Children being sponsored by a parent or legal guardian: Homes for Ukraine

A parent (or legal guardian) who holds permission under any of the Ukraine Schemes can apply to sponsor their child under Homes for Ukraine.

Children sponsored by their parents (or legal guardians) will hold permission to live in the UK for up to 18 months. They will have access to education, healthcare, benefits and employment (as appropriate under UK law).

A parent or legal guardian who is sponsoring their child will not qualify for thank you payments.

Both the applicant child and their sponsoring parent must meet all the requirements under the Homes for Ukraine scheme for the visa to be issued.

The parent or legal guardian:

• does not need to have settled status to sponsor their child, but they must hold permission under any of the Ukraine Schemes (or Leave Outside the Rules granted due to the conflict in Ukraine before the Ukraine Schemes were introduced)
• must offer accommodation for the duration of their child’s visa 
• must be able to provide evidence of their relationship with the child (birth/adoption/legal guardianship documents)   

Successful applicants will be granted a Homes for Ukraine visa with permission to stay in the UK for up to 18 months. If the child’s parent has less than 18 months permission remaining the child’s visa will be aligned with their parent’s.

Application process

1. The parent or legal guardian should complete the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visa application form on behalf of their child, naming themselves as ‘sponsor’. When asked about their immigration status on the visa application form, the parent or legal guardian should choose ‘none of the above’ and provide further information regarding their permission in the UK, including the date of issue and expiry, in the text box following this question. They should also mention that they are the parent or legal guardian sponsoring their child.
2. Passport numbers (alongside completion of eligibility questions and other personal details) for both child and parent (as ‘sponsor’) will be required to complete the application online. The parent will also need to upload a scan of their child’s passport.
3. The child will need to book an appointment to have their photograph and fingerprints taken at a visa application centre (VAC) as part of their application. Security checks on both the child and parent (as ‘sponsor’) are commissioned from the name data declared in the application form. There is no requirement to upload a copy of identity documents for any other member of the sponsor’s household.
4. The government will conduct checks on the applicant, the sponsor (i.e. parent), and adults in the sponsor’s household, to ensure their eligibility and suitability for the scheme. The government will verify the relationship between the child and parent. The child must submit their birth or adoption certificate. If they are sponsored by their legal guardian, they need to submit the legal guardianship documents listed in the Homes for Ukraine caseworker guidance. These checks must be completed before a visa can be issued.
5. Once the visa is issued, the child can then travel to the UK to join their parent/s or legal guardian.
6. Local councils will be able to access information from the visa application on Foundry as soon as an application is made, but the issuance of a visa to a child dependent is not contingent on any council checks being completed. Once the child has arrived, local councils should conduct the checks set out below under ‘safeguarding checks’. When a child is sponsored by a parent or legal guardian in the UK, local authorities are still asked to carry out an accommodation suitability check and an in-person welfare visit, after the child arrives in the UK.