Work, benefits and financial support
Opening a bank account
To open a bank account in the UK, guests will usually need to show proof of identity such as passport, biometric residency permit, driver’s licence, or recognised identity card. A number of UK banks have a system for opening accounts where you do not have a permanent UK address, including digital banks Starling and Monzo. To address this issue, the Refugee Council has created a banking guide to help make this process easier for refugees.
Citizens Advice - Getting a bank account
Financial support
- Financial support for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. You can apply for Universal Credit if you are on a low income or unemployed.
- Warwickshire County Council Cost of Living Support
Benefits
The local Job Centre Plus will be able to help guests find out which benefits to access and apply for local employment opportunities. It is important for guests to register with the Job Centre as soon as possible.
National Insurance number
Completion of a benefits application will trigger the process to be provided with a National Insurance number.
Work
Ukrainian guests arriving under the Homes for Ukraine scheme have the right to work as soon they arrive in the UK. They need to be 18-years-old to work full time.
DWP support for Ukrainians arriving in the UK (PDF, 1.38 MB)
Employability support
The Migration Employment Team are pleased to offer tailored one-to-one employability support from our own advisers from within the migration team. You can choose online or face to face support. This could be support to write your CV, to search and apply for jobs or to have practice interview sessions. You will be supported to write a career pathway to enable you to reach your short and long term career goals. As part of the new support package, you will also access ESOL for employment workshops, run online by our ESOL tutors. These cover topics such as workers' right and UK work culture. In addition, you will have priority booking onto our regular career information webinars and access to training programmes.
You are welcome to register for the new employability support, whether you have received support before or are new to the programme. You can register by using the link below.