Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme in Scotland: statistics - March 2023

Key points

• according to published data from the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Scotland has received 45,172 visa applications through the UK ‘Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme’, which includes those sponsored by the Scottish Government (Super Sponsor Scheme) and by Individual Sponsors as at 21 March 2023, with 38,205 visas issued. As of 21 March, a total of 23,882 displaced people from Ukraine have arrived in the UK on a visa sponsored either by an individual Scottish sponsor or sponsored by the Scottish Government.
• the number of displaced people from Ukraine in welcome accommodation, as well as the number of hotel rooms and ship cabins occupied, are on an overall decreasing trend since early January.
• as reported by welcome accommodation teams across Scotland on 14 March, there were around 2,045 hotel rooms and 840 cabins occupied by displaced people from Ukraine in welcome accommodation in Scotland. There were around 5,375 people in welcome accommodation; around 3,885 people occupying hotel rooms and 1,490 people on-board the M/S Ambition and the M/S Victoria.
• by 14 March, around 1,135 guests had disembarked the M/S Ambition and around 820 guests had disembarked the M/S Victoria since the ships became operational (14 September and 26 July, respectively). Although the M/S Ambition became operational on 14 September 2022, the first disembarkation took place on 17 September 2022.
• across the three main matching pathways (national matching, local matching, informal matching), around 5,055 individuals sponsored by the Scottish Government had been matched into and arrived at their matched accommodation in Scotland, as reported between 11 January and 14 March 2023.
• local authorities report that at least 4,080 people (around 1,875 cases) sponsored by a known individual host (arriving on the Individual Sponsor Scheme) have arrived at their matched accommodation in Scotland, as reported between 11 January and 15 March 2023.
• local authority teams reported that out of all the people that have been matched (arriving on any visa type: sponsored by the Scottish Government, Individuals or on Family Visa), around 2,420 people (around 1,120 cases) had been placed directly into social or council housing across Scotland, as reported between 11 January and 15 March 2023.
• following a Scottish Government survey of all 32 local authorities, data indicates that as at 24 February 2023, 3,178 Ukrainian children are enrolled in primary and secondary schools across Scotland.
• please see methodology and types of matches section for additional notes.