Visa Application Advice
Please note that there are now TWO options for visa application, and or guidance is only for ONE of those, via this Government website.
IF you have begun applying for the visa after googling for the form, you are likely using the new process. You should say that the guest ("you"; see below) want to live in "England". And, critically, say NO to using the app, if you want to use this guide below.
General Advice
We strongly recommend that you—the sponsor—should fill the visa application forms in on behalf of your guests. We recommend this regardless of how well-educated your guests are. However, you should be in contact with them (e.g., via WhatsApp, phone) while you do so. Regardless, the "you" in the visa application form refers to your Ukrainian guest.
If you have dual nationality—or have been a national of another country—consider making your other half (if applicable) the sponsor.
The visa application process is challenging (hence the advice above): it is best to allocate 3-4 hours. You do not have to do it all in one sitting, as you can save your application at any point. However, you cannot always go back, so please be careful at every step.
Each individual guest has to have their own visa application, but these can be cross-referenced to one another. This applies equally to minors to adults. (Yes, this seems dumb to us too.) Note that every applicant—even babies—need to have a biometric passport.
You will have to upload PDFs of various documents as part of the application (more on which below). If your guests send you other image files (e.g., JPG, PNG), you should be able to convert them to PDFs easily using Export or Save As functions on your computer. The system seems to be picky about PDF files: if so, it is worth printing out what your guests have sent you, and re-scanning with your phone (e.g., in the Notes app on an iPhone) or printer.
Once you submit, the local authorities will be informed. Do check out our other pages for more information about preparing for your guests' arrival.
Visa approval can take some time, with the average being around 4 weeks. Some hosts have written to their MPs to try to expedite things: we are not sure whether that works or not.
Essential Information
This is the information you will need to complete the form:
Sponsor (i.e., you)
Your passport details, and PDF copy of your passport
Passport details (or proof of identity) for other adults (> 18) living in your home, and PDF copies of each
How long you have been at your current address
Previous address(es) and dates, if you have been at current address less than 2 years
If applicable, any change of name (incl. maiden name)
If applicable, any previous/other nationality and dates
Guest (i.e., Ukrainian family)
Address in Ukraine
Place of birth
Passport details, and PDF copies — ALL guests, regardless of age, will need to have valid international Ukrainian passports, or they will have to go to a Visa Application Centre
PDF copies of birth certificates for children (if they have it)
Proof that they were living in Ukraine on 1 January 2022 (if they have it; applications have been successful when omitted) — e.g., bills with name, address, date
Email and phone contact details
Details of all children (though separate forms will need to be filled for them)
For children's applications, details of other parent (e.g., father; if applicable) even if they are not coming. Father's will be asked to provide consent, but if this is not possible, there is a box to explain this.
Step-by-Step Form Guidance
This information is current as of 6th April 2022. The visa application form can be found here. The guidance we are providing here assumes that you are applying on behalf of your guests. (For a fuller PDF version of this guide, click here.)
Select your language. English.
Select a country to provide your biometrics. This important-sounding question turns out to be irrelevant most of the time. Just state whichever country your guest is currently in.
Do you have a valid international Ukrainian passport? Yes.
What category are you applying for? Ukraine sponsorship scheme (Homes for Ukraine)
What type of sponsor do you have? Individual. Unless you, the sponsor, are an organisation.
Were you living in Ukraine on 31 December 2021? Yes. NB: Remember "you" refers to the Ukrainian)
Does your sponsor have permission to be in the UK for more than 6 months? Yes.
Which of the following describes your sponsor? You do not need to be a British citizen, as long as 5. above is "Yes".
Register an email and a password so that you can come back to your application later. We advice that you use your (i.e., sponsor's) email address, not your guests'.
What is the name of your sponsor? These are your details, as per your passport.
Is at least one member of your group Ukrainian? Yes
What is the (sponsor’s) country of nationality? If British, begin typing British Citizen and it should appear as an option.
[Now follows a bunch of questions about you, the sponsor. If any of the information requested is in your passport, your answer should be identical with that. It is very important that you check your answers, as you are not able to change them later on. Questions have also been known to repeat for no apparent reason. The addresses requested are yours (i.e., sponsor), regardless of whether your guests will be staying there.]
Will you be staying at the residential address of your sponsor? NB: Again, "you" here is the guest. So this is asking whether or not they will be living at the same address as you, the sponsor.
