Shropshire Council

FAQs

According to the guidance for councils Ukrainian guests will be entitled to £200 each for subsistence costs as it will be some time before they get any universal credit payments. How will this will be paid and do they have to claim it?

  • If you're a host and your guests have arrived in Shropshire please notify us using the online form
  • The information requested in this form will be used for both the £200 emergency payment for guests and also for the monthly £350 payment to hosts

Who will be coordinating local integration support?

This is being managed by Shropshire Council in conjunction with Shropshire Supports Refugees.

I will of course get the people staying with me registered at the GP. Should they need mental health support will this be organised centrally or via my local GP?

You'll need to seek guidance from the GP you register with regarding this.

How do I apply for universal credit?

You can apply for universal credit online. If you need help with this please look at pages 12 and 13 of the DWP support guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has access to translation services if you'd prefer to claim over the phone but need help, and also has staff available at local job centres to help you make a claim online. Please visit your local job centre to use this service. 

You'll need:

  • Your bank, building society or credit union account details. It's important not to delay making your claim, or you may miss out on some money. Please don’t wait until you have a bank account to make your claim, as you can verify your bank details face to face at a later date. If you don't have a bank account yet, enter zeros in under the bank account details online so your claim can start being looked into  
  • An email address
  • Access to a phone

You'll also need to verify your identity by providing ID. For example:

  • A full or provisional Ukraine photo driving licence
  • Any national identity card, except those issued under the UK ID Card Scheme
  • A residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating permanent residence issued by the Home Office or the United Kingdom Border Agency to a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland
  • A biometric residence permit issued by the United Kingdom Border Agency

I don’t know how to open a bank account, can I get help to do this?

Please look at page 11 of the DWP support guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK. Further to this, following Home Office guidance, all major banks will apply flexibility around proof of address and other supporting documentation requirements in the account opening process. The following banks have set up dedicated pages to support Ukrainian nationals: 

  • NatWest  
  • Royal Bank of Scotland  
  • Ulster Bank Northern Ireland  
  • Virgin Money UK

My host family have offered to pay their £350 monthly payment to me. Will this affect my benefit?

Yes, your universal credit (UC) payments will be reduced if you accept these payments.

Do scheme applicants need a new DBS check?

Yes, a new DBS check is required by hosts regardless of the time that has elapsed since any current DBS check was done.

Our advice in relation to DBS checks/positions is that if a previous DBS check was undertaken for a role other than 'Host of Ukrainian guest(s)' a further check would be needed.

The reasoning behind this is that each DBS check has to be based on the nature and responsibilities of each individual role, and this is considered by both the DBS and police when reviewing criminal convictions and history.

DBS checks need to be completed through Shropshire Council. If you've paid for them yourselves through either the government site or another site this will not be accepted by us, and reimbursement will not be available from us for it. All DBS’s for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme need to be completed through the Shropshire Council DBS team.

If you have applied for the scheme and haven’t received a request to complete the online DBS application form please send your full name and email address details through to HomesforUkraine@shropshire.gov.uk.

Find our more about the DBS process.

  • If you have a query regarding your DBS check please contact @HomesforUkraine
  • Please note that we're following guidance regarding DBS checks and the information requested is mandated to us, we have no say in it

Is Shropshire Council responsible for doing the biometric residence permits for all Ukrainian guests?

As individuals applied whilst out of the country they will have been given a named post office branch to collect their biometric residence permit from.

Is additional funding available to schools, GPs, dentists etc to cover people arriving under the Family Scheme?

No, there is no additional funding for the Family Scheme available.

Is it possible for Ukrainian families to attend English / ESOL classes in Shropshire?

We want to encourage all Ukrainian guests who are interested in English language / ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) classes to complete our survey as soon as possible. This is to find out what people's requirements are for English classes, and where they can access them. We'll then use the survey responses to work with partners to tailor the classes currently being run in Shropshire.

Are there any concessionary fares or free travel offers for Ukrainian refugees?

Yes. Find out more from our travel pages.

Do Ukrainian families who have fled the war qualify for free school meals?

Given that the families are likely to have arrived without independent means of supporting themselves financially, they're being strongly advised to apply for universal credit as soon as they arrive. Once this is confirmed they'll be able to formally apply for FSMs. However, the confirmation of the benefit entitlement is not likely to come through ahead of children taking up their school place.   

Schools are therefore being asked to provide the Ukrainian children with FSMs from day 1 of their arrival in school, in the expectation that their entitlement to universal credit and subsequent confirmed eligibility for FSMs, following receipt of the application, will follow in due course. If we're advised that a family is not entitled to FSMs, the school will be notified immediately at which point the provision of FSMs can cease.   

Schools are not being mandated to do this but will hopefully support this approach given the exceptional circumstances in which these families are arriving in our county.

How do I get a visa?

Are Ukrainian driving licences valid in the UK?

You can use your Ukrainian driving licence for the first 12 months after you arrive. You’ll then need to exchange it for a British licence.

For more information take a look at the Gov.UK website.

Are Ukrainian parents entitled to free childcare?

All 3 to 4-year-olds in England can get 570 free hours per year. It’s usually taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year, but you can choose to take fewer hours over more weeks. Find out more from the Gov.UK website.

My guests have arrived but their passports were not stamped as they went through the airport. What should I do?

Contact the duty officer from the airport your guests arrived at (example – Dutyofficermanchesterairport@homeoffice.gov.uk) and ask for an in-person appointment for the stamp to be provided retrospectively. (Note – you may not be able to get BRPs or bank accounts without the stamp).

Are Ukrainian guests eligible to vote in the UK?

For parliamentary elections, you need to be at least 18 years old, and either a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a Republic of Ireland citizen. That means you won't be able to vote in general elections if you're a Ukrainian citizen.

Local election eligibility is slightly different, however, and varies depending on which country you're living in.

In England, and therefore Shropshire, the rules are exactly the same as general elections, except EU citizens living in the UK can vote, meaning that Ukrainian citizens still won't be able to have a vote.

If, however, you're resident just over the Shropshire border in Wales, local elections are open to everyone aged 16 and over, as well as all legal resident foreign nationals, meaning that Ukrainian nationals would be able to vote in local elections.

Further information is available on the Gov.UK website.