Hosting someone already in the UK (rematching): Homes for Ukraine
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-21)

How to find a new guest that is already in the UK.

Your council might ask you to house a guest or group of guests that have left their first sponsor/host, either because their previous sponsor/host were no longer able to support them, or the initial sponsorship period has come to an end.

Sign-up to sponsor/host a Ukrainian in your local area

It is useful for councils to have a selection of potential sponsors/hosts available should a rematch in your local area be needed quickly.

You can register your interest (https://www.gov.uk/register-interest-homes-ukraine) to become a sponsor/host for someone already in the UK. This is a service for people who haven’t found a Ukrainian guest to sponsor/host yet.

Things to consider before sponsoring

You should think about what you need to know before you take in a guest.

Guests already living in the UK and wanting to ‘rematch’ usually need less support than someone just arriving in the country. Many guests have already found work and are settling into the area, making them more self-sufficient.

If you are asked through social media or a community group to sponsor/host a guest or family who is already in the UK, you need to contact your local council to make sure that they can make the necessary checks. You can search for your local council (https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council).

If you don’t do this, the rematch won’t be recognised as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and you won’t be eligible for the ‘thank you’ payment until the checks have been completed. Make sure you think about the potential risks if you sponsor/host a guest without any checks.

When guests transfer to new visas under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, at the end of their Homes for Ukraine visas, rematches will only be available where councils assess there is a material risk that a homelessness duty will arise.

Thank you payments

Until 1 April 2025, sponsors/hosts are eligible to receive thank you payments of £350 per household during the first 12 months of a guest’s arrival in the UK, this increases to £500 a month once guests have been in the UK for 12 months.

After 1 April 2025, sponsors/hosts will be eligible to receive £350 a month per household, irrespective of how long guests have been in the UK.

Eligible sponsors/hosts of those previously on Homes for Ukraine visas will be able to claim thank you payments of £350 a month, for the 18 months that guests are covered by the Ukraine Permission Extension visa. See further guidance if your guest is on the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-ukraine-permission-extension-scheme-guidance-for-sponsors).

There can only be one payment per residential address and in England it will be administered through your council.

As of 1 October 2024, close family members (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homes-for-ukraine-sponsor-guides) of Homes for Ukraine visa holders are not eligible to start claiming thank you payments. This applies to new arrivals and those who are already in the UK and move in with a close family member.

Sponsors/hosts who are closely related to their guests and are currently in receipt of thank you payments will no longer be eligible for thank you payments when the guests move to a Ukraine Permission Extension visa. This is in line with the changes we made for new applications for thank you payments from 1 October 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/becoming-a-sponsor-homes-for-ukraine#thank-you-payments).