A Guide On The Ukraine Family Scheme

Overview

For a family member in the UK to be eligible to accept the migrating individual for their application, they must be one of the following types of UK residents:

• A British national.
• An individual who has settled in the UK, including individuals who have indefinite leave to remain, permanent residence with proof of permanent residence, or settled status
• Someone who is from the EU, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Switzerland, or Norway has pre-settled status via the EU Settlement Scheme and began living in the UK before January 1st, 2021.
• An individual who has refugee status or UK humanitarian protection

The family member who is based in the UK needs to be one of the following:

• An immediate family member.
• An extended family member.
• A spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, child, parent, fiance, or proposed civil partner of an extended family member

The individual who is applying for the Ukraine Family Scheme should provide a copy of the official documentation that confirms the family relationships, if this is at all possible. This includes the use of marriage or birth certificates.

Even if the applicant is unable to provide these documents, they will still be eligible to apply.

However, the applicant will be required to explain why they are unable to provide these documents when they apply. An example of a reason for not having these documents would be if they left all documentation behind upon fleeing Ukraine.

Who Are Immediate Family Members?

An immediate family member will be one of the following relatives of you or your UK-based family member:

• Civil partner or spouse.
• An unmarried partner with whom the individual has lived in a relationship for a minimum of 2 years.
• A child under the age of 18
• parent (in the case that the applicant is under 18).
• Fiance or proposed civil partner.

Who Are Extended Family Members?

Extended family members will be one of the following relatives of you (the applicant) or your UK-based family member(s):

• Parent (over 18).
• Child over 18.
• Grandparents.
• Grandchild or partner’s grandchild.
• Brothers and sisters.
• Aunts and uncles.
• Nieces and nephews.
• Mother-in-law.
• Father-in-law.
• Grandparent-in-law.
• Brother-in-law.
• Sister-in-law.

Should your UK-based family member or extended family member be your spouse, civil partner, fiance, or proposed civil partner, then the relationship must have started before January 1st, 2022.

In exceptional circumstances, other family members may also be considered.

Family Members From The EU, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Switzerland, or Norway

If the applicant’s family members are from any of these countries, they may be eligible for an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit.

This is the case if the applying individual is a family member of someone living in the UK with a pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. To apply for this, however, the applicant needs to be outside of the UK.

Applicants do need to choose which type of application they will make, but they cannot apply for both the Ukraine Family Scheme and the EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit. Doing so would cause a delay in obtaining a decision on the application.

No matter what route the individual takes to apply to enter the UK, if the applicant is eligible, they can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme once they have arrived in the UK.

Checking How Family Members Can Apply

If you are in the UK and seek to aid your family members in coming to the UK, you should note that your family member can apply online on the gov.uk website. As their sponsor, you will need to give the relative your name, address, and passport number.

Alternatively, you can apply for a family member, although you will first need to acquire their permission to do so. It is best to be in communicative contact with them while you do the application to acquire all the necessary information.

What the migrant party needs to do will depend on whether or not they have their Ukrainian passport with them. Be mindful that it does not matter if their passport expires, just as long as it has an extension stamp on it.

Applying With A Ukrainian Passport

The family member will need to scan or take a photograph of their passport and then upload it when they are applying. When the application is done, they will receive confirmation, which will enable them to travel to the UK and stay for 6 months.

Once the migrant family member has arrived, they will have to book an appointment to have their biometrics taken to complete the application. Once the total application is completed, they will then receive permission to stay in the UK for 3 years from their arrival date.

Applying Without A Ukrainian Passport

The family members applying will have to attend an appointment at a visa application centre before they travel if they do not have their Ukrainian passports with them. When they apply, they can book an appointment.

The visa application centre will ask the family member to provide proof that they are related to you; this could be done using birth or marriage certificates. They will also ask for the family member to provide proof of the family member’s identity; this can be done using an ID card or a non-Ukrainian passport if they have one.

If it is possible, the family member should seek to scan or take photographs and then upload them on the visa application centre website before they attend their scheduled appointment.

The migrant family members’ documents may be in Ukrainian; if this is the case, it is best to have them translated into English. That being said, the applicant should still apply as soon as they possibly can; even if the documents have not yet been translated, they can always be uploaded later on.

Should your family member not have any evidence, it will be required for them to explain why this is the case. Visa Application Centres will likely accept their application as long as they have a good and valid reason why they cannot get any evidence.

It should also be noted that the Visa Application Centre will take the family members’ fingerprints and photos to generate their BRP (biometric residence permit). After this, the Visa Application Centre will generally inform the family member to return later to get the visa; this is the document that will enable them to enter the United Kingdom.

After The Application

If the applying party attended a visa application centre, they will need to return to the application centre they applied at to collect their visa.

The UK government is working to prioritise Ukraine Family Scheme applications and hopes to make decisions on these applications as quickly as they can. UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) will contact the applicant once a decision has been made on their application; this will include guidance and information regarding the process of travelling for the applicant.

The letter of decision that the applicant receives will inform them of whether or not they will need to collect a BRP (biometric residence permit) upon their arrival in the UK or if they will be required to give biometrics first upon their arrival.

Attending A Visa Application Centre

If the applicant attended a visa application centre as a part of their application, they will be granted a visa, which will allow the individual to board a plane or alternative transport to travel to the UK.

Applicants should not visit the Visa Application Centre to collect their visa until they have been contacted to collect the visa. BRPs can be picked up once in the UK; this is useable to confirm your rights and status in the UK.

Not Attending A Visa Application Centre

If the applicant did not attend a visa application centre as part of their application process, upon processing, UKVI will send the applicant an official permission letter that will confirm if they can travel to the UK.

This permission letter will enable the individual to board a plane or alternative transport form to get to the UK. If the applicant also makes use of the UK Immigration: ID Check app, they will be able to pick up their biometric residence permit upon their arrival in the UK.

If the applicant did not use the UK Immigration: ID Check app, they will have to submit biometrics within the 6-month timeframe of their arrival in the UK.