Raising awareness of your work is going to be essential in recruiting volunteers and raising funds to support your Community Sponsorship project. This guide outlines some key things to think about when starting out. If you are working with a Lead Sponsor organisation, make sure you discuss with them if there is any guidance they…
The Home Office requires all Community Sponsorship groups to keep records during their support of a family throughout the Sponsor Agreement period. Not only is this essential for managing both the support of a family and the running of the sponsor group, but it is also necessary for fulfilling your sponsor obligation to the Home Office to…
On 6 January 2022, the UK Government announced that the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme had opened, having previously confirmed that Community Sponsorship groups were going to be able to resettle Afghans through the scheme and into their neighbourhoods. The UK Government will welcome up to 20,000 people from Afghanistan and the region over the coming years. This includes over…
The Biometric Residency Permit is the ID card that will be issued to each family member once they have arrived in the UK. It is the size of a bank card, which can be used as proof of identity, and to confirm the right to work or study in the UK and the right to access…
Setting up their own business is the ambition of many refugees welcomed to the UK. While route to entrepreneurship isn’t easy or short, it is also far from impossible as demonstrated by Basel. We met with him on Zoom to talk about his business – ZR Tiling Services, his passion for his work, the support he…
Once you submit your application to the Home Office, the Community Sponsorship team will check to make sure you’ve submitted all of your additional documents. They may come back to you with some clarifying questions (this is perfectly normal and happens to most Community Sponsorship groups). They will then get in touch to schedule your…
Community Sponsorship is all about communication, whether between you as a group or you and the family you support. Ensure a strong structure is in place at the outset following arrival and regularly review if this is working. Make sure you have regular communication between your core group members ahead of the family arriving and in…
When you receive a referral of a family from the Home Office, the Resettlement Registration Form you receive may indicate that a member or members of the family are smokers, or you may discover that they smoke after arrival. Whilst it’s their choice whether they smoke or not, you will need to make the smoker…
After arrival, some families might express an interest in moving elsewhere in the UK. There could be many reasons for this; they may have relatives or friends elsewhere, they might wish to live somewhere more or less quiet than where they currently are, or where there is a larger population of people who speak the…
In Scotland the legislation and entitlements around Healthcare are different from the rest of the UK. More information on rights and entitlements to health for refugees can be found here from NHS Inform. Accessing NHS services with an interpreter is a fundamental right and more information can be found here. Access to the GP, dentists…
All of the children in the family you welcome are entitled to access education when they arrive in Scotland. They are automatically entitled to the same provision as a Scottish child. The Local Authority will determine how to assess the support required for children who need language support and are 16 and over. There will be…
As refugee families are learning formal ESOL in the classroom, you can play a vital role by encouraging them to make use of all the great ways they can improve their English skills through more informal routes at home. The following suggestions are both practical and easy to incorporate – while also helping to change…
One question that we’re often asked in Reset’s Community Sponsorship training sessions is: “What do refugees think their life in the UK will be like before they’re resettled?” We usually answer these questions with a range of anecdotes but with a strong reminder that refugees will have a breadth of opinions, worldviews and expectations of…
It is extremely likely that the family you support will ask you about the possibility of bringing members of their family to the UK. Whilst it is possible in some cases to do so, it is extremely rare and very complex. This resource aims to give you some ideas on how you can address this as…
This resource has been written in conjunction with UNHCR UK. During the time you support a resettled family, the family members are likely to go through some highs and lows. They might have unrealistic hopes for life in the UK such as feeling settled or finding jobs in a short amount of time. While coming…
One of your requirements as a Community Sponsorship group is to source sustainable housing for a refugee family for a two-year period, after which they may need to move to a new home. Even if the family you support is able to stay in their property indefinitely, it’s important they are empowered with the tools…
You can access the application form and guidance notes from gov.uk. The application form is a word document which you should download and save to work on together. Once you have formed your Community Sponsorship group, decided on how you will apply (whether this is through an existing organisation or by setting one up yourself) you’ll…
When the family you support arrive in the UK, they will be beginning a new chapter in their lives. But to get to this point, the family will have been going through a process to be resettled for years. In this page, we will give you an idea of the behind-the-scenes process that is involved…
Community Sponsorship is a partnership involving your group, the Home Office and your Local Authority (Local Authorities, if you are in a two-tier authority area). Not only will your Local Authority be able to signpost you to local services and organisations who will be able to provide assistance, but they must give their consent for your…
This downloadable resource contains detailed information on the types of English classes available, the key issues for Community Sponsorship groups when supporting refugees to access English classes, and advice on how your group can support language learning. Download Community Sponsorship groups in Scotland may find that the ESOL provision in the nation differs from other nations….
Sadly, hate crime against refugees is a very real problem. Although it is not by any means a common occurrence, it is something that is encountered all too frequently. However, it is something that the UK authorities now take very seriously. There are various ways in which incidents can be reported, and clear procedures on…
