For the last twenty-five years, the story of refugee protection in Scotland has been dominated by people seeking asylum in and around the city of Glasgow. The 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act saw Glasgow step up and provide refuge and a new home to thousands of people fleeing violence and persecution around the world . With around 3500 people setting up home in the city every year, Glasgow grew and changed, enlivened with new energy, languages, food and culture and young people growing up carrying their families’ hopes and dreams to live in safety and peace.
But, while the majority of Scotland’s refugee community continues to live in Glasgow, the city’s dominance as a place of sanctuary has now shifted. Beginning in 2014, a programme to support people affected by the Syrian conflict saw around 5000 people resettled - for the first time - in parts of Scotland outside Glasgow. Since then, new arrivals from Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan and Ukraine, have settled in almost every part of the country.
Last year Scottish Refugee Council worked with people from 99 different countries, providing advice and support to new arrivals seeking safety here and settling in communities right across the country. As these ‘New Scots’ settle across Scotland – in the Western Isles, Perth, Arbroath, Dumfries and Dundee, Argyll and Bute and Aberdeen - new communities are built, new friendships made, new businesses opened and these areas themselves are changed in subtle ways. Last year saw reco.
