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Overview of the scheme

Support available for refugees

  • Refugees will receive a singular £200 subsistence payment per individual after a welcome visit has been completed to enable them to settle and purchase essentials.
  • All refugees can apply for Universal Credit, if yourself as a host is unable to put this into place for your guests, our H.E.L.P charity is able to assist.
  • If you require specific help to support your refugees, please see the information below on our H.E.L.P charity who are able to assist, or email directly to homesforukraine@peterborough.gov.uk.

Welcome email

Once the Homes For Ukraine team receives a newly matched sponsor and guest on their system, we send a welcome email to the sponsor. This email contains all relevant information on the sponsorship process and arrival process.

It also indicates the necessary requirements such as a DBS and accommodation check which all sponsors must complete.

H.E.L.P Empower Lives in Peterborough (H.E.L.P)

  • H.E.L.P works in conjunction with the City Council as the main point of contact for new arrivals, looking out for their welfare and supporting their integration for at least the first year.
  • The charity provides many different points of support and opportunities for all Ukrainian refugees. For example, they can assist with forms, such as school admissions and universal credit, English lessons, mental health, food and any arising safety concerns.
  • When your refugees arrive to your property, help will conduct a welcome visit to help settle into the property, any urgent needs and assistance will be taken care of. Once the welcome visit has been conducted, your refugees will receive their £200 payment via a Post Office Voucher to their direct email.
  • Visit the H.E.L.P. Charity Website to find out more

If you would like to contact H.E.L.P directly, please see below for their contact details.

Welcome packs

Listed below are welcome packs provided by Peterborough City Council. There are English and Ukrainian versions available.

They detail instructions and contact references in case of any uncertainties. If you are still unsure, you can contact the Homes For Ukraine team via homesforukraine@peterborough.gov.uk

English (opens in Google docs) and Ukrainian (opens in Google docs)

More information is available:

The hosting process

  • You are named on a visa application through the Homes for Ukraine scheme by one or more refugees that you intend to host for a minimum of six months.
  • The visa application is processed, and information is shared with your local authority (Peterborough City Council)
  • We will organise an accommodation check through our housing service to confirm that the property is suitable accommodation for the guests
  • We will facilitate DBS checks for all individuals aged 16+ in the hosting household. If you are hosting guests over the age of 18, this will require a basic DBS. Those that are under the age of 18 and a minor, will require an enhanced DBS.
  • When the DBS check is confirmed as clear and you have confirmed the arrival of your guests, for hosts that are interested in receiving monthly Thank you payments (£350), we will look to process these in arrears, on the first of each month. There is one payment per household and the payment is not related to the number of refugees being hosted.

Should there be any issues with the accommodation check or any safeguarding issues, these will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Arrivals

  • We need you as hosts and / or refugees to notify us once any individuals arrive. We know that the speculative arrival dates on the visa forms may change for various reasons. Please just email homesforukraine@peterborough.gov.uk when they have arrived.
  • Following your confirmation of arrival, we will arrange a welcome visit via H.E.L.P to visit you and your new arrival(s). It is at this time we will initiate the £200 welcome payment to each guest. Any individuals with care needs can receive needs assessments at this visit or a subsequent visit.
  • You can visit H.E.L.P prior to your guest arriving and once they have arrived, we would encourage you to reach out to H.E.L.P to see all they have going on that week. You can also take your guests to St Olga’s at 67 New Rd, Woodston, Peterborough PE2 9HD on Sundays to meet others from the local Ukrainian Community.

Visa application

  • Unfortunately, the Local Authority cannot assist with visa queries. The Local Authority only have the ability to view the status of visa applications i.e. (‘pending’, ‘approved’ or ‘missing application details’.
  • We cannot see details or the reasons for the delays to applications
  • Visa queries need to be directed to the Home Office, you can contact them on the free 24 hour helpline if you need help:

Ukraine helpline

  • Telephone: + 44 808 164 8810
  • Telephone: +44 (0)175 390 7510 (if you cannot contact UK 0808 numbers)

The helpline is open 7 days a week. Alternatively, please visit UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals (GOV.UK website) for more information.

Any other queries

If you cannot find the relevant information you are looking for, please email your queries to homesforukraine@peterborough.gov.uk.

Frequently asked questions

The Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme asks members of the public to offer space in their homes for those fleeing the war. This will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety – including those with no family ties to the country: Here is a link which details the launch of the scheme: Homes for Ukraine (GOV.UK website.

The Ukraine Family Scheme (GOV.UK website) allows family members of British nationals, UK settled persons and certain others to come to or stay in the UK.

This scheme is separate to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please submit your application on the GOV.UK website.

Once the home office has approved all the visa applications that apply to your accommodation, you can then expect to be contacted by the council regarding your accommodation check and DBS check. Before this can happen, the Home Office must carry out their security checks before we can receive your details.

The Visa application process can take some time to complete, please understand that we have no means of being able to make this quicker.

Once we, have received notification of the approval of the Visa application for your guests we will work as fast as we can to complete the following steps of the process, in expectation of your guest's arrival.

Please be assured that we will be in contact with you in the near future to start the DBS and Housing Checks after you have completed the Visa application.

Yes, a DBS check is a requirement under the terms and conditions of becoming a sponsor within this scheme. This will be completed by someone from the council who will be in touch with you once we have received your information from the Home Office.

Our housing services will contact you directly in order to arrange an accommodation check with you. This is an in-person visit to check whether your property is suitable for your proposed guests. 

For the sponsors that have opted to receive the £350 thank you payment, you will receive this on the first of every month, in arrears.

For example, if your guests arrive on 10 August, you will receive your 21 days August payment on the 1 September, and then the 1st of every month following that.

This will be sent into your bank account, with the details that you have provided us.

The Homes for Ukraine team ask politely that you notify us of your guests' arrival. This is highly important so that we are able to schedule a welcome visit, in order for your guests to receive their payment.

Once a welcome visit has been conducted, your guests will receive £200 per individual. This is sent as a Post Office voucher directly to their personal emails. In order to redeem this, you will need to take the voucher and some identification to a local post office, where you will then receive the cash sum.

Published: 06 September 2024