Scotland for Ukrainians: a guide for displaced people

Arrival in Scotland

Arriving at a transport hub (such as a train or bus station, ferry port or airport)

Edinburgh

When you arrive in Edinburgh, please visit The City of Edinburgh Council website for information on what support you can receive when arriving at Edinburgh airport, Edinburgh train stations or the Edinburgh bus station. 

Glasgow

When you arrive in Glasgow, please visit the Glasgow City Council’s website for information on what support you can receive when arriving at Glasgow train station, bus station or when you arrive by car.

When you arrive at Glasgow Airport, there will be information in the arrival halls for domestic and international arrivals. They will provide information on the Renfrewshire Welcome Hub. Additionally, you can visit the Renfrewshire Council website for more information.

Other entry points (including travelling from Northern Ireland)

Transport hubs in Scotland, including ferry ports will have established processes for engaging local councils. Please present yourself to a member of staff at this entry point.

Welcome Hubs

Welcome Hubs have been set up to help you get all the information and support that you need when you first arrive in Scotland.

At Welcome Hubs you will be given a warm welcome to Scotland and immediate support in a safe and secure space. You will receive something to eat, drink and other essential supplies you might need. 

Staff members in the Welcome Hub will talk to you about your immediate needs, such as healthcare, language support, clothes, food, temporary accommodation and trauma support. 

You will be given a welcome pack. This will tell you:  

• what help and support you will be able to get with finding jobs and accessing money   
• how to access education for children (education is free in Scotland)
• healthcare (most NHS services are free in Scotland)

You will also be given a pack with advice on how trauma can affect you and where to find support for you and your family. These packs will also be given to every volunteer host by the council.

Welcome Hubs are located in: Edinburgh, Renfrewshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

Edinburgh

Please check the Council of Edinburgh website for information on the Welcome Hub’s location, opening hours and more. Additionally, if you arrive at Edinburgh Airport, you will find information banners in the arrivals hall.

Renfrewshire (operating from Holiday Inn at Glasgow Airport)

The Welcome Hub for Renfrewshire operates from the Holiday Inn Hotel at Glasgow Airport. If you arrive at Glasgow Airport, information will be provided in the arrivals hall. Additionally, you can visit the Renfrewshire Council website for more information.

Dumfries and Galloway

The Welcome Hub associated with Cairnryan port is operated by Dumfries and Galloway Council. When you arrive at Cairnryan port, there will be signposting to further information. Additionally, you can find more information on the Dumfries & Galloway Council website.

£200 payment

You are entitled to a payment of up to £200. This is provided via local councils to help you with initial costs.

This payment may be split between different councils depending where you enter the country and where you settle first. To access this payment, talk to staff in your temporary welcome accommodation or your local council. You will receive this amount once. The payment method will vary depending on the local council you are in. You cannot claim this payment from each council you may be staying in. You also cannot claim this payment again after leaving the country and returning.

Temporary welcome accommodation

If you decide to travel to Scotland on your Scottish Super Sponsor visa, you should, where possible, arrange your own accommodation. For example, booking your own hotel or self-catering accommodation, staying with people you know and trust (friends and family) or renting privately.

If on your first arrival to Scotland you do not have your own accommodation and need immediate help to find somewhere to stay, please go to a Welcome Hub for advice. You will be provided with temporary welcome accommodation. This is likely to be a room in one of our welcome accommodation venues, which is normally a hotel. For more information on welcome hubs, please read the ‘Arrival in Scotland’ chapter of this guidance.

From 8 January 2024 you will usually only be offered temporary welcome accommodation if:

• you hold a Scottish Super Sponsor visa (you are sponsored by the Scottish Government under the Homes for Ukraine scheme) and
• it is your initial (first) arrival in Scotland

In exceptional circumstances, you may be offered temporary welcome accommodation at a later date (other than upon your immediate arrival in Scotland) if:

• your family needs 3 or more bedrooms
• you are reuniting with immediate family members only
• there are safeguarding concerns
• there are exceptional and compelling reasons

If you are offered welcome accommodation, you will not have a choice about the type and location of the accommodation. It could be anywhere in Scotland and will almost certainly be located in less urban areas. This is because there is almost no temporary welcome accommodation available in Edinburgh, Glasgow and surrounding areas (known as the ‘central belt’ of Scotland).

Your stay in welcome accommodation is intended to be for no more than six months and we are likely to ask you to move into alternative accommodation sooner than this.

You will receive a Code of Conduct when you arrive in welcome accommodation that tells you what you can expect from local authorities and the Scottish Government whilst you are staying in welcome accommodation. The Code of Conduct also tells you what is expected from you and all other guests who stay in welcome accommodation.

If you are not eligible for welcome accommodation and you are not able to make your own arrangements, contact the Scottish Refugee Council to discuss your options on 0808 1697 274 or email ukraine@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk .

Moving on from temporary welcome accommodation

You may be able to arrange your own longer-term accommodation, and we encourage you to do so. Information and advice to help you find somewhere else to stay is in the ‘Housing Options’ chapter of this guidance.

From 7 December 2023, your local authority will do their best to work with you to identify up to two reasonable options for longer-term accommodation.

