UK Visa Application Process for Ukrainian Refugees

We describe the current visa schemes available to those fleeing the war in Ukraine on this webpage: Ukrainian Refugee UK Visa Types. Basically, the only visa now open is the Homes for Ukraine visa.

For Homes for Ukraine, we also describe some options for finding a sponsor, or a Ukrainian to sponsor, on this webpage: Finding a UK Sponsor.

Here, we describe some key points about the actual visa application and decision process.

Based on our experience (and that of 1000s of other successful applications), you can complete the visa application yourself; it takes about 2 hours to do. You do not need to pay anyone to do this on your behalf. There are groups that will help you if you are stuck, for free.

Having an idea about the documents required during the process will ensure you can prepare copies in advance and can complete the visa application smoothly.

On this page

ukrainian refugee visa application

The Homes for Ukraine visa application process

From 7th December 2023, the UK Government has made significant and important changes to the visa application process. It is no longer possible to use the ID check app, nor to give biometric data after arriving in the UK. (The old processes can be accessed here if required.)

At a high level, the steps involved are now:

  • Starting your visa application online
  • Selecting a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to give biometric information
  • Uploading any documentary evidence asked for with the application
  • Providing your biometric information at your selected VAC
  • Collecting your visa from your selected VAC

Always read carefully any instructions and communciations you receive, to see what to do next for your particular circumstance.

The link to start the application is via the first ‘Start Now’ button on this page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-visa-under-the-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme. Either the sponsor or the guest can apply, or it can be done together. The form should be filled in from the perspective of the visa applicant themselves. We advise both parties being available to speak to each other during the process.

Applying as a family group

If you are part of a family group applying to live with the same sponsor, then each person must apply separately for their visa.

You will be asked during the visa application process if anyone else is applying at the same time, and to supply their passport number. By supplying everyone’s passport numbers, we assume the different applications can be linked by the Home Office.

For a child application, even if the father is not applying at the same time, later in the application you will be asked to provide details of the father’s passport (assuming the mother is accompanying the child). You will also be asked to upload a copy of the child’s birth certificate.

Applying for your child to join you as their parent or legal guardian

If you are a Ukraine visa holder (Homes for Ukraine, Family or Extension visa), you can apply to be a sponsor for your child aged 18 or under. In this case, the parent or legal guardian should:

  • complete the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visa application form on behalf of their child, naming themselves as ‘sponsor’
  • choose ‘none of the above’ when asked about their immigration status on the form
  • provide further information about their permission in the UK, including the date of issue and expiry, in the text box following this question
  • state that they are the parent or legal guardian sponsoring their child in the same text box

Successful applicants will be granted a Homes for Ukraine visa with permission to stay in the UK for up to 18 months. If the child’s parent has less than 18 months permission remaining, the child’s visa will be aligned with their parent’s.

Applying as an unaccompanied minor (child under 18)

If the visa application is on behalf of a child that will be travelling to live with a sponsor without their parent or legal guardian, then the process is different, as more checks will need to be done.

Guidance for this situation is given here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-parents-or-legal-guardians-children-and-minors-applying-without-parents (if you are the parent or legal guardian) and here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-sponsors-children-and-minors-applying-without-parents-or-legal-guardians (if you are the sponsor).

The steps involved are given here: https://apply-to-offer-homes-for-ukraine.service.gov.uk/sponsor-a-child. You will need to have completed the steps resulting in a ‘child sponsorship approval number’ before you can apply for the visa (using the ‘Start Now’ button on https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-a-visa-under-the-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme).

Preparing information before you start the application

For the online visa application process, expect to have the following details to hand about the applicant: name, address, contact email or mobile number, date of birth, and passport number. You are also likely to need the following information about the applicant:

  • Their profession
  • Any previous names
  • Any criminal convictions (these are now likely to result in a visa rejection as the rules have been tightened since 19th February 2024)
  • Any previous deportations or visa refusals (these are now likely to result in a visa rejection also from 19th February 2024)

You should also prepare pictures or scans of documents that you may be asked to upload as evidence, such as:

  • Applicant passport
  • Proof of a Ukrainian address dated before 1 January 2022 for the applicant, such as a bank statement
  • Birth certificate and father’s passport if applying for a child

For a Homes for Ukraine application, the following information will be needed:

  • sponsor identity documents, such as:
    • UK or Irish passport or Irish passport card. We recommend the sponsor not passing their passport details to the applicant if they are not sure about who they are.
    • share-code and the person’s date of birth, so the Government can conduct an online check of their identity and status (this should be used for a person who is settled in the UK, or a Ukrainian applying to sponsor their child)
    • driving licence can be used if passport not available or expired.
  • sponsor address details, including their local authority / council, and how long they have lived at the address

Postcodes for Ukraine can be found here: Postal codes of Ukraine (postaldb.net)

Selecting a visa application centre (VAC) to give biometric data

The first step in the application process is to select the country where you would like to give biometrics. Usually, this would be the country you are in already. This is also the location where you will collect your visa once it’s approved.

Note that visa application centres are operated by commercial organisations under contract to the UK Government. The commercial partner in Ukraine and many European countries has recently changed to an organisation called VFS Global, and so you may receive emails from them / be directed to their website during the process to upload documents. See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-commercial-partner-visa-application-services/changes-to-the-commercial-partner-visa-application-services

When booking your biometric appointment, make sure you select the option for a FREE self-serve appointment, not a paid one. There is greater availability of self-serve appointments as well.

Answering questions and uploading evidence

Continue the rest of the application.

Be careful to put in the information from the passport exactly as it is defined on the passport itself, for example the ‘Place of Issue’ or ‘Issuing Authority’ might be a code on the passport rather than an actual place.

