What actions and requirements are established for persons using the visa regime to return to Ukraine or travel to another country in order to avoid losing their visa or biometric residence permit, and how does this affect the receipt of social benefits and refugee or humanitarian protection status?

Visa regime

If you are subject to the visa regime, returning to Ukraine or traveling to another country will NOT result in the loss of your visa or biometric residence permit (BRP).

You can return to Ukraine or travel to another country for an unlimited period of time, but your right to return to the UK depends on the validity of your visa/business residence permit (BRP).

Please note that the schemes to assist Ukrainians allow you to receive:

o  personal social security benefits (e.g. pension credit); or

o  a social payment to a sponsor ("thank you payment" – a monthly payment of £350 for sponsoring a Ukrainian through the Home for Ukrainians scheme).

Personal social payments

If you return to Ukraine or leave for another country, you have to notify the relevant authority of your departure (depending on the duration of your trip and the type of personal social payment).

Upon receipt of your application, the authority's officials will notify you of:

o  suspension of payments; or

o  loss of payments; or

o  continuation of accrual during your stay abroad;

Please contact the nearest Job Center Plus or the authority that pays your personal social allowance to notify them of your departure and to find out whether you will be able to receive payments in the future.

You can find your nearest Job Center Plus by following this link.

Social payment to the sponsor ("thank you payment")

If the sponsor receives a "thank you payment" and you leave the country for 4 weeks or less, the sponsor can continue to receive the social assistance.

However, if you are absent for more than 4 weeks, the sponsor has to notify the local council, as the social payment should be suspended and resumed only after your return.

Important!

Violation of the obligation to report leaving the country and subsequently receiving payments carries the risk of liability for benefit fraud.

Refugee status/person under humanitarian protection

You can return to Ukraine/leave for another country.

However, you should not travel to your country of origin and/or the country from which you sought asylum/humanitarian protection, as this will result in the revocation of your refugee status or humanitarian protection.

If you are under humanitarian protection, you can travel with your national passport.

If you do not have a national passport, you should apply for a travel document.

If you have refugee status, you cannot travel with your national passport, even if it is valid, as this may lead to the loss of your status.

In such a case, you need to submit an online application to the Immigration Department of the Ministry of the Interior (Home Office) for a travel document.

The same applies if you have been granted an indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after the expiration of the 5-year period of stay in the status of a refugee/compassed person under humanitarian protection.

You can find out more about the procedure and apply for a travel document by following this link.