New Scots implementation strategy: equality impact assessment 2024

Title of policy: New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy 2024

Summary of aims and desired outcomes of Policy:

The third New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy was published in March 2024. It updates and builds on the previous strategy – New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy 2018 - 2022 and seeks to promote a welcoming Scotland where refugees and people seeking asylum can rebuild their lives from the day they arrive. The aim of the revised Strategy is to ensure that Scotland’s New Scots approach to supporting integration still meets the needs of refugees, people seeking asylum, other forced migrants and communities. This Strategy defines New Scots and ensures that it is recognised that this includes other forced migrants as well as those granted refugee status (including newly recognised refugees) or awaiting an asylum decision. The Strategy reflects the changes in immigration policy that has led to people arriving through new resettlement and relocation schemes and other humanitarian protection routes. This includes people arriving in Scotland from Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as from other countries under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS). It has been updated to reflect the changes in the types of status that have been granted to people e.g. Hong Kong BN(O)s and people displaced from Ukraine. The Strategy also includes ‘people who are or may become stateless and in need of international protection’.

There were also significant changes in the UK asylum system during the previous New Scots Strategy including: procurement of hotels as contingency asylum accommodation; the introduction of full dispersal policy in 2022 and associated widening of dispersal; and the introduction of a streamlined asylum process in 2023. There was also the passing of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Illegal Migration Act 2023. UK level policy and legislation can have significant impacts on people seeking asylum and refugees living in Scotland as well as services which support them (including local authorities, public sector, third sector and legal representatives). The refreshed Strategy therefore aims to be resilient to such changes and able to adapt where possible within the devolved context of the Strategy delivery.

Directorate: Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights

Division: Refugee Resettlement and Asylum

Team: Asylum and Refugee Integration