Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support Ukrainian nationals living in the UK whose right to (a) work and (b) rent expires before the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme comes into effect; and if her Department will issue guidance to (i) employers and (ii) landlords on ensuring that refugees with less than a year remaining on their permission are not denied the opportunity to (A) work and (B) rent property in the UK on this basis.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

To provide future certainty, Ukrainians who have been provided with sanctuary in the UK under the Ukraine schemes will be able to apply for further permission to remain in the UK through a bespoke Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme due to open in early 2025. The new route will provide an additional 18 months’ permission.

The scheme will provide the same rights and entitlements as the existing Ukraine Schemes, to access work, benefits, healthcare and education. Further details on eligibility and application processes will be available before the scheme opens.

We continue to work closely with relevant stakeholders to communicate these changes to landlords and employers, to support the stability of Ukrainian guests in these areas.

The Employer’s guide to right to work checks and the Landlord's guide to right to rent checks have been updated to reflect employment and renting of Ukrainian nationals. Updates have included advising of schemes which are now closed, and changes made to the Homes for Ukraine scheme which means some visa holders, who applied to the scheme after the 19 February 2024, will have 18 months permission to remain in the UK.