UK Immigration Routes for Ukrainians: Your Options in 2026

Ukraine and UK immigration in 2026: what you need to know first

The UK government introduced several bespoke immigration routes for Ukrainian nationals from 2022 onwards in response to the conflict. Those routes are not a single scheme; they are separate, with different eligibility criteria, different conditions of leave, and different long-term consequences. Understanding which route applies to you, which are currently open, and what each one leads to is the starting point for any sensible immigration planning.

This page maps the four main routes relevant to Ukrainian nationals in 2026: the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, the Ukraine Permission Extension, the Ukraine Family Scheme, and the Appendix FM partner route. For each route it tells you the current status (open or closed), the key conditions, and what it leads to. It does not replace gov.uk, which is the authoritative source for the current rules, and we flag below where rules have changed or are likely to change.

Glasgow and the west of Scotland hosted a significant number of Ukrainians under the Homes for Ukraine scheme from 2022 onwards. Glasgow City Council, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire all had active hosting programmes. Many Ukrainians who came to Glasgow under those early placements are now building longer-term lives in the city, and many Glasgow families and organisations continue to sponsor new arrivals. This page is for all of them.

Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme is currently open to new applications. It is free to apply and requires an approved UK-based sponsor. The sponsor does not need to be a family member. They must be assessed and approved by their local council, which checks the property and carries out safety checks. Glasgow City Council has a dedicated Homes for Ukraine team and has processed a large number of sponsorship applications since the scheme opened.

A successful application grants permission to live, work and study in the UK and to access public funds for up to 18 months. The grant is temporary. It is not settlement and does not automatically lead to settlement. When the 18 months of permission runs out, the holder needs to have applied for an extension or moved onto a different route to remain lawfully in the UK.

Who can apply under Homes for Ukraine

The scheme is for Ukrainian nationals and their immediate close family members. Applicants must have a confirmed, approved UK-based sponsor. Both the sponsor and the applicant must meet the scheme requirements. We advise on the current eligibility criteria and what both parties need to prepare, including any document complications that arise from wartime conditions in Ukraine.

The sponsorship requirement in Glasgow

Glasgow and the surrounding area have an active and experienced host and sponsor community built up since 2022. Local councils across the west of Scotland are familiar with the Homes for Ukraine process. If you are in Glasgow and considering becoming a sponsor, or if you are a Ukrainian national with a Glasgow-based sponsor, the process is well-established in this area. We advise on what sponsors and applicants each need to prepare and submit.

The key point about sponsors is that they must have been assessed and formally approved before the application is made. A sponsor who has not been through the council approval process cannot support a Homes for Ukraine application. We advise sponsors on the preparation and what to expect from the council checks.

What Homes for Ukraine grants you

A successful Homes for Ukraine application grants you permission to be in the UK for up to 18 months. During that time you can:

• Live in the UK with your sponsor (or, in later phases of the scheme, in your own accommodation in some cases)
• Work for any employer without restriction
• Study at a UK educational institution
• Access the National Health Service
• Access public funds including benefits and housing support

The scheme does not lead to settlement directly. After 18 months you need to extend via the Ukraine Permission Extension or move onto another route.

Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE)

The Ukraine Permission Extension scheme opened on 4 February 2025. It is for people who are already in the UK with permission under one of the original Ukraine schemes and want to extend their stay. If your Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme, or other Ukraine-scheme permission is running out, the UPE is the primary route to extend it.

A successful UPE application grants a further period of around 18 months of permission in the UK, with the same rights to work, study and access public funds as the original grant. The UPE is not available to people who have never held a Ukraine scheme visa. It is also not a route to settlement in itself.

Who can use the UPE

The UPE is for Ukrainian nationals and their family members who are in the UK on permission under one of the original Ukraine schemes, whose permission is due to expire, and who want to remain in the UK. The key eligibility condition is that you must already be in the UK with Ukraine-scheme leave. If you have let your leave lapse, the UPE position changes significantly and you should take urgent advice.

When to apply for UPE

You should apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension before your current permission expires, not after. If your leave expires before you apply, you will be in the UK without valid leave, which creates complications for any future applications and can affect your record with the Home Office. We recommend starting the UPE preparation at least three months before your current leave runs out.

Many Ukrainians in Glasgow who arrived under early 2022 Homes for Ukraine placements are now approaching or have already used their first UPE. The question of what comes next after UPE, whether a further extension will be available or whether another route is needed, is one we advise on as part of the longer-term planning conversation. The scheme rules have been updated before and may be updated again.

Ukraine Family Scheme: closed

The Ukraine Family Scheme was one of the original bespoke routes introduced in response to the conflict. It was for close family members of British nationals, people settled in the UK, or people with pre-settled status. It is now closed to new applications. It closed in 2024.

