Refugee Sponsorship Route (announced)

I am a refugee outside the UK

Protection information and referral are different from an application

There is no self-application process for UNHCR resettlement. For protection concerns or resettlement information, contact UNHCR in your country of asylum, not its UK office. Registration does not guarantee consideration or referral; the resettlement country makes the admission decision. UNHCR: resettlement and protection information.

• Find UNHCR information for your country

We are a community group or charity

Existing Community Sponsorship is separate from the new named model

For existing Community Sponsorship, a group can work through an eligible charity or community interest company rather than creating its own organisation. Prepare local-authority consent, safeguarding, training and a resettlement support plan through the Home Office approval process. Existing Community Sponsorship: sponsor requirements.

Plan who will help the family register with a GP and schools, access benefits, learn English and become independent. Existing-scheme support responsibilities generally last one year; the housing responsibility lasts two years. Existing Community Sponsorship: sponsor requirements.

Existing-scheme funding: at least £9,000 available for the sponsorship project. This is sponsor funding evidence, not a refugee visa fee or an all-in budget. Suitable accommodation must be available for at least two years; that is a housing commitment, not a visa duration. Do not transfer these figures to the announced named route. Existing Community Sponsorship: sponsor requirements.

The existing application guidance lists the signed form, local-authority permission, housing evidence for full approval, ring-fenced funding and complaints-policy confirmation. Use that checklist to prepare the existing-scheme application, not as a new-route accreditation form. Existing Community Sponsorship: application guidance.

• Existing Community Sponsorship forms and support

We are a university or employer

Announced study and work routes: check accreditation before acting

The July answer says lead organisations must apply for Home Office accreditation, with criteria to follow. It expects the refugee work route in 2027. An existing Student or Skilled Worker sponsor licence should not be treated as confirmed accreditation for these new frameworks. Home Office answer, 9 July 2026.

The announced model involves organisational lead sponsors, university sponsorship and a named community route outside UKRS. The Home Office describes UNHCR partnership and biometric, criminality and health checks. Naming someone does not itself establish their eligibility or admission. Home Office announcement, 30 June 2026.

• Separate existing Student route — its own rules
• Separate existing Skilled Worker route — its own rules

I want a family member to join me

Refugee family reunion is not Community Sponsorship

GOV.UK says new refugee family-reunion applications are no longer accepted. Applications made before 3pm on 4 September 2025 will still be processed. A family visa may be a separate possibility, but has its own requirements; sponsorship news does not create a replacement family-reunion entitlement. Seek regulated advice about your particular circumstances. GOV.UK: refugee family reunion and earlier applications.

• Separate family-visa information — not an eligibility decision

I am a Ukrainian applicant or sponsor

Homes for Ukraine has its own application service

Homes for Ukraine is separate from the announced refugee routes. It covers qualifying Ukrainian nationals and immediate family members, outside the UK, with an eligible sponsor. The residence condition is living in Ukraine on or immediately before 1 January 2022, with an exception for children born after that date. Children have additional consent, travel and sponsorship rules. Check the official eligibility sections before using its application service. GOV.UK: Homes for Ukraine eligibility and application.