Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has considered the potential merits of extending visas issued under the (a) Ukraine Family Scheme, (b) Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and (c) the Ukraine Extension Scheme; and whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of such schemes on Government provision for (i) housing, (ii) education and (iii) employment.

We are mindful that permission will start to expire, for the first arrivals under our Ukrainian schemes, from March 2025, and their need for certainty beyond that point to help them to plan ahead. We are keeping the need for a possible extension of permission to remain for those who are here on our Ukraine schemes under consistent review in line with the ongoing war.

The Government is providing funding to councils at a rate of £10,500 per person for guests who arrived before 1 January 2023 and £5,900 for guests who arrived after 1 January 2023 under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to enable them to provide support to families to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. The Government is also providing £150 million of new UK-wide funding in the 2023/24 financial year to local authorities and devolved governments to help support Ukrainian guests move into their own homes and reduce the risk of homelessness.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) are also working across government to identify other ways to unblock barriers, helping Ukrainians access employment, commensurate with their skill set, liaising with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). In addition, the Government announced £11.5 million in the Spring Budget 2023 to fund intensive English language courses and employment support for up to 10,000 eligible individuals (across the UK) under the three humanitarian Ukraine visa schemes.