Gloucestershire Homes for Ukraine sponsor guide
Download the Gloucestershire Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Guide or read through the information tabs below.
We have also produced a Welcome to Gloucestershire information pack for Ukrainian guests.
Thank you for offering your home to someone in need. The generosity of people across the county in providing safety and refuge to those fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine reflects the very best of our county.
We are working with the district councils; the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group; Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS) and other partners to support sponsors and guests through the Gloucestershire Housing Partnership.
This guidance is being issued by the Gloucestershire Housing Partnership for those who have registered as sponsors in the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in Gloucestershire.
We are still receiving updates and information from central government regarding the scheme; requirements for sponsors; and how local authorities are expected to help.
As more information becomes available, we will continue to update this guide. It should be read alongside the national guidance for sponsors.
Please read this Advice for Host Families pack produced by Barnardos and their partners. It contains more information about Ukraine culture differences and how to support someone suffering from traumatic experiences.
- I have registered as a sponsor but do not know any Ukrainian applicants
- Can I sponsor a young person or child from the Ukraine to live with me?
- I am a sponsor and have a match. What happens next?
- Should I tell the local council my guest is on their way/has arrived?
- I have a match and have put it on the system, but no one has contacted me
- What standards will my property be checked against?
- How will I know the person undertaking a Property Check is from the council?
- What happens if problems are found?
- Providing privacy and security to your guest
- When will I receive my “Thank You” payment?
- What will happen during an Initial Welcome Visit?
- Who needs to be present for an Initial Welcome Visit?
- Will the person visiting speak the same language as my guest?
- What financial support is my Guest entitled to?
- How will my guest be helped to settle into life in the UK, and what can I do?
- How can I help my guest find a place in a local school?
- How to access medical care and what to do
- Press, media and social media
- Introducing your guest to your friends and neighbours, including on social media
- Why is the person visiting my home from a charity and not the council?
- What English-language training is available?
- Opening a bank account
- What should I do if I have concerns about a child or adult’s wellbeing?
- Help with immigration issues, including Biometric Residence Permits
- Newsletters to sponsors
- Housing options
I have a match and have put it on the system, but no one has contacted me from the local authority to do the property check or DBS check. Will this delay my guest from being able to travel?
No. The visa application process is being run by the Home Office and starts as soon as you have entered your own and your guest’s details on the system. Locally, we will then be sent your information. However, the visa process does NOT need the local property or DBS checks to have been started/completed for a visa to be issued. We already have families arriving in Gloucestershire, and where we know of these, we are prioritising visiting and calling them. The process of local DBS and property checks is independent of the visa process.
If your guest needs to contact the Home Office regarding Visas:
Telephone: + 44 808 164 8810 (or +44 175390 7510 if you can’t use 0808 numbers) – select option 1
7 days a week, 24 hours a day