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Homes for Ukraine: council guides

Guides for councils to understand what checks are needed for potential sponsors and their accommodation, how to access and use Foundry and the council's role in the scheme.

What this guidance covers and definitions

These pages contain guidance for councils. This information does not replace or contradict their statutory duties or responsibilities of councils.

This guidance only applies to councils supporting the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in England. It does not apply to councils in Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales have published their own guidance for councils.

This guidance does not cover:

  • displaced people already in the UK
  • people transferring from visitor visas
  • people who arrived via the Ukraine Family Scheme

This guidance also does not cover children under 18 from Ukraine, who are not travelling with or joining a parent or legal guardian. You can find guidance for this cohort here:

Definitions of important terms

CMS refers to the Foundry case management system, which is where councils must record and manage all sponsor and guest data relating to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

DLUHC is the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Guest or guests refers to an individual or household previously resident in Ukraine, prior to 1 January 2022, who has secured a visa under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which enables them to be housed by a sponsor.

Host or hosts refers to an individual, group, or organisation who provides accommodation to people from Ukraine. A host does not need to be a sponsor.

Sponsor or sponsors refers to an individual, group, or organisation that has successfully completed a visa application with a person from Ukraine under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and has been approved to accommodate them. A sponsor may not always be a host.

Background and preparing for guests

Welfare and safety responsibilities

Rematching

Public services and community integration

Payments and funding

Data and case management system (CMS)

Published 16 January 2023
Last updated 3 April 2023 + show all updates
  1. Added links to Handling suspected fraud, and Regularising a child’s immigration status.

  2. First published.