When submitting the application, in the Declaration section, you can declare that you are submitting the application on behalf of the applicant and indicate in the ‘Other’ section that you are the sponsor.

Keep the application submission reference number that you receive somewhere safe.

In order to upload supporting documents, the ‘Evidence’ section is completed after the application itself is submitted. You will need clear pictures of any identity documents required to be uploaded at the end of the application process. You may also need to provide a proof of address in Ukraine.

Ukrainian document translation services

Note that you can upload your evidence documents in Ukrainian; you don’t need to translate them first.

If you are asked to translate a document, you can get help here: Language and Translation Support – Ukrainian Refugee Help

Getting help with the visa application

The UK Home Office has provided some helplines:

  • If you need any assistance, please call the free helpline: +44 808 164 8810 (0808 164 8810 if you’re in the UK). This is open Monday to Friday 9 am to 4.30 pm.
  • If you cannot contact UK 0808 numbers, please use +44 (0)175 390 7510.

If you are not confident enough to fill in the visa application form by yourself, you can try these resources for help:

  • You can contact volunteers on the following email for help with your visa application: sunflowersistersvisahelp@gmail.com.
  • www.uspuk.org: They can also help with filling out the visa application form. Email info@uspuk.org.
  • You can email a representative of the charity Settled for help with the visa application: ukraineadvice@settled.org.uk

Collecting your visa

Once you have submitted your visa application, and travelled to your selected VAC to give your biometrics, you should wait to hear whether or not your application has been approved. If it has, follow instructions given to collect your visa from the VAC where you gave your biometrics. There may be a courier service available where you can send your passport and have it returned with the visa inside it.

Your visa will be in the form of a ‘vignette’ which is attached to your passport and which has a date by which you can use it to enter the UK. Your actual visa duration is 18 months under Homes for Ukraine.

On arrival in the UK

For Ukrainians arriving at an entry port in the UK, there should be a Ukraine Welcome point somewhere in the building, if you need assistance.

You are entitled to free travel within the first 48 hours of your arrival in the UK, for a single end to end journey to enable you to get to your initial destination (such as your sponsor’s address) within the UK. You only need to show your Ukrainian passport and your boarding pass or ticket showing arrival into the country within the last 48 hours.

Once you have reached your destination and settled in, we suggest you start by referring to the priority tasks to do on arrival here: Priority Tasks On Arrival. You can also look at the Government Welcome Guides and other resources, which can be found here: Useful Resources.

How long do you have to travel to the UK?

Any time limits depend on the method by which you applied (old processes before 7th December 2023, or new process after this date). Read any communication received from the UK Government Home Office department carefully to see what dates apply.

If you received a Permission to Travel letter, which did not specify a time limit, you now have until midnight on 12th February 2025 to arrive in the UK. After this time, you may be refused entry.

However, if you received a visa by visiting a Visa Application Centre abroad, then you should have 90 days to travel to the UK. The date should be stated on the vignette or sticker put in your passport when you collected it from the Visa Application Centre.

What to do if your visa application is taking a long time

[This question was confirmed with the UK Visa and Immigration Ukraine Helpline on 09/12/22.]

Although the call agents cannot give you a status update on your visa, if its been more than 8 weeks since you applied, and your visa has not been approved yet, you can call them on the helpline numbers: +44 808 164 8810 (0808 164 8810 if you’re in the UK) and ask for them to escalate the issue. (If there are severe mitigating circumstances, then you can also call them earlier than 8 weeks and ask for an escalation.)

They do NOT advise submitting a new application as you will be at the back of the queue again.

Here are a couple of groups that can contact the Home Office on your behalf if your visa application seems to be taking a long time:

Some hosts report that asking their Member of Parliament for help in chasing the visa application seemed to result in a decision.

If you applied for a Homes for Ukraine visa, it is possible to check with the local council whether or not they have received confirmation of your visa application. See Useful Contacts for details of how to find the local council of your sponsor; we have given some emails there.

What happens if the sponsor changes their mind?

[The information below was confirmed with the Immigration Helpline on 21/02/22. We advise you to ring the helpline on 0808 164 8810 and to contact your local council to double check any information relating to your particular circumstances.]

During the visa application process, i.e. once the application has been submitted but before the visa has been granted, it is possible for the sponsor to decide they no longer want to sponsor you and to inform the authorities. In this case, it appears that the process will be stopped and no visa will be granted. You will have to find a new sponsor and start again.

Once your visa is granted, your sponsor can still decide that they no longer want to sponsor you. This does not mean they personally have actually cancelled your visa, but you no longer have a sponsor and somewhere to stay on arrival.

If they decide this before you have travelled to the UK, you are in a difficult position. You should contact the local council in this case to discuss the situation. See Useful Contacts for details of how to find your local council, by entering the postcode of your sponsor. You could travel anyway to the UK; Border Force may intercept you and liaise with the council so that they can help you (you would be classed as ‘homeless’). However, you may want to try and find a new sponsor yourself before you travel. In this case, we were told that you do not need to reapply for a visa; you can let the council know of the new host, and use your existing visa to travel. If you do apply for a new visa, the old one should just expire from the system.

Once you are in the UK and have already been staying with your sponsor, note that they do not have the ability to cancel your visa (if for example, they decide to stop hosting you, or you decide to move out of their accommodation, or you go back to Ukraine for a visit). Your visa entitles you to be in the UK. If they however decide to end the hosting arrangement before the minimum 6 months period has elapsed, contact your local council to see whether they can help you find a new host.

Refer to the official Government guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/when-a-sponsor-withdraws-from-the-scheme-homes-for-ukraine. Also refer to Housing Issues And Homelessness.