Refugee resettlement
Current UK resettlement programmes support the most vulnerable refugees who have pressing humanitarian or security needs which prevent them from being able to return to their country of origin or integrate locally in their current location. The UK Government works with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify refugees who are eligible for resettlement under the programme.
The majority of refugees resettled to the UK are directly supported by local authorities. Local authority participation in resettlement programmes is on a voluntary basis. All 32 of Scotland’s local authorities welcomed refugees into their communities through the Syrian resettlement programme and they have committed to continue supporting refugee resettlement.
Local authorities have to identify suitable accommodation in their area and available service capacity, particularly for healthcare and school places. In Scotland, COSLA then works with the Home Office and local authorities to match refugees, who have been accepted for resettlement by the Home Office, with places offered by local authorities. Matching is completed on the basis of the needs of the refugees.
UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS)
Following the end of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) in February 2021, the UK Government announced the UK Resettlement Scheme, with the first people arriving in the UK in March 2021.
The UK Resettlement Scheme is open to vulnerable refugees around the world. Individuals coming through this scheme are assessed and referred by the UNHCR according to their criteria, which is based on people’s needs and vulnerabilities.
You can read more about how the UKRS operates here.
Afghan Resettlement
There are two resettlement and relocation schemes the UK Government have available to people from Afghanistan.
1. The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) provides women, children and others most at risk with a safe route to settle in the UK.
The scheme will prioritise:
- those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech, and rule of law
- vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBTQI+
2. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) offers eligible Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan, and who are assessed to be under serious threat to life, priority relocation to the UK. The scheme includes immediate family members of those eligible.