The UK government has offered a temporary visa concession to help Ukrainian citizens affected by the Russian military invasion. This temporary visa scheme is not for all Ukrainian refugees. This visa concession is available to persons of all nationalities whose British family member usually lives in Ukraine.

The British government also announced on March 1, 2022, that it would introduce a Humanitarian sponsorship visa system, but no details have been announced yet. 
 

Who can apply?

British citizens, settled people, people with refugee status / humanitarian protection in the UK and pre-settled status holders can bring non-British family members who usually live in Ukraine to the UK.

Family members are considered as ‘immediate family members’, ‘extended family members’ and other family members.

The immediate family members include a spouse, a civil partner, an unmarried partner, and children under the age of 18.

Extended family members are parents, children over 18, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew, cousins, family members–in-law.
Home Office also states that “other family members will be considered where there are exceptional circumstances”. 
 

Requirement

To apply to the Ukraine Family Scheme, the applicant must be a Ukrainian or the family member of a Ukrainian national who is applying to the scheme and must have been residing in Ukraine on or immediately before 1 January 2022.

All applicants must prove their relationship with their families related to the UK.
 

How to apply

Applications should be submitted online and the application is free of charge. Available documents to show residence in Ukraine prior to January 2022 and the relationship to the UK sponsor should be uploadedApplicants with Ukrainian passports will no longer need to attend a biometrics appointment – the applications will be processed electronically and they can enrol biometrics within the UK. 
 

Other Ukrainian Citizen's visa application

Ukrainian citizens in Ukraine who are not immediate family members of British nationals normally living in Ukraine, or where the British national is living in the UK are currently unable to make visa applications to visit, work, study or join the family in the UK through a visa application centre in Ukraine.

If you can safely travel, you can apply through a visa application centre in one of the nearby countries.
 

Ukrainian citizens staying in the UK to apply for their visas

The Home Office has agreed to some temporary concessions to support Ukrainian nationals currently in the UK who are now unable to return when their existing visa expires. These concessions will assist Ukrainian nationals in extending their stay in the UK without having to leave and re-apply from overseas.

Ukrainian citizens who have entered the country under a visitor visa and cannot return to Ukraine can switch to a student visa, a family visa, or a work visa in the UK. They will need to meet the requirement of the relevant visa route.

Students, Skilled workers and other visa holders can extend their leave or settlement if they meet the Immigration Rules.
 
We will update it if the Home Office decided to make any further changes to the visa conditions for Ukrainian nationals. 

 

 

If you need expert advice and help on applying for a UK visa, please contact 020 3865 6219, or leave a message.