms of assistance.
Sponsors may be of any nationality and immigration status, as long as they have at least six months’ leave to reside in the United Kingdom.
Sponsors are urged to provide housing for a minimum of six months and will be provided an optional monthly ‘thank you payment of £350 to individuals who can house one or more households for up to 12 months.
The program began on Friday, March 18, 2022. Either the sponsor or the sponsored Ukrainian can apply on GOV. The UK by completing a single form that collects both parties’ information.
On GOV.UK, potential sponsors can register their interest, receive updates, and learn how to apply.
People Also Asked
Ukrainian nationals can enter Schengen countries without a visa, allowing them to travel to secure neighbouring nations from whence they can submit their immigration applications to the UK.
There are currently two visa schemes available for Ukrainians wishing to come to the UK:
-The Ukraine Family Scheme: This scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor in the UK.
-The Homes for Ukraine scheme: This scheme allows individuals, charities, and community groups in the UK to sponsor Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK.
There is no application fee for a visa under the Ukraine Family Scheme or Homes for Ukraine scheme.
The processing time for a visa under the Ukraine Family Scheme or Homes for Ukraine scheme is typically 5 working days. However, it can take longer if your application is complex or if there are delays at the UK visa application center.
If your visa application under the Ukraine Family Scheme or Homes for Ukraine scheme is refused, you will be notified of the decision in writing. You will not be able to enter the UK without a visa.