Offer to share your home with a refugee

The updated ‘Homes for Ukraine’ visa scheme opened on Friday 18 March for visa applications from Ukrainians who have named people in the UK willing to sponsor them.

This scheme allows Ukrainian refugees to find safety in the UK through sponsorship from the public.

Someone is eligible for the scheme if they are a Ukrainian national (or an immediate family member of one) and were resident in Ukraine before Saturday 1 January 2022.

You can be a sponsor if you have a named Ukrainian contact who you wish to sponsor.

If this is the case, you should get in contact with them directly and prepare to fill in a visa application.

The visa application can be completed by either the Ukrainian refugee or the sponsors but will need to include details of both.

If you don’t currently know anyone whom 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.

You can also register your interest in becoming a sponsor in future. If you register, you will be kept updated as the scheme develops.

After the application has been filled out and approved, the sponsor will be contacted by the council who will carry out:

• a basic check of the suitability of the home
• a safeguarding check
• a DBS check (which the council will organise)

Once the visa is granted, the refugees are free to travel to join their sponsor.