How the Homes for Ukraine Scheme works

The Bar Council Homes for Ukraine Scheme has been designed to match Ukrainian lawyers and civilians who are seeking accommodation in the United Kingdom to be matched with barristers who have volunteered to open their homes for a minimum period of six months.

Once the Bar Council has matched a Ukrainian with a barrister, it will arrange the exchange of contact details amongst the two parties and provide them with further information about how they can work with the barrister’s local council to make a visa application under the Government’s Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Volunteer as a sponsor

If you are, or are connected to, a barrister, you can join the Homes for Ukraine sponsor database by completing the form.

To be included in the database, you must be prepared to offer accommodation to an applicant for a period of at least six months. If you are not a British citizen, then you must have had leave to remain in the UK for a period of at least six months. You must also be willing to participate in a disclosure and barring service check, and a property check, which will be undertaken by your local council once they are notified of your sponsorship. 

Read more about being a sponsor, including responsibilities, checks, and how you can support your guests.

Apply to move to the United Kingdom

This service is available to Ukrainian lawyers and their families who contact the Ukrainian National Bar Association to express their interest in temporarily moving to the United Kingdom.

It is also open to Ukrainian civilians who are made known to the Bar Council by a member of the Bar of England and Wales, or a colleague in their chambers, Bar Standards Board Authorised Body, or Bar Standards Board Licensed Body. 

To be eligible to participate in the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, applicants must be Ukrainian and, whilst they need not currently be in Ukraine, they must have resided in the country on or immediately before 1 January 2022 and must not have already travelled to the United Kingdom under an alternative visa arrangement. Read more about the eligibility criteria, including for applicants aged under 18.

If you are, or are connected to, a barrister and would like to find out more about finding a match for a Ukrainian civilian through our Homes for Ukraine Scheme, contact [email protected]. 

Work opportunities in the UK for Ukrainian lawyers

The following opportunities are available to Ukrainian lawyers who are currently staying in the UK and are seeking work:

  • Join Fides Search’s database of Ukrainian lawyers which is helping to find suitable employment opportunities in the UK. 
  • The Ukrainian Lawyers Matching Scheme is organised by the Inner Temple and Middle Temple to match Ukrainian lawyer applicants with individual barristers, chambers or legal organisations based on location, area(s) of practice and experience and opportunities sought and offered.

A day at the Bar for Ukrainian lawyers

Our ‘Day at the Bar for Ukrainian lawyers’ scheme is intended for Ukrainian lawyers who wish to learn about the operation of the legal system in England and Wales from a practical perspective. This scheme would be useful if you have an interest in working in the legal sector in England and Wales. Applicants will spend one day shadowing a barrister volunteer either in court or at their practice in London or across England and Wales.

Applications are now closed. 

Find out more about the ‘Day at the Bar for Ukrainian lawyers’ scheme

Immigration advice for Ukrainians

The Bar Council is the representative body of the Bar of England and Wales, but we are not able to recommend barristers to prospective clients or to advise on matters of law.

Ukrainian refugees who are struggling with a legal matter can use one of the following resources to obtain legal advice or representation: