In most recent news, tensions have been rising between Ukraine and Russia in their recent border conflict. On the 24 February 2022, Russia launched their attack on Ukraine, and as a result many Ukrainian nationals have been forced to flee their homes. Many Ukrainian nationals have been sleeping on the streets or in poor conditions as a result of the current war. 

The UK have responded to the growing rates of homelessness and risks to Ukrainian nationals and have offered some solutions, these are briefly explained below:

If you are a Ukrainian national and have family in the UK: you may be eligible under the Ukraine Family Scheme, which allows the family members of British nationals (or people in the UK with settled status) to come and stay in the UK. The application is free and applies to those who; 

• are looking to join or accompany a UK based family member
• they must be an immediate family member and; 
• they must have been residing in Ukraine on or immediately before 01 January 2022. 

If you are a Ukrainian national and do not have family in the UK: you may be eligible under the Local Sponsorship Scheme for Ukraine. This enables sponsors to support Ukrainian nationals who are forced to flee Ukraine to the UK. There is no limit on how many Ukrainian nationals can be supported under this scheme, and those under the scheme will be granted leave for 12 months. 

If you are a Ukrainian national and are already in the UK: if you are a Ukrainian national already in the UK on another type of visa, then you will have the option to extend your stay by extending your visa. The duration of how long a visa can be extended by is dependent on the type of visa that has previously been granted.