Home Secretary said last week Ukraine permission extension scheme will be extended by a further 24 months
The House of Commons Library last week published an updated version of its research briefing on the UK's visa schemes for Ukrainian nationals.
You can read a full copy of the briefing online below or you can download the original 25-page PDF file here.
The briefing outlines the UK's response following the 2022 Russian invasion, which included relaxed immigration rules and the introduction of bespoke visa routes. These routes allowed Ukrainians and their families to come to the UK safely, with the ability to work, claim benefits, and access healthcare. Around 227,000 people entered the UK under these schemes, primarily in 2022, increasing the Ukrainian population in the UK fivefold by 2024.
The visa schemes covered in the briefing are:
- Homes for Ukraine: This uncapped scheme allows Ukrainians to live temporarily with UK sponsors offering accommodation. Eligibility to become a sponsor was initially broad but has been tightened to British citizens and permanent residents only.
- Ukraine Family Scheme (closed to new applicants since February 2024): Enabled UK residents to sponsor a wide range of Ukrainian relatives.
- Ukraine Extension and Permission Extension Schemes: These schemes allow Homes for Ukraine visa holders to extend their stay, though permanent residence is not available. Visas initially lasted three years and since February 2025, they can be renewed for 18 months.
As the updated briefing highlights, the Government recently announced that a further extension of two additional years will be allowed in future. The now former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the House of Commons last week: "We will continue to do our bit to support Ukraine, extending the Ukraine permission extension scheme by a further 24 months, with further details to be set out in due course."
The House of Commons Library briefing also discusses lessons for future responses. While the schemes have generally been seen as effective at providing safety and opportunities to Ukrainians, challenges remain, particularly regarding accommodation as placements end. Charities have highlighted issues such as unsuitable housing and the risk of homelessness.
Special visa schemes for Ukrainians
Research Briefing
By CJ McKinney, Melanie Gower, Joe Tyler-Todd
5 September 2025
Summary
1 Background
2 The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme
3 Visas no longer available to new applicants
4 Extensions and permanent residence
5 Lessons for the future
commonslibrary.parliament.uk
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Contents
Summary
1 Background
1.1 Initial UK response
1.2 Bespoke visa routes announced
2 The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme
2.1 Homes for Ukraine visa rules
2.2 Evolution of the scheme
3 Visas no longer available to new applicants
3.1 The Ukraine Family Scheme
3.2 The Ukraine Extension Scheme
4 Extensions and permanent residence
4.1 The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme
4.2 Prospects for permanent residence
4.3 Approach in the EU
5 Lessons for the future
5.1 Speed of initial response
5.2 Long-term accommodation and homelessness
5.3 Calls for similar schemes for other countries
The UK's response to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 included special visa schemes for Ukrainians. Around 227,000 people have come to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme or the (now closed) Ukraine Family Scheme, the majority in 2022. While some have since left, the total Ukrainian population of the UK is estimated to have been five times higher in 2024 than in 2021 (217,000 compared to 41,000).
Those here under the Ukraine schemes have the right to work, claim benefits and use the NHS. They can extend their initial visa by 18 months, and the Home Secretary has just announced an extra two-year extension on top of that, but there is no pathway to permanent residence.
The main Homes for Ukraine scheme involves Ukrainians living with host families
In the days following the Russian assault, amid widespread public and political pressure, the Johnson government announced a major relaxation of immigration rules for Ukrainians and their families. This included a Ukraine Family Scheme allowing British citizens and permanent residents to sponsor a wide range of relatives for visas.
The biggest scheme, Homes for Ukraine, allows Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family to live in the UK temporarily if a sponsor offers suitable accommodation. The scheme is uncapped and remains open for applications.
The Sunak government significantly tightened the schemes in 2024
In February 2024, the government closed the Family Scheme to new applicants. It also tightened the eligibility to become a Homes for Ukraine sponsor, from anyone with permission to live in the UK for six months to only British citizens and permanent residents. This means that in most cases it is no longer possible for Ukrainians in the UK without permanent residence to sponsor relatives to join them, except for their own children aged under 18.
New Homes for Ukraine visas are also being issued for 18 months rather than three years. The Home Office said this would make the UK's offer more like the EU Temporary Protection Directive.
Visa extensions are allowed, but not permanent residence
Visas initially lasted three years with no extensions permitted. Since February 2025, holders have been able to apply to renew them for another 18 months. In September 2025, the Starmer government announced that a second extension of two additional years will be allowed in future.
Permanent residence (indefinite leave to remain) is not allowed. This makes the schemes different from standard visas or grants of refugee status, which do allow permanent residence after five years. Both Conservative and Labour governments have said Ukraine will be safe to return to and the visas are therefore temporary, in line with the wishes of the Ukrainian authorities.
Most Ukrainians in the UK do want to stay long-term, even if their home country were safe to return to.
Despite challenges, the Ukraine schemes are seen as a possible model for other conflicts
The visa schemes have been generally considered an effective response but there are concerns about housing as Homes for Ukraine placements end. The British Red Cross has reported that "while the Ukraine response successfully delivered safety at scale, some new arrivals have experienced challenges with unsuitable accommodation, precarious housing and homelessness".
Some charities and politicians have called for similar schemes for other nationalities, such as Palestinians.
