Super Sponsor Scheme and Homes for Ukraine: guidance for local authorities

UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme

Background and eligibility

To apply to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme you must be Ukrainian, or the immediate family member of a Ukrainian national who has been granted permission under, or applying to and qualifies for, the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

You must also:

• have been residing in Ukraine on or immediately before 1 January 2022 (including those who have now left Ukraine)
• be outside the UK
• have an eligible UK-based sponsor. These rules are at the discretion of the UK Government and may be subject to change. ​

This guidance sets out how the Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA expects this scheme to operate in Scotland and should be read in conjunction with the latest version of the Homes for Ukraine guidance for councils on the UK Government website.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme was launched on 14 March 2022 by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

This scheme is open to Ukrainian nationals who were residents in Ukraine prior to 1 January 2022 and also to their immediate family members (for example spouse/partner and children under 18) who may be of other nationalities, to be sponsored to come to the UK. Applicants can apply from Ukraine or from any other third country. Sponsors in the UK can nominate a named Ukrainian or a named Ukrainian family to stay with them in their home or in a separate property.

The number of people who can access this scheme is uncapped and is dependent on the capacity of the sponsors (individual hosts) who come forward.

Subject to individual visas, displaced people from Ukraine will be able to live and work in the UK for up to three years and access benefits, healthcare, employment, and other support.

Those arriving need to meet standard security checks prior to being issued with a visa. Hosts (and members of their household aged over 16 years) will need to apply for an enhanced disclosure when they register for both the Super Sponsor scheme and Homes for Ukraine scheme when offering accommodation in their own homes. They will also undergo local authority system checks, which include social work and local authority record checks for any child and adult protection risks and concerned. Where they are hosting in a separate property, only the property owner/s will need to undertake the above checks.

Sponsors in the UK can be of any nationality, with any immigration status, provided they have at least six months’ leave to remain within the UK and pass the required checks. They can live in any part of the UK. Sponsors/hosts must provide accommodation for a minimum of six months.