Will you sign up to the new refugee sponsorship scheme?

[JoyousOpalLemur]

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is apparently announcing next week a new refugee sponsorship scheme.

It would allow households to privately sponsor refugees from conflict zones.

Applications open this autumn, with the aim of resettling more than 10,000 people.

It’s modelled on Canada’s scheme and the Homes for Ukraine programme.

Sponsors would commit to providing financial, emotional and practical support.

What do people think? I just can't help thinking that with the current pressures on housing, schools, GPs and local services, how this will actually work in practice? Has anyone been involved in the Ukraine sponsorship scheme and can share what it was really like day-to-day?

Curious to hear everyone’s views.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/home-secretary-announce-scheme-refugees-uk-lgdr8ff25

To everyone who says “No way”, just out of interest if the UK were ever invaded, would you want your DCs to leave and go somewhere safe?

I wanted to take part in homes for Ukraine but my husband did not want people in our home.

instead I heavily donated to various drives and a friend has taken in someone so I give her things she needs and I top up food shopping. So if it was sling these lines, I’d be happy to help.

As a nation I think we should be generous. I could not host as DH suffers from dementia, but in some circumstances, I would host perhaps a young single female. Important though for me would be a cap. I do not believe we should accept more than a limited number of refugees. The Conservatives suggested 20k a year, I think this is a good starting point. I also think we need to make sure people are properly screened so that we reduce any risks from taking on board people with criminal records or people who are unlikely to adapt well to the UK.

On my local news yesterday they had a segment on the Afghani women's cricket team. All of whom had fled Afghanistan to avoid the Taliban. I might for example host one of these women.

There seems to be an awful lot of ideological support for refugees and this scheme on this thread, just no-one who wants to be part of this scheme to support refugees in practice

I'd expect them to fight back. If everyone leaves and hurries away who will fight the forces of this invasion?

Stoopid questions deserve stupid answers…
…are you totally thoughtless .

We see the people coming in the small boats and they are not children. At least in Ukraine the men stayed behind to fight for their country and didn’t flee leaving the women and children.

Some of them tried and were prevented from leaving.

My neighbour took in a family during the Ukrainian scheme and it was hell for him.

so no.

now that’s a loaded question!
If invaded surely our neighbours would help repel the invasion ( like France helps stop refuges currently?)
if Ireland and France and our Nordic neighbours were invaded to where would kids travel.. and how would they hope to settle there ( Latvian not being a popular GCSE option).
how would they even leave once we are invaded.. ??

I think people are best helped at home or close to home where the links and language are strongest.

and with 10,000 of non regular arrivals still to be processed I’m baffled as to why this is the moment to start a new half arsed scheme..

Absolutely not

That's because the boat crossing is just the foot in the door. Once the young men are here they send to have their families join them via normal routes so they are entitled to better housing courtesy of you and I.

There are less than 400,000 homes in the UK that have been empty for the last six months.

Almost every one of them has a private owner, and it wouldn't be legal to just let others live there.

More than 800,000 people migrated to the UK in 2025.

I do not understand the mentality of 'I don't have the room but the country does'.

Surely the country actually has less ability to house migrants than you do as an individual?

Are you housing some of these undocumented men? So kind of you

Gender, and war-torn, too.

Ahem.

Interesting scheme
So what's required of the refugee while they are here ?
What happens after 12 months if the host doesn't want to continue the arrangement,and the refugee doesn't have a job or somewhere else to live ?
What happens if a female gets pregnant while here ,but has nowhere to live after 12 months and no job ?
The difference being the Ukrainian people were always planning to go home after the war ..is that the same here ..?
I knew nothing of this untill I saw this post , apologies if my questions are stupid as this is the first I've heard of it

I saw a photo of some of the women and children that managed to get through.

They were all in the sea while the men sat on the boat.

The BBC article seems to be about refugees, who would already have permanent leave to stay. Presumably they would be processed off-shore and then given this support in their first year in the UK.

That means the system already has limits on it in terms of numbers, refugee status verified etc.

But people seem to be talking about asylum seekers (many young men with unverified claims, housed in hotels currently). These people aren't refugees. The state doesn't house refugees this way - they can be added to council lists or rent privately, like everyone else. You get evicted from asylum seeking housing when you get refugee status, but you don't have the right to work and support yourself until you have refugee status and leave to remain.

That's where a scheme to support people in their first year as refugees makes sense.

Yes, I'd take part. I already donate to schemes helping refugees in this position. So I would be very interested in helping more formally. My house isn't terribly suitable, but with that right rules and assurances I'd consider it, or this scheme might support me to support people I'm already helping financially that way, which would be great. I am single and live alone - obviously this would not be suitable for many family and households, but this isn't happening to everyone by decree! It's a choice to make depending on your individual circumstances.

As to the burden on the UK - refugees are asylum seekers whose claims have succeeded. They're not people in boats chancing their arms. They are not the people currently housed in hotels etc.

I don't think any of us would deny that there are legitimate refugees across the world. The UK like every other country is committed to taking a proportion of them. This seems like a sensible scheme to help them integrate. It's a pity people are tearing it apart, in many cases without understanding it.

We can only imagine what it would be like if millions of foreign fighting age men entered the country illegally via boats

Refugees under this scheme won't be undocumented men. You are thinking of asylum seekers

I wonder how long it will be before Labour pass a bill making it mandatory that if you have a spare room you MUST house on of the many that will be coming?

As the article states they will be rolling it out by starting with low numbers and then "operate at a much higher capacity" than UKRS once it is fully established."

Source: BBC News website.

Why did you let your husband win that battle?

People who enter the country by boat are not refugees and are not the object of this scheme. They are asylum seekers.

This scheme is for refugees?

They tend to be undocumented, many apparently either losing or having lost their passports behind.

That is absurd fear-mongering.