In February 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. The "special military operation", as Russia described it, followed the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. [1]
The war has generated 5.7 million refugees, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Of these, 4.7 million are in the European Union or United Kingdom. [2]
The Home Office's initial response to the crisis focused on British citizens and their families who were in Ukraine and wanted to leave. [3] A concession introduced on 17 February 2022 allowed the immediate family members of British people in Ukraine to apply for a normal family visa free of charge. Visa applications would be fast-tracked but required an appointment to provide fingerprints. [4]
The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, also ordered that people in this position who did not meet the full family visa requirements could nevertheless be given a discretionary 12-month visa. [5] Ukrainians already in the UK were given extra flexibility to extend their stay. [6]
These measures did not assist other people in Ukraine, including those with extended family in the UK. Ukrainians remained on the visa national list, meaning that those attempting to enter through France without a visa were turned away. [7] In the days that followed, the Johnson government came under political pressure to help a wider range of people to leave Ukraine. [8]
1.2 Bespoke visa routes announced
On 1 March 2022, Priti Patel announced what she described as "phase two" of the UK's humanitarian support for the people of Ukraine. [9] This included two entirely new visa routes:
• The Ukraine Family Scheme, allowing the relatives (not just immediate family) of British citizens or permanent residents to get a temporary visa to live in the UK. It opened for applications on 4 March 2022.
• What became Homes for Ukraine, allowing people with no family ties to the UK to get a visa if they could secure sponsorship from somebody with accommodation to offer. It opened for applications on 18 March 2022.
A third scheme was announced in late March:
• The Ukraine Extension Scheme, allowing Ukrainian citizens already in the UK to extend those visas on improved terms. It opened for applications on 3 May 2022. [10]
All three schemes were free and none were capped. The visas are time-limited with no pathway to permanent residence, but unlike ordinary visas come with access to mainstream benefits.
A minister for refugees, Lord Harrington of Watford, was appointed on 8 March 2022. He remained in post until 6 September 2022, when Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister. [11]
The details of the schemes have evolved over time. The Home Office initially made them more generous. For example, on 8 March 2022, the Family Scheme was extended to allow aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws to be sponsored. [12] The requirement to attend a visa application centre in a neighbouring country to provide fingerprints was also suspended following complaints that this was impractical and slowing down visa issuances. [13]
But in 2024, significant restrictions were introduced. These included closing the Family Scheme and Extension Scheme to new applicants. [14] Sections 2 and 3 below go into more detail on each scheme.
2 The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme
The only special visa scheme still open to new applicants in Ukraine is widely known as Homes for Ukraine. This allows Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family to live in the UK temporarily if a qualifying sponsor offers them a place to stay. There is overview information on gov.uk and more detail in the immigration rules, while eligibility to become a sponsor is set by government guidance.
As of 30 June 2025, the Home Office had issued 202,000 Homes for Ukraine visas and recorded 167,000 people arriving on those visas. [15]
2.1 Homes for Ukraine visa rules
The criteria in the immigration rules are straightforward. The main one is to have an "approved sponsor". [16] An approved sponsor is someone who is eligible under guidance published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (see below). [17]
The visa applicant must be a Ukrainian citizen who was ordinarily resident in Ukraine immediately before 1 January 2022, or the immediate family member of such a person. [18] There are also some grounds for refusing criminals and other unsuitable applicants. [19]
Sponsors and applicants do not need to know one another beforehand. Many have connected on social media; the government does not facilitate matches.
Successful applicants are now granted visas valid for 18 months. People who applied before 18 February 2024 were given 36 months. Either way, the visas can be extended through the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (see section 4.1 below). [20]
Becoming a sponsor
Sponsors must normally be British, Irish or have the right to live in the UK permanently: indefinite leave to remain or equivalent. An important exception is that Ukrainians already here on any of the Ukraine visas can, in turn, sponsor their own children aged under 18. [21]
The sponsor must confirm that they can provide accommodation for at least six months. The accommodation must be safe to live in and sponsors cannot charge rent. [22] Local councils are responsible for checking accommodation.
There is also some suitability screening:
• The Home Office carries out security and criminal records checks of central government databases. [23]
• Councils carry out safeguarding checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) screening. Council officials are also expected to make a welfare check, visiting the accommodation after the guest has arrived. [24]
There are extra safeguards when children are involved, particularly if coming to stay with someone who is not their parent or guardian. [25]
Sponsors are eligible for 'thank-you payments' of £350 per month. [26]
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The central UK Government is responsible for borders and immigration but the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have significant responsibilities under Homes for Ukraine. The Scottish Government and Welsh Government also sponsored some people's visas directly, meaning they could come to the UK before being matched with a host rather than afterwards (see next section).
Each of the devolved administrations has supported the scheme financially. For example, the Welsh Government offers higher thank-you payments to hosts. [27]
Michael Gove, as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, announced the launch of Homes for Ukraine on 14 March 2022. [28] Applications were possible from 18 March. [29]
Some notable features of the scheme as launched have remained the same since:
• There is no application fee or immigration health surcharge
• Visas come with the right to claim benefits and use the NHS
• The visas are temporary, with no pathway to permanent residence Other aspects have changed over time, as explored in the rest of this section.
Unaccompanied children
Initially, in line with the wishes of the Ukrainian authorities, under-18s were not allowed to travel to the UK alone under the scheme. [30] Children had to be travelling with a parent or guardian, or reuniting with them in the UK.
