Actions for guests
The Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) Scheme enables you to apply to extend your stay in the UK for a further 18 months after your Homes for Ukraine, or other valid Ukrainian visa, expires.
It is free to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, and if your application is successful, you will be able to continue to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds.
Read further guidance on Applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (gov.uk).
You must have been already granted permission under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, Ukraine Family Scheme, or Ukraine Extension Scheme to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme. Only HfU guests are eligible for host payments if they continue to live with their host.
You may apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme 28 days before your Homes for Ukraine, Family Scheme Ukraine or Ukraine Extension Scheme visa ends. You must have a UK Visas and Immigration account and access to your eVisa.
What you need to apply
When making your application for the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme you will need to:
- prove your identity
- confirm you are in the UK when making your application
- confirm whether you have had permission to be in the UK on a Ukraine scheme
- provide information about your accommodation in the UK
- provide information on the application form about any time you have spent living outside of the UK or Ukraine since you were granted permission under the Ukraine Schemes
To prove your identity, you will need a passport or a Biometric Residence Permit card (BRP). You can use it to prove your identity when applying for the scheme, even when it has expired.
Applying for a child under 18
When making an application as or on behalf of a child under the age of 18, you will need to provide the child’s full birth or adoption certificate which shows the details of their parents.
You will also be asked to provide evidence of the child’s parent or legal guardian’s nationality or identity document.
Additionally, you will be asked to provide evidence of the parent or legal guardian’s immigration status, for example their passport number or Unique Application Number (UAN).
After you have applied
You should receive a decision on your Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme application within 8 weeks of submitting the application.
If your current permission expires before a decision is made on your application, you do not need to take any action, as your current permission will continue under section 3C leave. The purpose of section 3C leave is to prevent a person who makes an in-time application to extend their leave from becoming an overstayer while they are awaiting a decision on that application.
You should not travel outside of the UK or any other part of the Common Travel Area (the Common Travel Area includes the UK, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man) whilst waiting for a decision on your application. If you do travel, then your application will be withdrawn and will not be considered.
Any questions should be sent to the Visa Agency and not to Somerset Council as we do not process the visa applications.
Once you receive your visa
Once your Ukraine Permission Extension visa has been issued, we do require you to email us a share code and ‘share’ the result with us online. If you do not do this then we will cancel your hosts’ monthly payments.
Actions for hosts
You will have already received an email from the Council informing you of your last HfU host payment date. The guest visa dates are predicted and you should ask your guest to check the actual date using their e-visa account and inform us of any significant difference as it may extend your payments by a month or more.
Your guest can apply to change to a Ukrainian Permission Extension visa (UPE) up to 28 days before her visa ends. Once your guest has applied, you may submit your application for the payments. Host payments will be paid at the same rate for a further 18 months. This is £350 per calendar month.
Thank you payments to hosts will only be issued where the guest and host are not in a close family relationship. Further details can be found on Paying sponsors: Homes for Ukraine – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) website. If this does apply to you then please do not claim.
When completing the form, you will also be prompted to confirm that you are able to offer the accommodation to your guests for a minimum of 6 months and that you will inform the council should this change.
Payments will be aligned with your previous HfU payment date. For simplicity’s sake the application form is the same one as you have used before. When asked for arrival date you should use the guest’s new Ukraine Permission Extension start date and not their original HfU arrival date.
Once your guests’ Ukraine Permission Extension visa has been issued we do require them to email us a share code and ‘share’ the result with us online. If they do not do this then we reserve the right to cancel host payments.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please email homesforukraine@somerset.gov.uk.