If No, postcode and address, local authority and country within the UK of where the Ukrainians will be residing.
Are there other household members of the sponsor's family? Only those over 18; this applies also to documents to be uploaded, see below.
If yes, then Given name(s), Family name, Date of Birth, Nationality, Passport number for each member of the sponsor’s family. NB: For Nationality, if you are British, pick "UK". This is, unhelpfully, different from Point 13 above.
Email address. This is the email where you’ll hear about the progress of the application, etc. The default is that it is the email address of the person completing the application form—i.e., you—but you can change it to one of your Ukrainian guests.
Who does this email belong to? (You or Someone Else). NB: Again, "you" is the Ukrainian here. So if it is your email address, then the correct answer is Someone Else. It could not be more confusing.
If you clicked on Someone Else (i.e., the sponsor), then the next question is Do you (the Ukrainian applicant) have an email address?
Which email address should we use to contact you with any questions about your application? (NB: Again, "you" refers to the Ukrainian. Our apologies for repeating this so often, but people do get confused.)
[Then follows questions about which email address the government should use, e.g., for sending a decision or getting in touch after a decision. Think about whether your Ukrainian guest is likely to be able to pick up emails.]
[Then follows questions about your Ukrainian guest, as answers should be as per their passport where applicable. At the end of this section, the form asks for family members, and this refers to all family members applying together, even though separate forms will need to be filled for them too. This permits cross-referencing. For each person, the form asks "What is this person's relationship to (the sponsor)". Say FRIEND/SPONSOR.]
[For minors, there is now a new section for parental consent. If one parent is not coming and/or cannot provide consent, you may say why. Most often, this will be because the father has been deployed in the armed forces.]
[Towards the end, the form asks "Date you plan to arrive in UK". This is rather arbitrary and doesn’t effect how quickly your visa is processed. We recommend giving a date two weeks from application date.]
[Next, you specify what evidence of identity you will provide. The uploading comes later.
Passport of the Ukrainian guest (and birth certificates for the children)
Proof of identity of the sponsor (i.e., you), and all adults who will be living with you (i.e., the Ukrainians). It is best to use passport, drivers license, or biometric residence permit.]
Other evidence to support your (the Ukrainian applicant’s) application: Please add as much information as you can here.
I confirm that:
I am submitting the form on behalf of the applicant. (Confusingly, the "I" here now refers to you. We are assuming that you have completed the form on behalf of your guest.)
In what capacity are you representing the applicant(s)?
Other (unless you are a family member of the Ukrainian).
Provide details of the capacity in which you are representing the applicant:
Sponsor (Again, confusingly "you" is now you, the sponsor.)
Third party declaration. Give your (the sponsor’s) details.
After you submit the form, you will be sent a link for uploading documents. We strongly recommend that you label each file clearly, e.g., Jonathan Passport, Yulia Passport. Including children's proof of identity to their parents' (usually mothers') applications, and vice versa, so that each application has both parent and child documents. If no birth certificates are available, add a note as a PDF explaining why. If fathers' documents are available, add those to the children's applications too, though.
Please make sure that the documents have successfully uploaded.
We can also offer support and help to UK sponsors currently applying for visas. However, as there is only one person doing this, we can only offer this support to you if you were matched with a Ukrainian by us, and if you completed the application on behalf of your guests. Please contact 07799271913 for more information.
BRP
Note that you can only apply for this after your guests arrive. See also our Day Two page for more.
What is a BRP?
A Biometric Residence Permit allows your guests to stay for three years.
Do my guests need one?
In short, yes. We do not know when they will be able to return home, and it is best to help them apply for a longer term stay.
Does this mean that we will be hosting them for three years?
This is unlikely. The hope is that your guests will be able to return home, or to be able to live independently in due course. The Government is still working on a plan to help your guests settle in the UK beyond six months.
When does the BRP need to be applied for?
Within six months of arrival, but it is best to do it ASAP.
How do I help my guests apply for a BRP?
This is done by first submitting an application at this website: https://apply.visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/ukraine-scheme-brp
It is quite a long, but fairly straightforward form, at the end of which you will be asked to make an in-person appointment. If you are in West Sussex, so far the closest venues for the appointment are in Croydon or Southhampton.
[NB: There is rumour of an online/app option rather than an in-person one, but we have not been able to find out much about this.]