Early guidance documents did not directly reference this requirement. By June 2022, around 1,000 unaccompanied children had applied to the scheme. [31]
On 22 June 2022, the government announced that under-18s who had already applied to the scheme would be able to come to the UK without a parent or guardian. [32] The route then opened for new applications on 10 August 2022. [33] There are enhanced safeguards involved, including notarised proof of parent's or guardian's consent for the child to leave Ukraine. [34]
As of 22 September 2023, there were 356 unaccompanied children in the UK under Homes for Ukraine. Another 182 had arrived as unaccompanied minors and since turned 18. [35]
Processing times
The Home Office has said that it was initially unable to process visas as quickly as it wanted to. In March 2022 (the first month of the scheme), 18% of the 26,000 applications received were processed within five working days. [36]
This led to widespread criticism of the speed of the government's response. [37] On 30 March 2022, the then Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that processing times had been "shamefully slow". [38] On the same day, refugees minister Lord Harrington accepted that the application process had not been "as seamless as it should be" and said that it would get quicker. [39]
Various steps were taken to shorten processing times. This included deferring in-person appointments (see below) and increased staffing. By May 2022, 71% of applications were processed within five working days. [40]
Processing times gradually increased since mid-2022, in part because staff have been moved back into other roles. [41] In the first half of 2023, the majority of applications took longer than 15 working days. [42] The advertised processing time at time of writing is three weeks. [43]
In-person visa appointments
Many people applying to come to the UK from Ukraine were issued with an official letter granting them permission to travel, instead of the normal visa in their passport. This avoided the need to attend a visa application centre in Ukraine or a neighbouring country to give 'biometrics' (fingerprints and facial scan). The biometric appointment was done in the UK instead, after the person had arrived.
This concession was in place between 15 March 2022 and 7 December 2023. Since then, "all new entry clearance applicants are required to attend a visa application centre (VAC) overseas to give their biometrics". [44]
Payments to hosts
When the scheme was first announced, sponsor could claim a 'thank you payment' of £350 per month for the first 12 months of hosting. [45]
Between December 2022 and April 2025, in recognition of the "rising cost-of- living", the UK Government allowed hosts to claim £500 a month for accommodating guests for more than a year. The payments have now reverted to a flat rate of £350 per month (unless topped up by a local council or devolved government). [46]
The payments are offered for the whole of the initial visa duration plus the 18- month extension. The government had said that payments will cease after the 18-month extension period, which suggests they will not be offered under the forthcoming 24-month extension period, although this has not been specifically confirmed. [47]
Super-sponsorship in Scotland and Wales
Ukrainians could apply to be sponsored directly by the Scottish or Welsh Governments under 'super sponsor' schemes established in March 2022. Under these arrangements, the devolved governments acted as sponsors for visa applicants, removing the need for applicants to match with an individual host before travel.
The Welsh Government initially committed to sponsoring up to 1,000 people and the Scottish Government up to 3,000 people. Demand was considerably higher. As of November 2024, there had been 4,600 'super sponsor' visas issued for Wales and 32,600 for Scotland. [48]
New arrivals were initially housed in temporary housing but both governments struggled to find adequate long-term accommodation for Ukrainian arrivals, leading to extended stays in temporary accommodation. [49]
In June and July 2022 respectively, the Welsh and Scottish Governments stopped accepting new applications to their super sponsor schemes. [50] These were said to be temporary pauses but remain in place at time of writing.
Restrictions introduced in 2024
The Conservative government announced various changes to the Ukraine schemes in February 2024. [51] These included the immediate closure of the Family Scheme (see section 3 below) and a new Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme allowing visas to be renewed beyond three years (see section 4).
For Homes for Ukraine:
• The length of visas issued to new arrivals was reduced from three years to 18 months.
The Home Office said this would bring the UK's offer closer to the EU Temporary Protection Directive, which (legally speaking) runs for one year at time. [52]
• Eligibility to become a sponsor was restricted to British citizens, Irish citizens and migrants with the right to live in the UK indefinitely.
Previously, any migrant with permission to live in the UK for six months or more could become a sponsor. This included people who had themselves arrived under Homes for Ukraine and who had found suitable accommodation rather than a hosting arrangement. [53]
The change to sponsorship eligibility meant that in most cases it was no longer possible for Ukrainians in the UK without permanent residence to sponsor family to join them. Some Ukrainians said that this left them separated from immediate family who they had planned to bring over later, including their own children. [54]
The Starmer government adjusted the rules in early 2025. Ukrainians in the UK on the special visa schemes can now sponsor their own children under 18 to join them. [55] The Work Rights Centre, a charity which supports Ukrainians, says this is insufficient and has urged the government to fully reverse the 2024 restrictions. [56]
3 Visas no longer available to new applicants
From 4 March 2022 to 19 February 2024, British citizens and certain long-term residents could sponsor a wide range of Ukrainian relatives for three-year visas with the right to work, claim benefits and use the NHS. This was called the Ukraine Family Scheme.
The Family Scheme was created because there was otherwise no way for most Ukrainians to join family in the UK. It is not possible to apply for asylum outside the UK, and the normal family visa rules only routinely cater for immediate family (partners and children). Options for parents and siblings, for example, are very limited and there is no provision for extended family. [57]
Over 59,000 people came to the UK under the Family Scheme. [58] Announcing its closure, the Sunak government said it had been intended as a short-term response and it was better for people to arrive under Homes for Ukraine exclusively. [59]
Who could be sponsored?
