Refugee numbers and funding support: FOI release

Information requested

You asked:

Under FOI, please can you advise the following information:

• How many refugees has Scotland taken in annually in 2024, 2023 and 2022?
• What are the top 5 most common countries where refugees have left from when entering Scotland?
• How much money has the Scottish Government provided to support refugees in 2024?

Response

I have split our response into two parts:

Answer to Question 1 and 2:

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because the Scottish Government is not responsible for asylum and immigration. Asylum and immigration are matters reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes the design and operation of the UK asylum system and the design and operation of UK refugee resettlement programmes. The Scottish Government has no control over these processes. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

You may wish to contact the Home Office at foirequests@homeoffice.gov.uk to find out whether there is further information which they would be able to provide in relation to your request. You may also find information which has already been published under previous information requests, as part of statistical releases, or otherwise made available on the UK Government website: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Answer to Question 3:

I include a response to your request of How much money has the Scottish Government provided to support refugees in 2024?

In the calendar year 2024, the Scottish Government provided £4,639,662.84 to support refugees. This funding was provided through the Asylum and Refugee Integration Unit’s programme of grants to third sector organisations to support refugee integration in Scotland. This figure does not include funding solely targeted at displaced people from Ukraine, as they do not have refugee status. Scottish Government funding is provided in line with the financial year (1 April – 31 March) and this figure reflects the fact that the period you asked for includes partial spending in both 2023/24 and 2024/25.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.