Bringing Relatives To The UK

There are various ways to bring family members over to the UK if you are in the UK yourself.

  • If you are British, Irish or have indefinite leave to remain in the UK, you can be the sponsor for your relatives under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. However, we advise you to research all available visa options or to contact an immigration advisor
  • If you have a Ukraine visa, you can be the sponsor for your children aged 18 and under
  • Otherwise, you can look for a sponsor for your relatives to come here under the Homes for Ukraine scheme

Additionally, before 19th February, 2024, these were also options available to you:

  • If you had Settled Status or Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, you could bring your family members over under the Ukraine Family visa scheme
  • If you yourself arrived under one of the three Ukraine visa schemes (Ukraine Family, Homes for Ukraine or Ukraine Extension visa), you could act as a sponsor for your relatives, as well as friends.

On this page

Can I bring my relatives under the Ukraine Family visa scheme?

This scheme is now CLOSED to any new applications.

If you were a Ukraine scheme visa holder, and applied to be their sponsor before 19th February, 2024, then you could have been successful.

However, since 19th February, 2024, a Ukraine visa holder will no longer meet the criteria to be a sponsor. Only those who have British or Irish nationality, or ‘settled status’, can be sponsors.

The exception is if you want to sponsor your children as their parent or legal guardian – this is possible since 31 January 2025.

Do I need to register anywhere to be a sponsor?

No, absolutely not. You know who you want to sponsor, so just go ahead and make the visa application.

You do not need to ask or inform the local council; they will receive details of your application from the Home Office, and will contact you in due course to conduct their checks.

How do I apply for their visa?

See our guide to the visa application process here: Applying For A Visa. Each person must make their own application.

If you get stuck, you can contact one of the organisations mentioned here for help.

Will I receive any financial support?

If you passed the criteria to be a sponsor for your relatives before 1 October 2024, then:

  • Each of your guests is entitled to an initial £200 ‘welcome’ payment from the local council
  • You are entitled to £350 a month ‘thank you’ payment, but you need to tell the council you want to claim this, as it’s optional.

Our contact at MHCLG (the Government department which is responsible for the Homes for Ukraine guidance) provided us with this confirmation: “If a sponsor meets the sponsor criteria set out in the guidance then they are entitled to the thank you payment. Please see the guidance here: Eligibility, safeguarding, DBS and accommodation checks: Homes for Ukraine – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).”

You cannot charge your guests rent if you want to claim the ‘thank you’ payment, therefore, you cannot put them on your tenancy agreement while you are receiving ‘thank you’ payments. They are allowed to contribute towards your bills.

If you are a Homes for Ukraine visa holder, then you are entitled to a 50% discount on your council tax bill in England, which is not affected by your guests. Your benefits are also not affected by receiving the ‘thank you’ payment. However, you should update DWP in case there is an impact on the benefits you receive (some situations depend on whether or not people are related). You can check by using a benefits calculator.

My council refused the ‘thank you’ and ‘welcome’ payments as my guests were related to me

As of 1 October 2024, it is no longer possible for hosts who are close family members or in close relationships with their guests to make new claims for the ‘thank you’ payments.

However, any hosts who were related to their guests, who met the critieria to receive ‘thank you’ payments (i.e. passed the council DBS and accommodation suitability checks) and who made claims for the ‘thank you’ payment before this date, should continue to have their ‘thank you’ payments paid. The council should not stop such EXISTING payment arrangements continuing after 1 October 2024. Our contact at MHCLG (the Government department which is responsible for the Homes for Ukraine guidance) provided us with this confirmation: “To confirm, applications for thank you payments taking place before 1 October are not affected by the changes.”

Contact us or your MP if you experience problems with this.

Can I be the ‘second host’ for my relatives already in the UK?

In this scenario, your family member has already received a Homes for Ukraine visa through a sponsor, and may already be in the UK. However, they would like to live with you now, and you would like to be their new host.

As of 1 October 2024, it is no longer possible for hosts who are close family members or in close relationships with their guests to make new claims for the ‘thank you’ payments. You may find it easier to add them to your tenancy agreement with your landlord’s permission, and for them to pay their share of the rent, for which they may be entitled to receive help from the UK benefits system. See Renting Privately for more information on this.

However, if they moved in with you before 1 October 2024 and you had applied successfully to receive the ‘thank you’ payments, these should continue. Our contact at MHCLG (the Government department which is responsible for the Homes for Ukraine guidance) provided us with this confirmation: “To confirm, applications for thank you payments taking place before 1 October are not affected by the changes.”

What should my relatives do on arrival?

A good place to start is our Priority Tasks On Arrival. You can also look at our Top Tips for Ukrainian Refugees.

What happens if my relatives go back to Ukraine?

If your guests go back for more than 28 days, there are implications in two key areas:

  • Their benefits claims
  • Your ‘thank you’ payments

See our web page Going Back to Ukraine for more information. In particular, we do not recommend travelling back without first setting up your eVisa.