Rules on eligibility for the family scheme evolved quickly amid intense media and political pressure:
• Home Secretary Priti Patel initially announced, on 28 February 2024, that immediate family could be sponsored without having to meet all the usual visa rules. [60]
• The next day, this was extended to parents, grandparents, adult offspring, siblings, and the immediate family of those people in turn. [61]
• A week later, immigration minister Kevin Foster announced that aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws would also be eligible [62]
Officials also had discretion to consider applications from other family members in exceptional circumstances. [63] All this meant that a much wider range of relatives were eligible for sponsorship compared with the usual family visa rules.
Eligibility to sponsor visas was open to British citizens, permanent residents (indefinite leave to remain or equivalent, including EU settled status), people with refugee status and people with EU pre-settled status. [64]
Those already in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme are unaffected by its closure to new applicants. They can extend their visas under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.
3.2 The Ukraine Extension Scheme
The Extension Scheme was primarily aimed at helping Ukrainians who were already living in the UK before the 2022 invasion. It was open for applications between 3 May 2022 and 16 May 2024. [65]
Ukrainian citizens could apply for the Extension Scheme if they were living in the UK on a normal visa or without permission. It also catered for people who managed to travel to the UK without a visa and were granted 'leave outside the rules' for six months. [66]
As with the other special visa schemes, initial permission to stay in the UK on the Extension Scheme lasted for three years with access to benefits and NHS treatment if necessary. The Extension Scheme did not, however, allow people to renew Family Scheme or Homes for Ukraine visas: confusingly, that is done under the separate Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.
People who got three years under the Extension Scheme can also renew their visas under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.
4 Extensions and permanent residence
Since February 2025, Ukraine visa holders have been able to extend them by 18 months. But permanent residence (also known as settlement or indefinite leave to remain) is not allowed. The government says that Ukraine will be safe to go back to and the visas are therefore temporary, in line with the wishes of the Ukrainian authorities.
4.1 The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme
Initially, all Ukraine visas – whether granted under the Family Scheme, Extension Scheme or Homes for Ukraine – lasted no longer than three years. This means the first tranche began to expire in March 2025.
18-month extensions
By the start of 2024, Ukrainian residents were beginning to worry about their visas expiring. [67] The Conservative government announced that 18-month extensions would be possible from early 2025. The process for securing an extension is called the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (not to be confused with the Ukraine Extension Scheme). [68]
The Permission Extension Scheme opened for applications on 4 February 2025. [69] Extensions are free and grant the same rights to work, claim benefits and use the NHS as before. [70] Thank-you payments to sponsors also continue.
To be granted an extension, the person must have stayed living in the UK since being granted their initial Ukraine visa. Temporary periods in Ukraine do not breach this residence condition. [71]
Over 80,000 people had extended their visas under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme by 30 June 2025. [72]
24-month extensions
On 1 September 2025, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that Ukrainians would be offered an additional two-year extension, on top of the 18 months already given. [73] Details are not yet available at time of writing.
4.2 Prospects for permanent residence
A typical visa or grant of refugee status allows the person to apply for permanent residence after five years in the UK. The Ukraine visa schemes make no provision for permanent residence.
Both Conservative and Labour governments have taken the position that the schemes were always temporary and allowing permanent residence is not necessary nor in the interests of Ukraine.
We have always been clear that the Ukraine schemes provide temporary sanctuary in the UK only while the war in Ukraine remains ongoing, and that they are not a route to settlement in the UK. This is in line with the express wishes of the Ukrainian government, who will need their nationals to return to help rebuild the country when it is safe to do so. [74]
To reinforce this rule against permanent residence, time spent on a Ukraine visa does not count towards settlement on the basis of ten years' continuous lawful residence. People normally qualify for settlement after ten years on any combination of visas except for Visitor, Seasonal Worker and short-term English language student. [75] The Ukraine visas, including the Permission Extension Scheme, have been added to this list of non-qualifying visas. [76]
Most Ukrainians would prefer to stay. Around seven in ten (68%) say they would intend to live mostly in the UK even if they felt Ukraine had become safe, according to an Office for National Statistics survey. [77] This had risen from 52% a year earlier. [78]
Given the choice, refugees do not typically leave. Of all the people granted refugee status since 2007, around 3% are recorded as having no immigration status in the UK ten years after they first applied for asylum. [79]
Claiming asylum
People on Ukraine visas do not have refugee status but could apply for it. A grant of refugee status or humanitarian protection would provide a pathway to permanent residence.
The chances of success would, in most cases, depend on conditions in Ukraine at the time. But applicants would keep their existing visa conditions – such as the right to work, claim benefits and use the NHS – while waiting for a decision on their asylum claim. [80]
Switching to other visas
People can also apply to switch from a Ukraine visa to a route that does offer permanent residence, such as a Skilled Worker or spouse visa.
The European Union has also offered temporary rather than permanent residence to the millions of Ukrainians in its territory.
