What this guide is
Renfrewshire is a welcoming place. Many people have made our area their home over many years. We have a proud history of supporting people to settle here.
People come to live here for a variety of different reasons, including work or study. Some have also come through the asylum system or refugee resettlement programmes.
We are often asked questions about what support is available for people who come to live here. We are also asked what the difference is between someone seeking asylum and a refugee. Here, we have provided factual information from national organisations to help answer these questions.
Asylum seekers
A person seeking asylum is someone who has fled persecution in their home country. They have sought protection in another country while waiting a decision on their asylum claim.
They have the right to remain in a country while their application is being processed.
It is not illegal to seek asylum in the UK. Seeking asylum is a legal right protected under international law. The UK, like other countries, has signed the 1951 Refugee Convention (Refugee Council website). This gives people the right to ask for protection if they fear persecution.
Asylum seekers do not need to claim asylum in the first safe country they arrive in. This is set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention. Around 70% of those who successfully claim asylum live in countries neighbouring their homeland. You can read statistics on where people who sought asylum stay (International Rescue Committee UK’s website).
Those who do travel beyond the first safe country they enter often choose a country where they have family, friends, or speak the language.
The UK is 17th out of all European countries for the number of people seeking asylum. This is based on population size. You can read about asylum and refugee resettlement in the UK (Migration Observatory website).
The UK Government operates the national asylum system. They manage where and how those seeking asylum are supported. Councils are required to be part of this scheme on a mandatory basis.
Adults waiting on the outcome of an asylum claim:
- are not permitted to work (except in very limited circumstances)
- are not able to claim benefits
- are not able to access support, such as council housing.
People seeking asylum are able to:
- access healthcare
- access English classes if those are available
- attend school if they are of school age.
Some charities, community groups and volunteer organisations provide support to people seeking asylum.
Housing and financial support
Accommodation and financial support for people seeking asylum is arranged by the Home Office. A person seeking asylum will be granted both if they are assessed as destitute.
Mears Group manage the accommodation and support of asylum seekers in Scotland. They do this on behalf of the Home Office. Accommodation provided to asylum seekers can be in a hotel or an individual private property.
A small daily allowance (Scottish Refugee Council website) of around £7 is given to people seeking asylum by the Home Office. This is to cover food, toiletries, clothing, travel, and other essentials.
Those living in hotel accommodation get a reduced allowance because they do not need to pay for food. They receive around £1.40 per day.
Councils have no role in providing or identifying accommodation for people seeking asylum. Organisations, such as Mears, can ask councils about the suitability of a property for accommodation. Councils cannot prevent a property being used to accommodate people seeking asylum. The only exception is where use of a property would breach legislation. You can read about planning permission for accommodating asylum seekers (UK Parliament website).
Councils are not responsible for housing people who are seeking asylum. Councils are only responsible for providing housing to those who have the right to remain in the UK.
People who claimed asylum and have been given the right to remain then become refugees. They must then leave the accommodation provided by the Home Office. They are given notice of when they need to leave by. At this stage they can ask for accommodation support (housing) from their local council.
Councils assess requests for housing from people living locally who present as homeless. This can include refugees granted leave to remain.
Housing applications by local people and refugees are treated the same way. Their circumstances are assessed in line with existing procedures. Refugees are not given priority over any other group.
Number of people seeking asylum
Asylum seekers make up 0.12% of Scotland’s population.
In Renfrewshire, there are 133 people seeking asylum (Home Office stats from June 2026, updated every quarter). This is further broken down into:
- 52 in dispersal accommodation (private properties)
- 67 in contingency accommodation (hotels).
This is 0.07% of Renfrewshire’s current population. This means for every 10,000 people living in Renfrewshire, around 7 are people seeking asylum.
Renfrewshire has fewer people seeking asylum than the Scottish average. The Scottish average is around 12 people per 10,000. The UK-wide average is around 13 people per 10,000.
The above figures are correct as of 30 June 2026.
See information and statistics on people seeking asylum (UK Government website) from the Home Office. This information shows by country and council area.
See how we support people who present as homeless.
Children seeking asylum
Children and young people under 18 can arrive without their parents or guardians and claim asylum. The law uses the term Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) to describe them. These children and young people are often very vulnerable. They may have experienced significant trauma and abuse.
In recent years, there have been a high number of children and young people arriving in south England. This has led to the development of a new national scheme. It applies to all councils across the UK and children are dispersed across the country. Each council has an equal role to provide support for these children and young people. It is a requirement by law.
