Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions exist to enable Ukrainians who have applied for the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme to continue to be able to demonstrate their right to be in the UK to landlords and employers beyond their current three-year visas whilst they await the outcome of the UPE application.

The Home Office suite of digital status services ('View and Prove your immigration status', Right to Work and Right to Rent) support a range of individuals, including Ukrainians applying to the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme, who have made an in-time application for permission to stay in the UK.

This means where a person has an existing digital immigration status (eVisa) and has submitted an in-time application for a further eVisa, they can provide third parties (such as employers or landlords) with a share code.

Where an in-time application to extend or vary leave is made and the application is not decided before the person's existing leave expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extends the person's existing leave until a decision is made.

The Home Office online checking service will provide confirmation of the person's right to work or rent and provide an employer or landlord with a statutory excuse against liability for a civil penalty, in the event they are later found to have employed or let a property to a person who is not permitted to do so by virtue of their immigration status.

This enables the employer or landlord to hire or extend the person's contract for six or 12 months respectively.  This is the standard duration of the statutory excuse when checks are carried out on those persons with a pending, in-time application for immigration permission.

For an employer or landlord to ensure they do not discriminate against anyone, they should provide reasonable opportunity to enable an individual to prove their right to work or rent.