By 1 March 2022, over 650,000 people had arrived in the EU from Ukraine via Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. On 4 March, the EU Council triggered the bloc's Temporary Protection Directive with immediate effect. [81]
The directive entitles Ukrainians and their family members to a residence permit in the EU country of their choice. It also gives them rights to accommodation, healthcare, social welfare and employment. [82]
Temporary protection is automatic, meaning there is no need for case-by- case asylum decisions. EU governments generally issue residence permits immediately or within a few days, compared to months or even years for a decision on asylum. [83]
Temporary protection under the directive was generally understood to last for a maximum of three years. The EU has instead extended temporary protection to last for five years in total, until March 2027. [84] The legal basis for this is questionable. [85]
The Ukraine visa schemes were unusual. There are other examples of 'safe and legal routes' for people to come to the UK for humanitarian reasons. But these involve the resettlement of people formally recognised as refugees under the UN Refugee Convention (such as the 2014-2021 Syrian scheme), or who have a particular claim to the UK's protection (such as Hongkongers with a form of British nationality and Afghans at risk of reprisals for assisting British forces). [86]
By contrast, the Ukrainians arriving since 2022 were not granted refugee status and have no prior ties to the British state. The schemes under which they arrived, Homes for Ukraine and the Ukraine Family Scheme, also had exceptional features:
• Foreign refugees are not normally accommodated in strangers' homes. While there is a community sponsorship scheme for Convention refugees, the numbers involved are relatively small: around 600 people from 2019/20 to 2023/24. [87] The last use of private homes on a comparable scale was perhaps the accommodation of Belgian refugees in 1914. [88]
• Having relatives in the UK has not normally been used as a criterion for admission on humanitarian grounds. The main exception, known as refugee family reunion, requires a Convention refugee sponsor and is largely limited to immediate family. [89]
Both schemes (although in particular Homes for Ukraine) have therefore attracted a great deal of interest and scrutiny, including as a possible model for other crises.
The visa schemes have been generally considered an effective response, although with reservations about speed and efficiency in the early days. There are also challenges, including in relation to long-term housing and possible homelessness as Homes for Ukraine placements end.
There were widespread reports of practical difficulties encountered by people trying to apply for Ukraine visas in the early days and weeks of the schemes. [90] These included confusion over the changing eligibility criteria for the Family Scheme; the lack of translated information; difficulties making online applications and providing supporting documents; and limited access to visa application centres. Ukraine's ambassador to the UK repeatedly made representations about what he regarded as the bureaucracy involved. [91]
Processing times did become shorter. At the end of March 2022, the Home Office had processed fewer than 50% of the 56,000 Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine visa applications it had received. By the end of June, applications had risen to 166,000 but 89% had been processed. [92]
Writing about the Homes for Ukraine scheme in September 2023, Krish Kandiah of the Sanctuary Foundation concluded:
The government's decision to allow and empower civil society to conduct matching between sponsors and guests was initially met with fear, scepticism and delays. However, government staff worked collaboratively with civil society to help accelerate the process and address any glitches. The resulting speed and scale of the visa roll-out are unprecedented in UK history.
The visa programme initially took five weeks from application to approval but it is now not unusual for a decision to be made within days. This efficiency is due in large part to a surge of capacity in the Home Office and a willingness to rethink existing practices. It is a significant improvement on the process for Syrian refugee sponsorship which took some 12-18 months. [93]
The Public Accounts Committee said in a February 2024 report that Homes for Ukraine had been successfully set up "at pace" and that processing times had improved in 2022 after a slow start. [94]
Offering visas rather than asylum
Some campaigners argued that Ukrainians' initial difficulties illustrate that bespoke visa routes are an inappropriate and inadequate response to refugee-producing situations. [95] For example, immigration lawyer Sonia Lenegan commented "the difficulty and delay in operationalising these 'bespoke' schemes is precisely why we have and need the Refugee Convention, as it acknowledges the reality that people cannot be expected to wait in dangerous situations, and it protects those who have fled to save their lives". [96]
Calls to waive the entry clearance requirement
Some stakeholders concerned about the pace of the UK's initial response suggested that allowing people to travel to the UK without a visa and completing immigration formalities on arrival would have been the best solution. The Immigration Law Practitioners' Association argued that lifting the visa requirement was the single most effective step that the government could have taken to ensure the efficient evacuation and resettlement of refugees. [97]
Ireland, which generally imposes visa requirements on the same countries as the UK, took Ukrainians off its visa-required list on 25 February 2022. [98]
A petition asking the UK Government to "waive all visa requirements for Ukrainian passport holders arriving in the UK" attracted over 189,000 signatures. [99] MPs debated it on 14 March 2022. [100]
The government refused to grant a visa waiver, saying that the application process was necessary for security reasons and to identify fake applications from non-Ukrainians. But it did exempt applicants from the full visa application process: Ukrainians with passports were able to apply entirely online and then given permission to travel letters (by email) rather than needing a hard copy visa sticker. [101] This concession was in place from 15 March 2022 to 7 December 2023.
5.2 Long-term accommodation and homelessness
Reports on the Ukraine schemes have flagged the challenge of finding long- term accommodation and the possibility of mass homelessness. This is a particular challenge with Homes for Ukraine.
