Most refugees arriving will have been travelling with a letter giving “permission to travel”.
This provides the right to enter into the UK. At the border the passport should be stamped with “6 months leave to remain”. The person can only use this letter once, so cannot leave the UK and re-enter with the “permission to travel”. Once arrived in the UK, refugees can apply for a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) which gives the right to stay for 3 years. The BRP also makes it possible to leave and return to the UK.
THERE ARE MORE URGENT TASKS TO ASSIST IN SETTLING THE NEW ARRIVALS THAN APPLYING FOR THE BIOMETRIC RESIDENCE PERMIT, such as opening a bank account, applying for Universal Credit, registering with a doctor, applying for a National Insurance number etc.
The BRP can be applied for in good time once these more urgent tasks have been completed.
At the time of writing, appointments are given about 2 weeks after an application. Remember that the right to remain on arrival is for 6 months, so taking a month to settle in and complete other settling in tasks still leaves plenty of coverage
Once ready to apply, then each member of the family should apply for the BRP, including children. Application is free.
The two steps are:
- Complete the application online
- Make and then attend an appointment at a Visa and Application Centre
To make the online application follow this link:
https://apply.visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/ukraine-scheme-brp
To make the Visa Centre appointment follow this link:
https://www.ukvcas.co.uk/home-internal
You need a UKVCAS appointment to have:
- Your identity confirmed
- Any required biometric information enrolled
- Any supporting documentation uploaded, digitised and checked
- Your application submitted to UKVI