As part of your application form, you will be asked to prepare a Welcome Pack for the family. Below is a list of suggested documents you could include. You may wish to add, remove or amend the title of any of these documents – it’s really about what you as a group would like to…
Note: Universal Credit will be paid from the day the application is fully submitted. The first payment will be made at least 5 weeks from the date the application is fully submitted. Make sure you help the family you’ve welcomed to apply as soon as possible after the arrival to ensure they don’t lose out…
Preparing interpreters for the likely content of an appointment will help them do their job to the best of their ability. It can help them prepare for the language that is likely to be used, and give them context which will help them to interpret words accurately. It is also useful to allow time after the…
Community Sponsorship groups will need to provide equipment, groceries and other basic items in the property ahead of a refugee family’s arrival. Like with anyone, there will be personal and cultural preferences around food and household items, and you will want to strike a balance between giving refugees choices about what is in their home,…
As part of your approval to be a community sponsor, you will need to raise £9,000 to cover any of the project expenses. This resource aims to provide ideas and approaches to help you raise money to support the resettled family you will be welcoming. As you produce your resettlement plan, you will be able to build…
Community Sponsorship groups are made up of active, highly committed volunteers. You may be meeting each other for the first time, or you may have known each other for a long time. Either way, it’s likely that this will be the first time that you will have worked with one another in this way. We know that building…
We know that a significant part of your work in the application process to become a Community Sponsorship group will focus on housing. As part of your sponsor agreement, you will be agreeing to source suitable accommodation for a family for a two year period. The accommodation must: Have a minimum of a two year lease Have…
There are some key things to think about when you start organising your group. We have outlined some of the measures that you will need to put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your group members. You need to give careful consideration to all of these measures because the safety and wellbeing…
As part of your resettlement plan you will need to design a budget. This is because you need to have an idea of the costs involved in supporting a resettled family when you are deciding what kind of support your group can offer. Having an idea of the costs will also help you to plan your…
As you plan your budget you will be looking into how your group will fund the delivery of your resettlement plan. Alongside your fundraising activities, you should consider the other sources of funding that are available to sponsorship groups and to Local Authorities and GPs that provide services to resettled refugee families. You may find…
In order to be approved by the Home Office as a Community Sponsorship group, your application must be made through a registered charity or community interest company (CIC). This organisation will be your Lead Sponsor. The charity must be registered with the Charities Commission in England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)…
You will need to obtain accommodation that is of a good and adequate standard and available at a sustainable cost for the family. The Home Office will need to be satisfied that it is suitable, and your Local Authority must be invited to inspect the property. You will have carried out a huge amount of…
The most important thing we can tell you is this: if you or members of the refugee family you are supporting are in need of immigration advice, you should consult a registered Immigration Adviser or Lawyer. You can identify an Immigration Adviser here. These resources are designed to give you some idea of what to expect and…
Employment provides a fantastic route to integration, helps people to improve their language skills and social networks, and of course provides greater wellbeing and financial independence for individuals. However, refugees can face barriers to obtaining employment which you may need to help them overcome. It is important that both you and the person you support…
It may seem a little strange to set boundaries on the way in which you work with refugees. Afterall, you got into Community Sponsorship in order to provide practical support to those arriving in the UK. However, spending time defining the way in which your group will operate and what a refugee family can expect…
There are various different ways you can work with interpreters. You could work with paid, volunteer or bilingual volunteers (who work with the family in their own language, and also interpret when required). They could carry out their interpreting either face to face or over the phone. Whichever option you choose, make sure that the interpreter you work…
Your Community Sponsorship application must be made by Lead Sponsor Organisation. The organisation must be a charity, community interest company or an exempt charity registered with the appropriate body in the relevant nation of the UK. There are many experienced Lead Sponsors who have a process and a system in which your group could operate, or you may…
Alongside your application, you will also need to submit a Safeguarding policy for your group in order for the Home Office Community Sponsorship team to assess your suitability to resettle refugees. This policy should outline your approach to protecting vulnerable adults and children, and how you plan to manage safeguarding concerns once a family have…
Community Sponsorship groups have shared with us that many of the newly arrived refugees they are welcoming are keen to have access to their own transport, to enable them to be independent. Refugees arriving with a valid driving licence from another country are usually permitted to drive on that licence for 12 months. In order to continue…
You don’t need to name who will be at the airport, but the Home Office will be looking to ensure that you are a small enough group to not be overwhelming, and that you will have an interpreter with you. You may decide to not choose which group members will head to the airport until you…
Accessing services and details online will be essential for the family you support. From registering for and managing their benefits through to connecting with friends and family across the world, developing IT skills will only be helpful. We like to remind Groups that success in Community Sponsorship is when resettled families are able to do…