Homes for Ukraine hosts are asked to provide accommodation for a minimum of six months. There is no special supply of accommodation for guests to move into after that. Their options are to try to extend the hosting arrangement; look for a new host; look for private rented accommodation; or ask their local authority for housing support in the normal way. [102]
In practice, hosting arrangements tend to last longer than the initial six months. Around half of those hosting in 2023 had been doing so for more than a year. [103]
Council homelessness services in England dealt with around 11,700 Ukrainian households from February 2022 to March 2024. [104] The Public Accounts Committee has warned that the risk of homelessness is likely to increase as hosting arrangements end or break down. It noted that there is no obligation on hosts to provide accommodation for the whole time guests are in the UK. [105]
A British Red Cross report found in July 2024 that "while the Ukraine response successfully delivered safety at scale, some new arrivals have experienced challenges with unsuitable accommodation, precarious housing and homelessness". [106] Participants in a focus group said that not knowing how long they would be able to stay with their hosts was stressful. [107]
Hosts often feel under pressure to let guests stay on longer than originally intended. As noted by University of Nottingham researchers, for some people "what began as a short-term, six-month commitment has become a situation where guests may become homeless if they are unable to continue their hosting arrangements". [108]
Most Ukrainians on the special visa schemes (88%) are satisfied with their current accommodation. But half (50%) say they experienced barriers to renting privately. Of those, 49% said they had no guarantor or references and 42% simply found it unaffordable. [109] The British Red Cross says that rent deposit and guarantor schemes should be offered consistently across the UK (among other recommendations). [110]
UK Government support for housing
The government has said that its payments to councils to fund the Homes for Ukraine scheme included a homelessness prevention component. [111]
It has also provided extra funding for councils to address Ukrainian homelessness. It is allocated based on the number of arrivals in each area. The funding came to £150 million in 2023/24 and £120 million in 2024/25. [112]
A separate Local Authority Housing Fund distributed £500 million in capital grants for councils in England to buy and refurbish homes for Ukrainians, as well as Afghan refugees. [113] The Local Government Association recommends that there should be future funding to build on this. [114]
5.3 Calls for similar schemes for other countries
From the outset, some campaigners objected to special treatment for Ukraine, regarding it as discrimination against non-white refugees from other conflicts and regimes. [115] Refugee rights organisations often argue for wider or universal access to safe and legal routes to the UK.
Such groups, as well as some parliamentarians, have also called for country- specific schemes along similar lines to those in place for Ukraine.
For example:
• Following the outbreak of the 2023/24 Israel-Hamas conflict, over 100,000 people signed a parliamentary petition calling for a Palestinian Family Scheme. [116] MPs debated it on 13 May 2024. [117]
• Similarly, a wide range of migrants' rights organisations published an April 2024 open letter calling for a Gaza Family Scheme. [118]
• MPs have on occasion asked about a Sudan Family Scheme since the outbreak of civil war in that country. [119]
• There were also enquiries about the possibility of special visas for people affected by an earthquake in Turkey and Syria in early 2023. [120]
The Conservative government declined to replicate the Ukraine schemes for other nationalities. It generally argued that it was focusing on humanitarian response and noted that large numbers of people had already come to the UK under safe and legal routes. [121] The government's January 2024 report on such routes said "the capacity of the UK is limited, and we are unable to provide a route for resettlement for all those who wish to come here". [122]
The Starmer government has taken a similar position. The immigration minister, Seema Malhotra, said in June 2025 that "any decision to implement a bespoke visa scheme would need to consider a range of factors, including the unique crisis situation and the relevant impacts on security, compliance and returns". [123] The references to compliance and returns suggests a concern that people would be unlikely to leave once here, even if the scheme were theoretically temporary.
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[1] See Commons Library briefing 9723, Ukraine conflict: An overview
[2] UNHCR, Operational Data Portal, Ukraine Refugee Situation, accessed 5 September 2025
[3] Guardian, "Priti Patel clashes with Labour over visas for people fleeing Ukraine", Guardian, 26 February 2022
[4] Home Office, Support for family members of British nationals in Ukraine, and Ukrainian nationals in Ukraine and the UK, 17 February 2022 (archived)
[5] Home Office press release, Home Secretary announces visa concessions for Ukrainians, 24 February 2024 (referring to an order given two weeks before, but apparently not publicised at the time)
[6] As above
[7] Guardian, "Anger and exhaustion as Ukrainians turned away by UK in Calais", 9 March 2022
[8] For example, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP), X (Twitter), 27 February 2022; Scottish Government press release, First Minister: Waive visas for Ukrainians, 1 March 2022; YouGov, Support for taking in Ukraine refugees rises to 76%, 2 March 2022; Politics Home, "Senior Tory says UK's Ukrainian Refugee Policy 'Doesn't Cut It' As Crisis Escalates", 3 March 2022
[9] HC Deb 1 March 2022 c915 (building on an update provided during Home Office questions the previous day, HC Deb 28 February c700)
[10] HCWS736 [on Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules], 29 March 2022
[11] Gov.uk, Lord Harrington, accessed 14 August 2024
[13] HC Deb 10 March 2022 c467
[14] See Scottish Parliament Information Centre, Ukraine visa schemes – what has changed?, 29 February 2024
[15] Home Office, Ukraine visa schemes summary tables, year ending June 2025, 21 August 2025, tables UVS_02 and UVS_03
[16] Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine Scheme, accessed 5 September 2025, para UKR 15.1
[17] Home Office, Immigration Rules: introduction, accessed 5 September 2025, para 6.2
