Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of altering the rules of the Ukraine visa schemes, to make it possible for people to transfer from the Ukraine Family scheme to the Homes for Ukraine scheme in those cases where circumstances change so that family support becomes unavailable to them after they have arrived in the UK.

The Ukraine Family Scheme was set up to ensure family members were able to reunite with family fleeing Ukraine Ahead of the development of the Homes for Ukraine scheme It is based on family visa routes which existed before the Ukraine conflict, where public services are funded out of council budgets and the same principle is applied here.  The UK-based family member is expected to provide support and accommodation for those coming to join them, who in turn benefit from the wider integration advantages in joining an existing family network.

Ukrainian nationals coming to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme are given access to work, benefits and public services as laid down in Appendix Ukraine to the Immigration Rules, details of which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-ukraine-scheme

Homes for Ukraine on the other hand is a unique scheme which has been set up specifically to support those escaping the conflict in Ukraine who are not able to rely on UK based family support. The Government is providing additional funding to local authorities which includes resource to enable them to carry out sponsorship-specific functions such as safeguarding checks and property checks, administering payments, as well as providing support such as English language training to help their integration into communities.

We continue to keep the UK Government’s support under review and will adapt and develop the visa routes in place to ensure they keep pace with the situation in Ukraine.