If you haven’t been contacted already, there will be DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service), safeguarding and accommodation checks (background and in-person) on you and your family, which will be carried out by your local council.
Details about hosts are passed on to us by the government. We will contact you to inform you that we’ve received a notification and let you know that your district or borough council will be in touch to run checks. You don’t need to do anything.
The government requires all hosts and members of host households aged 16 and over, to have a DBS check. New checks need to be carried out on hosts – any DBS checks they currently hold will not be transferred.
Current government guidance is that any benefits entitlements remain unchanged if you take in a Ukrainian person or people. If you receive single person discount on your council tax, this remains unchanged if you take in a Ukrainian person or people.
Ukrainian nationals arriving under the scheme will be able to:
- live and work in the UK for up to 3 years
- access healthcare, benefits, Universal Credit, employment support, education and further education, and English language tuition
Read more about the scheme and related support on the government’s website.
Read the government’s guidance for sponsors.
The government has produced a welcome pack which you can find on their website:
Family visas
There is currently no specific support available from the government for households hosting Ukrainian guests under a family visa and they won’t be able to claim the £350 ‘thank you’ payment. But their guests will still be able to access services.
The British Red Cross can offer advice, guidance and signposting to Ukrainians and their family members who are in the United Kingdom under the Family Visa scheme. This advice includes topics such as immigration status, benefits and housing.
What to do if you have been matched with a Ukrainian guest but you are no longer able to offer accommodation
Assigning guests to hosts has to be done via the Home Office Homes for Ukraine scheme and local councils don’t have any role in this.
If your guests haven’t already begun travelling to the UK, they should apply for a new sponsor as soon as possible. If they’ve already arrived or are travelling, then they will be entitled to help for homelessness and should get in touch with your local district or borough council as soon as possible.