[18] Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine Scheme, accessed 5 September 2025, paras UKR 16.1 and 17.1
[19] As above, para 12.1
[20] Home Office, Ukraine Permission Extension scheme information, 2 June 2025
[21] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Eligibility, safeguarding, DBS and accommodation checks: Homes for Ukraine, 31 January 2025
[22] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Basic accommodation needs: Homes for Ukraine, 16 January 2023; HL Deb 3 November 2022 c124GC
[23] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Eligibility, safeguarding, DBS and accommodation checks: Homes for Ukraine, 31 January 2025
[24] As above; see also Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Welfare checks and follow up visits: Homes for Ukraine, 16 January 2023 (applicable to councils in England)
[25] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for councils (children and minors applying without parents or legal guardians), 7 July 2025
[26] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Paying sponsors: Homes for Ukraine, 21 January 2025
[27] Welsh Government, Homes for Ukraine: funding, 14 January 2025
[28] HC Deb 14 March 2022 cc619-20
[29] Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities press release, 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme launches, 14 March 2022
[30] Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Oral evidence: Support for Ukrainian Refugees, 30 March 2022, HC 1223 2022-23, Q185
[31] BBC News, "Ukraine refugees: UK set to admit lone teenagers after rule change", 22 June 2022
[32] WS 123 [on Homes for Ukraine: update], 22 June 2022
[33] Home Office, Statement of changes in Immigration Rules, HC 511, 20 July 2022
[34] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for councils (children and minors applying without parents or legal guardians), 7 July 2025
[35] National Audit Office, Investigation into the Homes for Ukraine scheme, 17 October 2023, para 2.20
[36] National Audit Office, Investigation into the Homes for Ukraine scheme, 17 October 2023, para 2.8
[37] Guardian, "Ukrainian refugees: frustration grows over long wait times for UK visas", 25 March 2022; BBC News, "Homes for Ukraine: 'It's sad, slow and frustrating'", 22 March 2022
[38] Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP), X(Twitter), 30 March 2022, accessed 27 August 2024
[39] Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Oral evidence: Support for Ukrainian Refugees, 30 March 2022, HC 1223 2022-23, Q188
[40] National Audit Office, Investigation into the Homes for Ukraine scheme, 17 October 2023, figure 9
[41] As above, para 2.11
[42] As above, p30
[43] UK Visas and Immigration, Visa processing times: applications outside the UK, 21 July 2025
[44] Home Office, Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: caseworker guidance, version 10.0, 13 August 2025, p10
[45] HC Deb 14 March 2022 c620
[46] Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, New over £650 million support package for Ukrainians sees increased 'thank you' payments for longer-term hosts, 14 December 2022; PQ HL2577 [on Homes for Ukraine Scheme], answered on 15 November 2024
[47] PQ HL2577 [on Homes for Ukraine Scheme], answered on 15 November 2024
[48] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: Visa data by country, upper and lower tier local authority, 28 November 2024
[49] British Red Cross, Finding a Safe Home, July 2024, p28
[50] Welsh Government, Written Statement: Update on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, 8 June 2022; Scottish Government, Super sponsor scheme paused, 11 July 2022
[51] WS 258 [on Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules], 19 February 2024
[52] Home Office, Explanatory memorandum to the statement of changes to the Immigration Rules (PDF), 19 February 2024, p3
[53] Law Centre NI, Ukrainians as Homes for Ukraine sponsors (PDF), July 2023
[54] Big Issue, "'This war broke our life': Children left stranded in Ukraine without parents due to UK visa changes", 20 August 2024; BBC News, "'I don't live, I just exist': Ukrainian families torn apart by visa changes" , 12 August 2024
[55] Settled press release, Ukraine children can join parents in the UK, 31 January 2025
[56] Work Rights Centre, Still apart: The impact of Ukraine Scheme changes on families one year later, 10 February 2025
[57] Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Adult Dependent Relative, accessed 10 December 2024
[58] Home Office, Ukraine visa schemes summary tables, year ending June 2025, 21 August 2025, table UVS_03
[59] HCWS258 [on Changes in Immigration Rules], 19 February 2024
[63] Home Office, Ukraine Scheme: caseworker guidance, version 4.0, 11 March 2022 (archived), p13
[64] As above, p10
[65] Home Office, Statement of changes in Immigration Rules, HC 1220, 29 March 2022; Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine Scheme, accessed 10 December 2024, para UKR 21.2(d)
[66] Home Office, Statement of changes in immigration rules, HC 1496, 17 July 2023, explanatory memorandum, para 7.6
[67] See for example HC Deb 6 February 2024 c28WH
[68] Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities press release, Government extends stay for Ukrainians in the UK, 19 February 2024
[69] Home Office, Statement of changes in immigration rules, HC 334, 26 November 2024
[70] Home Office, Applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, 2 June 2025
[71] Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Ukraine Scheme, accessed 5 September 2025, para UKR 33.2; Ukraine Permission Extension scheme: caseworker guidance, version 2.0, 9 April 2025, pp37-43
[72] Home Office, How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?, 21 August 2025
[73] HC Deb 1 September 2025 c26
[74] HCWS250 [on Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules], 26 November 2024; see also PQ 16531 [on Visas: Ukraine], 11 March 2024; Response to e-petition 632761, 27 February 2023
[75] Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Long Residence, accessed 5 September 2025, para LR 3.1
[76] Home Office, Statement of changes in Immigration Rules, HC 334, 26 November 2024, para APP LR1
[77] Office for National Statistics, Visa holders living in the UK under the Ukraine Humanitarian Schemes, follow-up survey: 15 April to 22 April 2024, 3 June 2024, section 3
[78] Office for National Statistics, Visa holders entering the UK under the Ukraine Humanitarian Schemes: 27 April to 15 May 2023, 7 July 2023. The ONS cautions against making comparisons from survey to survey because of question changes, but the wording of this question was identical.
