Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme in Scotland: statistics - January 2023

Total numbers of visa applications, issued visas and arrivals

According to the latest DLUHC statistics up to 24 January, Scotland has received a total number of 44,774 visa applications, following which, 37,579 visas were issued for those with a Scottish Sponsor (either SG or Individual).

As of 24 January 2023, a total number of 22,990 displaced people from Ukraine had arrived in the UK on a visa with a Scottish sponsor. Out of these, 19% (4,280) were sponsored by named and known Individual Sponsors and 81% (18,710) were sponsored by the Scottish Government. This equates to 420 displaced people per 100,000 population for those that had arrived on a visa with a Scottish Sponsor. In comparison, 146 displaced people per 100,000 population arrived on a visa with a Sponsor in England, 205 displaced people arrived on a visa with a Sponsor in Wales and 42 displaced people arrived on a visa with a Sponsor in Northern Ireland per 100,000 population (Figure 1). Please note, there is a known undercount in the Northern Ireland ‘arrivals into the UK’ data. The number of arrivals into the UK is not necessarily reflective of the persons having arrived at the sponsors’ location.

Not everyone entering the UK through the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (including those sponsored by the Scottish Government) will need accommodation provided to them. Additionally, it is important to note that one volunteer can host more than one displaced person (for example they could host a whole family). This might result in a larger number of arrivals sponsored by individuals than there are matches under the Individual Sponsorship Scheme. Therefore, arrival figures cannot be compared directly to the number of displaced people from Ukraine entering accommodation.

Figure 1: Number of applications, visas issued and arrivals per 100,000 population by UK Nation. Data as of 24 January 2023. Total numbers include those sponsored by the Government where applicable (Scotland and Wales only) and Individual Sponsors.

Raw figures are sourced from DLUHC publication (Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: Visa data by country, upper and lower tier local authority - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)), population rates for each country are sourced from Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk). The population figures underlying these graphs are based on the latest annual population estimates (mid-2021). Please note the population estimates have been updated with latest available data. Therefore, comparisons to previous publications should not be made. Figures per 100,000 population are calculated for each nation separately. The undercount in the Northern Ireland is due to people arriving into the Republic of Ireland and entering Northern Ireland via the Common Travel Area, where travel is not covered by the methods used to record entry to other parts of the UK. Ways to understand the scale of this undercount are being explored.