We want to support you to move on from welcome accommodation and into more settled housing. Your local authority will work with you to identify up to two reasonable options for longer-term accommodation. This should include one tenancy agreement. The other option will usually be hosted accommodation.

It is your responsibility to speak to your local authority and tell them about any specific needs that you or someone in your household has that may impact where you can live or the type of property you can live in. This could be in relation to health, education or caring needs.

You should also make your local authority aware if there are any reasons why you might find it difficult to consider options that have been made to you, or anything that makes it difficult for you to apply for housing.

If you are under the age of 18 and are in Scotland without your parent or legal guardian, please speak to a member of your local authority resettlement or social work team. They can ensure that any alternative care arrangements can be made for you, as appropriate. This will not affect your visa status, but will allow the local authority to ensure you are fully supported. 

Definition of a ‘reasonable option’ of longer-term accommodation

A reasonable option for longer-term accommodation could be:

• an option made to you by your local authority, which may include hosted accommodation or a tenancy agreement
• a successful application for housing

A reasonable option will:

• meet all relevant health and safety requirements
• be of a suitable size for members of your household – you may need more than one property for larger households, depending on the composition of your family
• be affordable for the household, taking into account access to employment and benefits as much as possible
• give consideration to any caring needs or responsibilities
• meet disability requirements, following reasonable adjustments
• be expected to last for at least six months, regardless of the type of accommodation

A reasonable option of longer-term accommodation could be in a different local authority area from your temporary welcome accommodation as long as it is deemed reasonable for your needs and circumstances.

As far as possible, a reasonable option should also:

• meet personal health and social care needs. It is important to remember that you can access medical treatment and support in all local authority areas.  
• give consideration to educational needs. However, it is extremely unlikely that an option of accommodation will be within the same area as your current school or college
• give consideration to employment status. However, there is no guarantee that an option of accommodation will be within the same local authority area as your job

Scotland is currently facing a housing crisis with limited availability in private and social rented sectors across Scotland. It is highly unlikely that you will receive more than one option of a tenancy in most cases.

Your local authority may make you an option of longer-term accommodation that you have previously declined if the accommodation is still considered reasonable for your current circumstances.

Identifying reasonable accommodation options

You are expected to work with your local authority to identify longer-term accommodation options and apply for housing where needed. If you do not respond to contact from your local authority, or do not apply for housing, your local authority will ask you to leave welcome accommodation within 60 days.

The timescales for how long it takes to identify a reasonable option of accommodation can vary from one local authority to another. If you receive an option of a tenancy agreement, then you should carefully consider accepting this option.

Responding to options of longer-term accommodation

When you receive a reasonable option of accommodation or a successful housing application, you should receive written information about the accommodation to help you make a decision. You can request this in your preferred language. If the information is not easy for you to understand, please speak to your local authority. You can also discuss the option with your local authority by phone or in person, with access to an interpreter if needed.

You must respond to your option within the timescale set out in the offer. If you think an option being made to you does not meet the definition of reasonable, you can ask your local authority to review the option.

If you decide not to accept any of the options made to you, it is your responsibility to make your own accommodation arrangements. Your local authority will give you a date to leave temporary welcome accommodation. This date will be whichever is longer of:

• a maximum of 180 nights from the date you first entered welcome accommodation
• a maximum of 60 nights from the date you refused your second option

If you have not arranged with hotel management to pay for your own accommodation, then you will not be allowed to stay in welcome accommodation after this date.

Additionally, after this date in most circumstances you will no longer be eligible for temporary welcome accommodation under the Scottish super sponsor scheme.

Absences from temporary welcome accommodation

From 8 January 2024, if you choose to leave your welcome accommodation for more than 5 consecutive nights, you will not be able to return to any welcome accommodation in most circumstances. You will have to make your own accommodation arrangements if you return to Scotland.

Your local authority may permit returning to welcome accommodation in limited circumstances after an absence of more than 5 nights. For example, if your travel:

• related to medical treatment 
• related to short-term family reunification
• was to check on property in Ukraine, or for administrative reasons
• was for reasons relating to mental health and wellbeing

Before you make travel plans for a trip that is longer than five consecutive nights, you must get agreement from your local authority if you want to return to welcome accommodation. Your local authority may ask you to provide evidence for your absence from welcome accommodation if it is more than 5 nights . If you do not provide this, or if they disagree that your reason for leaving falls under the above exceptions, in most cases, you will not be able to return to any welcome accommodation. Please note that any items left behind will be handled according to the luggage policies of your welcome accommodation and this may result in personal items not being kept.

Understanding your needs

Local council or government representatives will meet with you in your temporary welcome accommodation to talk to you about your needs. This is to help you to secure longer-term accommodation which best matches your personal circumstances.

You will be invited to complete a questionnaire asking about your personal information. This includes your name, age, date of birth and where you were born.  It also includes a health assessment which asks about your healthcare needs, such as if you are pregnant or on any medication. Your information will be kept strictly confidential in line with General Data Protection (GDPR) rules.

For moving to accommodation with a host, the questionnaire will ask about where you would prefer to be located. We cannot guarantee that you will be located in your preferred area.