[79] Home Office, Migrant journey: 2023 report, 23 May 2024, figure 12
[80] Immigration Act 1971, section 3C
[81] Council implementing decision (EU) 2022/382, 4 March 2022
[82] European Commission, Temporary protection, accessed 22 August 2024; Library briefing CBP-9503, The EU response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, section 2.6
[83] European Union Agency for Asylum, Analysis of Measures to Provide Protection to Displaced Persons from Ukraine: Situational Report, 6 July 2022, p14
[84] Council implementing decisions 2024/1836, 25 June 2024 and 2025/1460, 15 July 2025
[85] EU Law Analysis, Legal landmine: the risky proposition of extending the application of the EU Temporary Protection Directive beyond March 2025, 31 May 2024
[86] See Library briefing CBP-9630, Safe and legal routes to the UK for people seeking protection
[87] Home Office, Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets, year ending June 2024, 22 August 2024, table Asy_D02
[88] "Many thousands of refugees were maintained by Local Committees and by private hosts without cost to the State, for, in some cases, the whole duration of the war, and in others for more or less considerable periods": Ministry of Health, Report on the work undertaken by the British government in the reception and care of the Belgian refugees, 1920, p9
[89] See Home Office, Family reunion: for individuals with protection status in the UK, version 10.0, 17 July 2023
[90] Guardian, "Britain's Ukraine visa scheme is complex and unfair, say critics", 5 March 2022; HC Deb 8 March 2022 c197-217; Independent, "UK slammed for 'truly dreadful' treatment of Ukrainian refugees amid confusion over Home Office visa process", 9 March 2022; BBC News, "Ukraine war: Visas a shambles, Brits with Ukrainian family say", 10 March 2022
[91] Reaction, "Ukrainian ambassador Prystaiko criticises UK's botched bureaucracy", 9 March 2022; Guardian, "Ukraine ambassador urges Priti Patel to relax UK visa scheme", 3 May 2022; Politics Home, "Tory Ministers Don't Know Who Is In Charge Of Ukraine Refugee Scheme", 10 October 2022
[92] Library analysis of Home Office, Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending June 2024, 22 August 2024
[93] Forced Migration Review, The UK's Homes for Ukraine scheme: a model for the future?, September 2023
[94] Committee of Public Accounts, Homes for Ukraine, HC 69 2023-24, 23 February 2024
[95] HC Deb 8 March 2022 c200-1; Refugee Council, Refugee sector comes together in support of people in Ukraine, 9 March 2022
[96] Free Movement, "The reality of Priti Patel's "bespoke" humanitarian routes", 7 March 2022
[97] Immigration Law Practitioners' Association, Letter to the Secretary of State for the Home Department and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities regarding Ukraine, 4 March 2022
[98] Irish Department of Justice, Minister McEntee announces immediate lifting of visa requirements between Ukraine and Ireland, 25 February 2022
[99] E-petition 609530, closed on 28 August 2022
[100] HC Deb 14 March 2022 cc191-232WH
[101] HC Deb 10 March 2022 c467; HC Deb 14 March 2022 cc228-230WH
[102] See Commons Library briefing CBP-9709, Homes for Ukraine: What happens after six months?
[103] Office for National Statistics, Experiences of Homes for Ukraine scheme sponsors, UK: 10 to 21 August 2023, 4 October 2023, figure 1
[104] Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Homelessness management information - Ukrainian nationals: England, 18 April 2024
[105] Committee of Public Accounts, Homes for Ukraine, HC 69 2023-24, 23 February 2024
[106] British Red Cross, Finding a Safe Home, July 2024, p12
[107] As above, p22
[108] University of Nottingham Rights Lab, Homes for Ukraine: learnings to inform and shape future hosting schemes (PDF), March 2023, p48
[109] Office for National Statistics, Visa holders living in the UK under the Ukraine Humanitarian Schemes, follow-up survey: 15 April to 22 April 2024, 3 June 2024
[110] British Red Cross, Finding a Safe Home, July 2024, p8
[111] PQ 14932 [on Refugees: Ukraine], answered on 27 February 2024
[112] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Homelessness Prevention Grant: Homes for Ukraine scheme support, 28 February 2024
[113] Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Local Authority Housing Fund Prospectus and Guidance (PDF), December 2022
[114] Local Government Association, Debate on the potential merits of extending the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, House of Commons, 6 February 2024, 2 February 2024
[115] NACCOM, 'Homes for Ukraine' – our response, 15 March 2022; Institute of Government and Public Policy, Double standards? Assessing the Ukraine refugee crisis, 25 April 2022; Observer, "Home Office accused of being 'unashamedly racist' towards Sudanese", 7 May 2023
[116] E-petition 648577, closed on 18 April 2024
[118] Helen Bamber Foundation, Joint letter calling for urgent Gaza Family Scheme, 2 April 2024
[119] HC Deb 13 May 2024 c28WH; PQ 191981 [on Refugees: Sudan], 30 June 2023; HC Deb 3 May 2023 c109. See also Migrant Champions Network, Situation in Sudan – Briefing for councillors (PDF), May 2023.
[120] HC Deb 20 March 2023 c21; PQ 169494 [on Visas: Syria and Turkey], answered on 27 March 2023
[121] For example, PQ 852 [on Refugees: Palestinians], answered on 8 November 2023
[122] Home Office, Report on Safe and Legal Routes Illegal Migration Act 2023 (Section 61), 11 January 2024