If you already have leave in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme, the Ukraine Permission Extension is the relevant route for extending your stay. If you do not have leave under this scheme, you cannot apply for it now. We mention it here because many Ukrainians and Glasgow sponsors still ask about it, and the answer is that it is no longer available to new applicants.

The Appendix FM Spouse Visa: the partner route

The Appendix FM Spouse Visa is the standard UK family route for the husband, wife or civil partner of a British citizen or settled person. It is not a bespoke Ukraine scheme. It has always existed, it applies to all nationalities, and it leads to Indefinite Leave to Remain after five continuous years.

For Ukrainian nationals who are married to a British or settled partner, the Spouse Visa may be the right longer-term route. The key differences from the Ukraine schemes are:

• It requires the sponsor (the UK partner) to earn at least £29,000 a year or hold qualifying savings of £88,500.
• The Ukrainian applicant must demonstrate English at CEFR level A1 in speaking and listening (the Ukraine schemes have no English requirement).
• The application fee is from £2,064 for entry clearance, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge of approximately £3,105 for a 33-month grant (the Ukraine schemes are free).
• Ukraine is on the Home Office TB testing list, so the TB test requirement applies in principle, with flexibility where wartime conditions have made attendance genuinely difficult.
• It leads to Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years and then British citizenship, which the Ukraine schemes do not provide a direct path to.

Many Ukrainians in Glasgow who came under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and have since married their Glasgow host or met a British partner are considering the Spouse Visa as the right longer-term route. Whether to apply for the Spouse Visa, when to apply, and whether to switch from inside the UK or apply from outside, are questions that require individual advice. Our dedicated Spouse Visa for Ukrainian nationals page covers the partner route in full. For the full partner-route rules that apply to all nationalities, see our Spouse Visa guide.

Which route is right for you

The four routes can be summarised as follows:

• Homes for Ukraine: open, free, needs an approved sponsor, grants 18 months, no English or income requirement, temporary, does not lead directly to settlement.
• Ukraine Permission Extension: open (since 4 February 2025), free, for people already on a Ukraine scheme visa, grants around 18 months, no English or income requirement, temporary, does not lead directly to settlement.
• Ukraine Family Scheme: closed to new applications since 2024.
• Appendix FM Spouse Visa: open, requires a British or settled partner, costs from £2,064 plus IHS, requires £29,000 sponsor income and A1 English, leads to ILR after five years and then citizenship.

None of these routes overlaps with the asylum system. They are all distinct from refugee protection, and we do not represent asylum claims or asylum appeals. If you are seeking asylum, you need different advice from an organisation that covers that area of law.

Switching between routes

Moving from one route to another, for example from a Homes for Ukraine visa to the Appendix FM partner route, is possible in some circumstances but requires careful timing and the right sequence of applications. The two most common transitions we advise on in Glasgow are:

From Homes for Ukraine or UPE to the Spouse Visa

If you are in the UK on a Homes for Ukraine or UPE visa and you are married to or in a civil partnership with a British or settled person, you may be able to switch to the Appendix FM partner route from inside the UK without leaving the country. This is called an in-country switch. The in-country grant runs for 30 months rather than 33 months.

To switch in-country you must meet all the Appendix FM partner-route requirements: the relationship requirement, the £29,000 financial requirement, the A1 English requirement, the accommodation requirement, and the suitability requirement. Whether the conditions of your current leave permit the switch requires individual advice. We confirm eligibility, plan the timing, and prepare the switch application. The key is to apply before your current leave expires, not after. See our Spouse Visa for Ukrainian nationals page for the full partner-route detail.

From UPE toward longer-term status

If you are not in a relationship that qualifies you for the Spouse Visa, your longer-term options depend on individual circumstances and what routes are available at the time your UPE permission runs out. Options may include a work route if you have a job offer from a licensed sponsor, or other family routes if applicable. We advise on the realistic options at the route assessment consultation.

Glasgow and the Ukrainian community

Glasgow took in a significant number of Ukrainians under the Homes for Ukraine scheme from spring 2022. Glasgow City Council coordinated hundreds of placements, with hosts across the city from Partick to Pollokshields, from the West End to the Southside. East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire also ran active hosting programmes. Many Ukrainians who arrived in Glasgow under those early placements have now been in the city for several years, with children settled in local schools, adults in employment, and community connections built across the city.

Glasgow’s Ukrainian community has organised around several community groups and cultural organisations. The city’s Ukrainian diaspora, including those who were living in Glasgow before 2022 as well as the more recent arrivals, is now well-established. West of Scotland Ukrainian cultural organisations, community groups and local churches have provided support networks that continue to be active.

