Asylum seeker and refugee homelessness and hardship prevention policy: FOI release

Information requested

1. The current number, status, and locations of asylum seekers and refugees presently in Scotland;

2. The Scottish Government’s policy for those recently displaced from Home Office-provided accommodation;

3. The measures being taken to prevent hardship, homelessness, and destitution among this population.

Response

Before I respond to each of your questions, you may already be aware that under current constitutional arrangements in the UK, asylum and immigration are matters reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes decisions relating to UK visas and the operation of the UK asylum system.

The Scottish Government has no control over these processes.

Question 1

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.

The Scottish Government does not hold the current number, status and locations of asylum seekers and refugees presently in Scotland. As detailed above, asylum and immigration is reserved to the UK Government and the provision of asylum accommodation and applications is managed by the Home Office.

This is a section 17(1) notice that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.

You may however find it useful to consult the UK Government website for information that the Home Office publishes online with regards to irregular arrivals. More information and data tables are available on the UK Government website: How many people come to the UK irregularly? - GOV.UK

Additionally, the Home Office regularly publishes statistics relating to the UK immigration and asylum systems. These can be viewed on the UK Government website: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question 2

The Scottish Government policy for supporting newly recognised refugees is set out in our New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy and delivery plan. The third New Scots strategy was published in March 2024 and the Delivery Plan 2024-2026 was published in July 2024. This contains the actions that New Scots partners are undertaking to deliver the New Scots refugee integration strategy. It was developed in partnership by the Scottish Government, COSLA and Scottish Refugee Council and was informed by an engagement process involving over 2,000 refugees and people seeking asylum.

New Scots sets out a vision for a welcoming Scotland where refugees and people seeking asylum are able to rebuild their lives from the day they arrive. Many of the services which are essential to supporting refugees and people seeking asylum to settle into communities are devolved and are the responsibility of the Scottish Government and Scottish local authorities. This includes healthcare, education, legal services and housing; but not asylum accommodation or asylum support which is provided by the Home Office. Third sector organisations and community groups also play an important role in Scotland’s welcome and long-term integration support.

The Ending Destitution Together strategy was published in March 2021 and is a strategy to improve support for people subject to No Recourse to Public Funds. The strategy is informed by powerful testimony from people with lived experience; knowledge of third sector organisations providing frontline support; and the expertise of local authorities, legal practitioners and public services.The strategy set out initial actions to deliver essential needs, enable access to specialist advice and advocacy and promote inclusive approaches, so that people can pursue their ambitions and be active members of our communities.

We have long called on the UK Government to remove and disapply the NRPF condition to people in vulnerable circumstances, particularly in the cases of families with children but this has not been taken forward.

The Scottish Government believes that people seeking asylum should have the right to work after six months in the UK and we were disappointed that the Home Office failed to engage with us on the Asylum Right to Work Pilot Proposal which we submitted in November 2024. Right to work would enable people to use and develop their skills, make connections in a work environment, help to support themselves and their families, contribute to our economy and restore people’s dignity.

On 17 November, the Home Secretary made a statement in the UK Parliament and published a paper titled: “Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy. The UK Government previously made an asylum statement on 1 September. That statement included an immediate pause to refugee family reunion applications and reverted to a 28 day move-on period for single adults who receive a positive asylum decision (period to move-on from Home Office provided asylum accommodation and support).

The Scottish Government has raised concerns directly with UK Government about the direct impact reserved decisions can have on local services and areas of devolved responsibility. We are aware there are existing housing pressures across the UK which are being exacerbated by significant levels of asylum decision making over short timescales without adequate planning or provision of resource to local authorities. Newly recognised refugees should not find that homelessness is the default outcome of the UK asylum system and shifting a significant burden onto local authorities is stoking community tensions and concerns.

We are concerned at the UK Governments proposals to restrict access to public funds for refugees, which if implemented will further reinforce homelessness as the default outcome of the UK system. The proposals also undermine integration, the cornerstone of our approach in Scotland and which is essential to support the safety and wellbeing of refugees, people seeking asylum and communities.