In Scotland, the support given to these children and young people must also meet care legislation requirements.
In Renfrewshire, there were 41 children classed as UASC as of 31 March 2026.
Refugees
A refugee is someone who is unable to live safely in their home country. This can be due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, or political opinion. It can also be because they are a member of a particular social group.
Refugees may be able to apply to come to the UK and stay for an agreed period. These are agreed through formal resettlement programmes.
People are also granted refugee status if their claim for asylum is successful.
The status of a refugee is recognised under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention (UNHCR website).
Refugees are usually entitled to the same social and economic rights as any UK citizen. This can include full access to medical treatment, education, benefits, housing and employment. Entitlement can vary due to resettlement schemes. Their entitlement remains the same for the full period a person is able to stay in the UK for.
Only 0.06% of Renfrewshire’s population are refugees.
Refugee resettlement in Renfrewshire
A number of refugee resettlement schemes have been supported in Renfrewshire since 2015. These have been supported by the council and partners.
Recently, Renfrewshire has supported refugees through the Ukrainian Displaced Persons (paused to new applicants) and Afghan Resettlement Programme (UK Government website) (closed to new applicants).
Other refugees supported locally have arrived through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) (Scottish Government website) (open to new applicants recommended by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)). This is the agreed route that brings the world’s most vulnerable refugees to the UK. The scheme prioritises people from regions of conflict and instability. They can be:
- survivors of torture and violence
- women and girls at risk
- people with severe medical needs.
Currently, just under 600 refugees are supported in accommodation across Renfrewshire. These figures are correct as of 31 March 2026. These refugees have come through resettlement or humanitarian protection schemes. They include families and individuals from Afghanistan, Gaza, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria and Ukraine.
Resettlement schemes usually operate on the basis of visas. These can last between 3 and 5 years. Those coming to the UK through resettlement are approved prior to arrival. They have rights to education, employment and welfare benefits for the period of their visa.
Renfrewshire receives funding from the UK Government to provide resettlement support. This is used by our resettlement team to support refugees. The team help refugees with support to employment and wider support services.
Ukrainian Displaced Persons
Following the invasion of Ukraine and Russia, the UK Government opened up this resettlement programme. This allows people from Ukraine displaced by the war to come to the UK. The period they can remain is 3 years and this is granted through a visa. Anyone who came to the UK through this route was able to work and access any other entitlements of UK citizens.
Due to the ongoing nature of the conflict, people who came to the UK under this scheme have been able to apply for an extension. They can apply for an 18-month extension above the initial 3-year visa.
In Renfrewshire, there are over 500 people living here under this scheme. They live in 215 households. These figures are correct as of 31 March 2026.
Some of the funding for the Ukrainian Displaced Persons scheme has now ended.
Immigrants and migrants
An immigrant is someone who leaves one country to settle permanently in another. People typically immigrate:
- to seek better employment opportunities
- for education
- to reunite with family.
A migrant might have left their home for some of the same reasons listed above. They may have no specific intention to remain in their new country permanently.
There is no single definition of immigrant and migrant in law. This means these terms are often used interchangeably.
Students
Student visas allow people to live in the UK while they study at a university.
The UK is the second most popular place in the world for international students. They make up 24% of all UK university students. The main countries where international students come from are India and China.
Changes to student visas have changed which students come to the UK.
EU students no longer have home-fee status or access to student loans. New EU students at UK universities have fallen to 7% of all international students.
Dependent visas are heavily restricted since January 2024. This means many students are not eligible for this type of visa. It means they cannot bring family members with them to the UK.
The above figures are correct as of 31 March 2025.
Read about student migration to the UK (Migration Observatory website).
Graduates
International students who graduate can apply for a Graduate Visa.
International graduates are now more likely to remain in the UK than in the past. 41% have remained in the UK five years after their course of study ended.
It can take around 10 years for people who first come to the UK as students to be granted permanent settlement status.
The above figures are correct as of 31 March 2025.
English classes
Councils must provide adult learning support for everyone in the community. This is required under law and is known as Community Learning and Development.
English classes are also known as English as a Second or Additional Language (ESL or EAL) classes. They are part of the adult learning programme.
The programme also includes adult literacy classes which are also available for those who speak English as a first language.
Anybody that wants to attend an English or literacy class is able to do so. This includes:
- local people with English as a first language
- people seeking asylum
- refugees
- migrants with a culturally or ethnically diverse background that call Renfrewshire home.
In Renfrewshire, English and literacy classes are delivered using national funding. People can also access English classes at West College Scotland.