Refugee Integration Service

The Refugee Integration Service at North East Lincolnshire Council offer support to all refugees from all nationalities, in partnership with other agencies. If you have recently entered the UK and have arrived in North East Lincolnshire, please contact our team [email protected] for support in finding accommodation, access to local services and much more.

Private landlords with available properties

Private landlords have already contacted the council about homes in North East Lincolnshire they could make available to those seeking sanctuary in Britain. The Council is keeping all these details and is looking at ways in which it can accelerate the necessary processes to ensure such accommodation is ready as soon as needed.

Donating smartphones and IT equipment

Solidaritech is a community interest company reliant on donations from both individuals and companies of all sizes. They are asking for donations of tech including smartphones, tablets, and laptops, that they can wipe and pass on to asylum seekers and refugees to support health, safety and connection.

Solidaritech

Direct people to correct advice and information

People’s situations are very complicated. Be aware that in order for refugees to achieve secure futures for themselves or their family, they should only accept advice from an adviser accredited by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

Homes for Ukraine

The Refugee Integration Service Team at North East Lincolnshire Council are here to support local registered sponsors and Ukrainian guests who arrive in the area. If you have any questions or enquiries regarding the Homes for Ukraine scheme, please send us an email at [email protected]

Welcome Pack

We have created a welcome pack for people arriving in North East Lincolnshire. The pack details their next steps and is filled with relevant information about the local area and the support available. This is available in Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish, Pashto, Tigrinya and Ukrainian

Welcome Pack (Tigrinya) Welcome Pack (Pashto) Welcome Pack (Kurdish) Welcome Pack (Farsi) Welcome Pack (Arabic) Welcome Pack (English) Welcome Pack (Ukrainian)

Housing Brochure

The housing brochure provides advice and support to understand the different options available in North East Lincolnshire. It also includes practical advice around the tenancy process, utility bills, recycling, safety and more.

Housing Brochure (Tigrinya) Housing Brochure (Pashto) Housing Brochure (Kurdish) Housing Brochure (Farsi) Housing Brochure (Arabic) Housing Brochure (Ukrainian) Housing Brochure (English)

If you require further help, come along to the drop in sessions at Learning 4 Life on Freeman Street every Wednesday from 12pm – 4pm.

Visa Information

Helpline

If you are an immediate family member of a British national normally living in Ukraine with your British national family member, you should call the dedicated Home Office line 0300 3032785 – select option 1. This option is now available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This is a free phone number, but network charges may still apply.

If you are a Ukrainian national in the UK and need assistance, please contact UKVI: Telephone: 0300 3032785 – select option 2. Lines are open Monday to Thursday (excluding bank holidays), 9am to 4:45pm and Friday (excluding bank holidays), 9am to 4:30pm. This is a free phone number, but network charges may still apply.

‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme

UK individuals, charities, community groups and businesses can register their interest in housing Ukrainians fleeing the war through the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Community sponsors

If you are interested in working with members of your community as ‘community sponsors’, to support a person to come to the UK through a local charity or faith group, see below

Community Sponsorship

Keep informed

There is a lot you can do to prepare yourself to safely support newcomers and existing communities in the region. For example, you could find out about how to talk about this situation in a helpful way on social media, learn a few words in different languages, or learn about the culture and history of different people.

Here are a selection of useful links:

Related websites

Barnardo’s Ukrainian Support Helpline

Help find your family (Ukraine)

Safe Donating

Migration Yorkshire

Soldaritech

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner

Help for Ukraine refugees – Red Cross

Contact details

email [email protected] for more information

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A refugee refers to a person who has been given permission to stay in the UK following their claim for protection under the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Refugees have full access to public funds and the right to stay in the UK.

The term ‘Asylum seeker’ or those seeking asylum refers to people who have left their home country, due to persecution, war, or violence and applied for refugee status in another country. They have made the application and are awaiting a formal decision on their application.

The right to seek asylum is a legal right under the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees 1951. As of September 2025, 149 countries have signed up to the Convention and the vast majority of people who are forced to leave their homes as a result of persecution or war remain in their country. Of those people who do flee their country, the majority move to neighbouring countries.

The Home Office is the responsible body for the asylum dispersal system and provides the accommodation and financial support. An asylum seeker does not have access to public funds such as Universal Credit and is not able to work during this process unless granted a specific exception. The basic weekly payment for asylum seekers in self-catered accommodation is £49.18 per week.

Local authorities are not responsible for the accommodation, support, or processing of asylum claims. Asylum seekers in most cases are provided with accommodation during their asylum claim by the Home Office and the Mears Group. Asylum seekers are dispersed around the UK by the Home Office on a ‘no-choice’ basis. Any specific questions relating to the dispersal scheme need to be directed to the Home Office as the responsible body.

Once a refugee has been granted their status following their asylum claim a referral is made to the Home Options service for homelessness support. The Home Office issues a 28-day notice period to people receiving refugee status. They will have to leave their accommodation after this period. Refugees who apply as homeless are individually assessed against the standard homelessness criteria for all applicants, and do not receive specific priority for holding refugee status.