Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme

On 26 November 2024, the Home Office announced updates to Immigration Rules for Ukrainian guests and provided new information on the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE): 

· From 9am on 04 February 2025, the UPE will open for applications from Ukrainian citizens and their eligible family members living in the UK under the existing Ukraine schemes.  

· The new visa route will allow Ukrainians to continue their lives in the UK with the same entitlements to work, study and access to public funds as provided for under the existing Ukraine schemes.  

· The route will be free to applicants and will provide an additional 18 months permission to remain from the date of decision for qualifying applicants; a child may be granted less than 18 months permission if this aligns with that of a parent in the UK.  

· Using your expired BRP as part of your application may save you from having to attend a visa application centre to re-enrol your biometrics. This makes the visa application process quicker and easier. 

·You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks. You should not travel outside of the UK whilst waiting for a decision on your application. If you do travel, then your application will be withdrawn and will not be considered.    

On 19 February 2024, the Home Office announced changes to the three existing Ukraine visa schemes. These came into effect on 19 February 2024:  

• All new visa applications submitted under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme from 15:00 on the 19 February, if granted, now qualify for 18 months permission to stay in the UK instead of 36 months, with eligibility to apply for the UPE once their visas are close to expiring. 
• To become a new Homes for Ukraine sponsor from 19 February 2024, the sponsor must be either a British or Irish citizen or be ‘settled in the UK’ (which means having the right to live in the UK permanently). They also need to be able to provide accommodation for a minimum of 6 months. Thank you payments are available to sponsors for the duration of a guest’s Homes for Ukraine visa permission – 36 months as before, or 18 months by the new rules. 
• The Ukraine Family scheme is now closed to new applicants. The Ukraine Extension scheme is also closed.

UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) are developing a digital immigration system. This means physical documents such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) will be replaced with an online record of the immigration status. This is known as an eVisa.

You will need to create a UKVI account to access your eVisa. You do not have to pay to create a UKVI account.

Once you have created your UKVI account you will be able to view the details of your eVisa online, for example your type of permission, when it expires and your conditions of stay in the UK such as the right to work or rent in the UK.   

If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP) that expires on 31 December 2024, you can now create a UKVI account and access your eVisa. You should do this before the expiry date of your BRP. If you do not already have a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, you will be asked to:

• create a UKVI account and link eVisa to your account
• confirm your identity using the ‘UK Immigration ID Check’ app available for Android and iPhone. You can use someone else’s phone if you need to.

You will get an email when you can access your eVisa in your account.

Learn more and start here: Get access to your eVisa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)