Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to withdraw the 'thank you' payments to sponsors of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Thank you payments remain in place for sponsors of Ukrainian guests under the Homes for Ukraine (HfU) scheme. As the first HfU visas are coming to an end, guests will be eligible to apply for a Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) visa for a further 18 months. To thank them for their continued generosity, thank you payments for eligible sponsors will be extended for guests previously on HfU who move to a UPE visa.
To fund this extended support for HfU guests moving to the UPE scheme, from 1 April 2025, thank you payments will be paid at a flat rate of £350 per month for all sponsors of guests on HfU and UPE visas, regardless of how long guests have been in the UK.
Following this additional 18 month period, thank you payments will end. This is designed to empower guests to live independently, with enough time for guests and sponsors to plan for next steps, including to secure independent accommodation if needed or convert a sponsorship to a lodging arrangement.
To support this transition, we are signposting sponsors to the Government’s ‘rent a room’ scheme for those who wish to convert their lodging arrangements with their sponsors. If sponsors move to an arrangement where they charge rent, they will no longer be eligible for thank you payments.