The immigration questions facing this community have evolved since 2022. Early questions were about getting to the UK safely. Later questions were about extending leave and understanding the scheme rules. Now, in 2026, many questions are about longer-term status: what happens when UPE runs out, whether the partner route is an option, what settlement might look like, and what the realistic path to a more permanent footing in the UK involves.

We are a Glasgow-based immigration advisory practice. Our office serves the west of Scotland, and we are familiar with the practical and documentary complications that Ukrainian applicants face, including the difficulty of obtaining civil records from regions affected by the conflict and the experience of wartime displacement that some clients have been through. We advise on immigration law. We do not presume to understand the personal circumstances of every family, but we do know the immigration rules that apply to Ukrainian nationals in 2026, and we explain them plainly.

Wartime document difficulties

One of the most consistent practical challenges for Ukrainian applicants is obtaining the civil documents that immigration applications require. A Ukrainian marriage certificate, a birth certificate, a record of civil registration: these are held by civil status authorities across Ukraine, some of which are in areas affected by the conflict, and some of which have been displaced, damaged or destroyed.

The Home Office is aware that wartime conditions create genuine document difficulties for Ukrainian applicants, and it has, in various contexts, applied flexibility where an applicant can demonstrate that obtaining a document is genuinely impossible rather than merely inconvenient. This flexibility is not automatic, it is not guaranteed, and it does not mean you can simply omit documents from an application without explanation. It means that where an honest and evidenced account is given of why a document cannot be obtained, the Home Office has discretion to consider alternatives.

We advise Ukrainian clients on how to approach document gaps in their specific circumstances: what alternatives the Home Office may accept, how to frame the circumstances clearly and honestly in the application, and what evidence of the difficulty itself is helpful to include. The key principle is transparency. An unexplained gap in a document bundle is always worse than an explained one.

For the Ukrainian marriage certificate specifically, the standard document is the civil registration certificate issued by the relevant civil status authority. Where the relevant records office is in an inaccessible area or where the applicant was displaced before the marriage was formally registered, we advise on the alternative approaches. The same principle applies to other civil documents. We do not advise clients to submit documents that are false, incomplete or misleading; we advise them on how to present the genuine situation they are in.

Tuberculosis testing for Ukrainian applicants

Ukraine is on the Home Office tuberculosis testing list. In principle, applicants who have been living in a listed country for six months or more must provide a TB test certificate from a Home Office approved clinic as part of a visa application for more than six months.

The conflict in Ukraine has created practical difficulties for many Ukrainian applicants when it comes to attending approved TB clinics. The Home Office has applied flexibility in circumstances where the conflict has genuinely prevented attendance. This does not mean the TB test is waived for all Ukrainian applicants. It means the Home Office considers the individual circumstances when flexibility is claimed and evidenced.

The practical position for a Ukrainian applicant depends on where they are currently located, what access they have to approved clinics in that location, and the current Home Office guidance at the time of application. We confirm the TB test position at the assessment and advise on what evidence is needed. Do not assume the test is not required, and do not assume it is impossible to obtain. The answer is individual, not universal.

For Ukrainian applicants who are already in the UK under a scheme visa, the TB test question may have already been addressed in the original application. For those applying from outside the UK for the first time, it is one of the early questions we address in every assessment.

Information for Glasgow sponsors

If you are a Glasgow-based sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, or are considering becoming a sponsor, this section is for you.

A Homes for Ukraine sponsor must be assessed and approved by their local council before the Ukrainian national can apply. Glasgow City Council has a Homes for Ukraine team. The council checks the accommodation, carries out Disclosure Scotland checks, and confirms the sponsor’s suitability. Once approved, the sponsor is named in the Ukrainian national’s application.

Sponsors take on practical responsibilities, including providing accommodation and support during the initial settlement period. The government pays sponsors a “thank you” payment as a contribution toward the costs of hosting. Sponsors are not responsible for the legal immigration process, but we advise sponsors on what documentation they need to prepare for the application and what to expect at each stage.

Some Glasgow sponsors ask us whether their Ukrainian guest can switch from the Homes for Ukraine visa to a longer-term route. If the Ukrainian national is married to or in a relationship with a British or settled person, the Spouse Visa may be an option. If the Ukrainian national is in employment, a work route may be available. If neither applies, the UPE is the primary extension route. We advise both sponsors and their Ukrainian guests on the options.

Longer-term settlement options

The Ukraine schemes are temporary. They do not directly lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain. This is one of the most frequently asked questions we receive from Ukrainian nationals in Glasgow, and it is worth answering plainly.

Currently, the routes to settled status in the UK for Ukrainian nationals are the same routes available to any other nationality: the Appendix FM family route after five years, the Skilled Worker route after five years, and other routes with their own qualifying periods. There is no Ukraine-specific pathway to settlement as of 2026-06-08.

