Warm Scots Welcome programme: equality impact assessment

Background

Scottish Government Super Sponsor Scheme

Following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Scottish Government stood in solidarity with Ukraine and committed to supporting those seeking sanctuary. On 14 March 2022, the UK Government introduced the ‘Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme’ (also known as ‘Homes for Ukraine’), which allowed Ukrainian nationals and their families to apply for a three-year UK visa once they had secured sponsorship from an eligible UK resident to provide accommodation.

To make the process more accessible and safe, the Scottish Government decided to act as a ‘super sponsor,’ enabling applicants to select the Scottish Government as their sponsor, receive a visa, and travel immediately without first arranging private sponsorship. This option opened for applications on 18 March 2022.

While the Scottish Government’s initial commitment was to welcome around 3,000 people, by early July 2022 more than 20,600 visas sponsored by the Scottish Government had been issued, and almost 5,500 people had arrived in the UK^[6]. By December 2024, over 32,000 visas sponsored by the Scottish Government had been issued, and more than 21,000 people with a Super Sponsor visa had arrived in the UK.

Per head of population, Scotland has sponsored the highest number of applications and has seen the highest number of arrivals of any of the four nations^[7]. The Scottish Government has worked in close partnership with COSLA, local authorities, the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC), the third sector, and local volunteer and business communities to provide a Warm Scots Welcome to displaced people from Ukraine.

Initial phase of the response

During the early stages of the response, the priority was to meet the immediate needs of thousands of displaced people arriving in Scotland. Two Welcome Hubs were established in Edinburgh and Renfrewshire to provide advice and initial triage upon arrival. For those sponsored by the Scottish Government, temporary welcome accommodation was arranged.

Hotels, student accommodation, self-contained apartments, and two specially commissioned passenger ships docked in Edinburgh and Glasgow were funded by the Scottish Government to provide welcome accommodation across 22 local authorities. At the peak of the response in November 2022, 3,810 accommodation spaces and cabins were booked^[8]. Local authorities and third sector organisations provided essential support to displaced people in welcome accommodation, including access to healthcare, education, benefits, employment services, and English as a Foreign Language tuition.

Warm Scots Future

Following the initial phase of the response, the Scottish Government, COSLA and Scottish Refugee Council set out the policy direction for the next phase of the response through the Warm Scots Future policy paper, outlining five strategic priorities for a longer-term and more sustained response. These five priorities were:

1. A trauma-informed, holistic and rights-based approach to long-term integration

2. Reduce reliance on welcome accommodation

3. Boost long-term, settled housing that leaves a legacy for Scotland

4. Pursue clarity on routes to settlement, family reunification and repatriation

5. Continued partnership and collaboration, ensuring good governance and recognising the lived experience of displaced people from Ukraine

Together the Scottish Government and partners have sought to meet these strategic priorities, with the policy changes outlined in this EQIA designed to support the second of these priorities.

Introduction of Offers of Accommodation policy

In December 2023, a national policy was introduced to standardise the number of offers of longer-term accommodation provided to displaced people in welcome accommodation. Under this policy, all displaced people would be supported to identify two reasonable options for longer-term housing. At least one of these options must be a tenancy expected to last for a minimum of six months, while the other could be either another tenancy or an offer of hosted accommodation.

A definition of a ‘reasonable offer’ was agreed by the Ukraine Delivery Board, which provides governance for all operational changes relating to welcome accommodation to ensure appropriate oversight and decision-making. This definition ensures that all offers meet the needs of the household.

Where offers were accepted, displaced people were supported to move into longer-term accommodation as quickly as possible. In cases where both offers were declined, displaced people were given notice to leave welcome accommodation. This notice period was either 180 days from their arrival date or 60 days following the second declined offer (whichever was longer).

Under the Offers of Accommodation policy, all displaced people have the right to request a review if they believe an offer does not meet the definition of a reasonable offer. If the review finds the offer does not meet the relevant criteria, the individual is entitled to receive another offer.

This policy applies to displaced people in welcome accommodation across all local authorities, ensuring consistency in the welcome offer.

Updated Offers of Accommodation policy

In April 2025, following extensive engagement with stakeholders, the Offers of Accommodation policy was revised to entitle displaced people in welcome accommodation to one reasonable offer of accommodation rather than two. In most cases, this offer should be a tenancy expected to last at least six months; however, in limited circumstances, such as where sustaining a tenancy would not be affordable, an offer of hosted accommodation may instead be made.

From April 2025, the exit period following a declined offer was also standardised to 60 days in all cases.

Changes to the provision of concessionary meals

Until December 2022, all displaced people in welcome accommodation were provided with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. From December 2022, this provision was reduced to concessionary breakfast and dinner only.

In August 2024, a dinner contribution charge of £3 was introduced, with the remaining cost of the meal subsidised by the Scottish Government. This charge does not apply to children below primary school age or to new arrivals during their first six weeks in welcome accommodation. Local authorities also have discretion to waive the charge for safeguarding reasons.

Current context

In March 2026, there were no rooms utilised as welcome accommodation. This closure of welcome accommodation delivered the WSW strategic priority of reducing the reliance on welcome accommodation This milestone was achieved through sustained, collaborative partnership with local government and the third sector to support people to secure longer-term housing and establish independent lives within communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains committed to providing a Warm Scots Welcome to new arrivals under the Super Sponsor Scheme and continues to review the impact of these policy changes regularly through close engagement with local authority and third sector partners.