Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's notification entitled Update on Homes for Ukraine Thank You payments and the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, published on 6 December 2024, whether her Department has made changes to the level of (a) funding, (b) thank you payments for hosts and (b) other support for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme since 5 July 2024.

Applications will open on the 4 February 2025 for eligible Ukraine scheme visa holders to apply for further permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme.

The department has recently confirmed that to support guests still in sponsorship under UPE and to thank sponsors for their continued generosity, thank you payments for eligible sponsors will be extended for 18 months under the new scheme where guests were previously on a Homes for Ukraine visa.

Sponsors will continue to be eligible for thank you payments for the full duration of a Homes for Ukraine guest’s 18 month UPE visa period if they remain in sponsorship, but no further.

To fund this support and ensure it is affordable within government budgets, from 1 April 2025, all thank you payments will be paid at a flat rate of £350 per month for all sponsors of guests on Homes for Ukraine and UPE visas, regardless of how long guests have been in the UK.

To support this transition, we are signposting sponsors to the Government’s ‘rent a room’ scheme for those who wish to convert their lodging arrangements with their sponsors. If sponsors move to an arrangement where they charge rent, they will no longer be eligible for thank you payments.

The department also confirmed that we are maintaining the existing local authority tariff arrangements of £5,900 (£10,500 for eligible minors) per Homes for Ukraine arrival. This should support local authorities with ongoing administration of the scheme and allow local authorities to continue supporting guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.