This means that a Ukrainian national on a Homes for Ukraine visa who wants to settle in the UK permanently needs to transition onto one of those standard routes at some point, and ideally to plan that transition before their scheme leave runs out rather than after. The options and the timing depend on individual circumstances. For those on the partner route, our Indefinite Leave to Remain page covers the ILR process. For those on the EU Settlement Scheme (for Ukrainian nationals who also hold EU citizenship), our EU Settlement Scheme page is relevant.

We strongly recommend taking advice on longer-term settlement planning well before your current leave expires. The Home Office does not give second chances to applicants who let their leave run out without a plan. Glasgow clients who started their settlement planning early consistently have better outcomes than those who wait until the last moment.

What this service does not cover

This page covers the bespoke Ukraine schemes and the Appendix FM partner route. We are clear about the scope of our advice, because it matters.

We advise on these routes and prepare applications. We do not represent asylum claims or asylum appeals. Asylum is a separate system, with separate rules, separate decision-making, and separate appeal rights. If you are seeking asylum in the UK, you need advice from a representative who is authorised and experienced in asylum law. For tribunal appeals on immigration matters, we advise on merits and refer to a qualified representative for the hearing itself.

We also do not advise on criminal law, employment law or housing law, even where those matters arise alongside an immigration question. Where clients have questions in those areas, we refer them to the appropriate professionals.

Fees and costs for Ukraine scheme applications

The Homes for Ukraine scheme application and the Ukraine Permission Extension are both free. There is no Home Office application fee and no Immigration Health Surcharge for these routes. This is one of the significant differences from the Appendix FM Spouse Visa, which carries an entry-clearance fee of from £2,064 plus the IHS of approximately £3,105 for a 33-month grant.

There may still be costs for document translation, TB test attendance where required, and travel to a visa application centre where the applicant is outside the UK and needs to submit biometrics. We advise on the expected costs for each route at the initial assessment.

Our advisory and application preparation fees are charged separately and agreed in advance. We charge fixed fees, not hourly rates, so you know the cost before any work starts. The initial route assessment consultation is the starting point. See the packages section above for current pricing.

How to check the current rules

The Ukraine scheme rules have changed several times since 2022. The Homes for Ukraine scheme has been extended, the Ukraine Permission Extension was added in 2025, and the Ukraine Family Scheme closed. Further changes are possible.

The authoritative source for the current rules is gov.uk. The pages to check are the Homes for Ukraine guidance, the Ukraine Permission Extension guidance, and the Immigration Rules (particularly the Ukraine-specific appendices). We update our advice to reflect the current rules at the time of each assessment. The dates and facts on this page reflect the position as of 2026-06-08; if you are reading this later, confirm the current position at gov.uk or with us directly before relying on it.

Other routes that may be relevant

Depending on your individual circumstances, other UK immigration routes may be relevant to Ukrainian nationals:

• Skilled Worker visa: if you have a job offer from a licensed UK employer and your occupation is on the eligible list, the Skilled Worker route may apply. There are income thresholds and skills requirements. This is a separate and distinct route from the Ukraine schemes and leads to ILR after five years.
• EU Settlement Scheme: Ukrainian nationals who also hold EU citizenship (for example, those with dual Ukrainian-Polish nationality) may have rights under the EU Settlement Scheme if they were resident in the UK before 31 December 2020. Late applications need reasonable grounds. See our EU Settlement Scheme page for details.
• Student visa: Ukrainian students admitted to a UK university or college on an approved course may be eligible for the Student visa. This is a separate route governed by Appendix Student of the Immigration Rules.
• Spouse Visa (Appendix FM): as described above, for Ukrainians married to or in a civil partnership with a British or settled person. Full details at our Spouse Visa for Ukrainian nationals page and our Spouse Visa guide.

How UK Visa Assistance helps Ukrainians and their sponsors

UK Visa Assistance is a Glasgow immigration practice. We advise Ukrainian nationals and their UK-based sponsors on which immigration route applies to their circumstances, what the current rules are, and what they need to prepare. We prepare Homes for Ukraine applications, Ukraine Permission Extension applications, and Appendix FM partner-route applications. We advise on switching between routes and on longer-term settlement planning.

Our office is in Glasgow and we serve clients across the city, Paisley, Renfrew, East Kilbride, East Renfrewshire and the wider west of Scotland. We work with Ukrainian applicants wherever they are, whether in Ukraine, an EU country, or already in the UK under a scheme visa. Most case preparation is done by phone, video and secure document exchange.

Fees are fixed and agreed before any work begins. The starting point is an initial route assessment consultation, where we confirm which route applies to your circumstances and give you a written summary. To book a free initial assessment, call 0141 496 0321 or request a callback.