Question 3

The Home Office is responsible for provision of asylum accommodation and support to those who would otherwise be destitute while waiting for a decision on their asylum application. This includes people being accommodated in contingency asylum hotels, but Scottish local authorities and third sector and community organisations are providing valuable support, including wraparound support in hotels where they are able to do so. Any provision of these services is done within the context of immigration restrictions.

NRPF is a standard visa condition and applies to people seeking asylum as well as people with insecure immigration status.

Nobody should be pushed into destitution and our Ending Destitution Together strategy was published in March 2021 to support people with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). The strategy set out initial actions to deliver essential needs, enable access to specialist advice and advocacy and promote inclusive approaches, so that people can pursue their ambitions and be active members of our communities.

Scottish Ministers have repeatedly raised NRPF issues which impact people living in Scotland with the UK Government, particularly the Home Office. The Scottish Government will continue to do all it can, within devolved powers, to protect communities and support people.

Eligibility and restricted public funds are outlined in paragraph 6 of the UK Parliament Immigration Rules: Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules: introduction - Guidance - GOV.UK

Local authorities do have a statutory responsibility to provide support to the most vulnerable people with insecure immigration status. These can be found in:

1. Children (Scotland) Act 1995 – Sections 22, 29 and 30
2. Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 – Section 12 and 13A
3. Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 – Section 25

With regards to the measures to prevent homelessness, everyone needs a settled home, whether they are displaced by war or as a result of other difficulties. Scotland has some of the strongest homelessness rights in the world: local authorities have a statutory duty to provide settled accommodation to any eligible household (subject to immigration status) assessed as unintentionally homeless and temporary accommodation if the household needs it in the short term. The suspension of referrals in November 2022 between Scottish local authorities for households with no local connection allow people to choose where they live, putting rights for homeless households on a par with those for people who own or privately rent their homes. The Unsuitable Accommodation Order (UAO) limits the amount of time that any homeless household can be placed in unsuitable temporary accommodation such as bed and breakfasts to seven days.

The joint Scottish Government/COSLA strategy to end homelessness, Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan, sets out the actions we are taking to prevent and tackle homelessness, including for those with no recourse to public funds. preventing homelessness where possible, accelerating the shift to rapid rehousing and ending rough sleeping Over and above the funding for homelessness provided through the local government settlement, we have a £100 million multi-year ending homelessness together fund for specific action to transform the homelessness system.

New prevention duties set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 will place legal duties on public bodies – from health boards and police to social landlords – to ask people about their housing situation and act if they are at risk of homelessness. The Scottish Government published its Housing Emergency Action Plan on 2 September 2025. This plan sets out new actions which will support us to go further and faster in our commitment to tackling the housing emergency.

Increasing housing supply is key to reducing levels of homelessness and in 2025-26, our Affordable Housing Supply Programme – our capital housing budget – is £808 million. A long-term commitment to invest up to £4.9 billion over the next four years has also been made, which will deliver around 36,000 affordable homes as part of our Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

We have invested over £500,000 to support people at risk of rough sleeping over the coming winter. We are working closely with local authorities and the third sector in the cities with the highest rates of rough sleeping to ensure additional support services are in place to support people at risk of rough sleeping this winter. Rapid Rehousing Welcome Centres are operating in Edinburgh and Glasgow over the winter, which provide a safer, more dignified alternative to night shelters. As well as accommodation provision, a services hub operates from the RRWC, offering guests a single point of access to a range of targeted, person-centred support, including around their wellbeing, health and social care, legal rights, employment and welfare. We have provided over £415,000 of personalised budget funding to third sector organisations across Scotland since 2020 to provide people who are rough sleeping with support in a dignified and person-centred way, and outreach teams engage with anyone who is rough sleeping on a daily basis to ensure they have access to appropriate support.

You may wish to contact the Home Office at foirequests@homeoffice.gov.uk to find out whether there is further information they would be able to provide in relation to your request.

Alternatively, for more information about any Scotland specific benefits you may wish to contact Social Security Scotland to make a request for information by email at foi@socialsecurity.gov.scot or by post at: Freedom of Information Team Social Security Scotland PO Box 10301 DUNDEE DD9FW

There are restrictions placed on access to some services where a person is subject to immigration control through reserved immigration legislation and rules, including application of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) conditions, which prevent access to certain public funds particularly to housing and homelessness services and welfare benefits.

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