I know we still have many Ukrainians living in Brentwood and Ongar, who moved here almost three years ago after the Russian invasion of their country. On 18 February 2024, the UK government announced that existing Ukraine scheme visa holders will be able to apply for permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under a new Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE).
The UPE scheme opened to applications on 4 February 2025. A Ukrainian national, or the family member of a Ukrainian national, living in the UK with existing permission on one of the Ukraine schemes, may be eligible to apply for UPE to continue living in the UK for up to a further 18 months.
It will be free to apply to the new visa route. Eligible individuals will need to make an application online. If the application is successful, Ukrainians will be able to continue to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds.
You can find out more about the scheme here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/applying-to-the-ukraine-permission-extension-scheme
