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A Displaced Person’s Guide to Scotland (work in progress)

Please note that we’re an unregistered grassroots volunteer organisation. We are not a source of official information or legal advice.

❗If you have any comments or additions to the content of this site, please email helpukrainescotland@gmail.com

‼️Dear displaced persons, please be aware that any phone calls to official institutions in the UK (local authorities, the NHS, the Scottish government, registered charities, etc) can and do have waiting times. It is normal to wait for up to half an hour for someone to pick up a call, and in busier institutions up to an hour. This is of course not something we’re happy with, but it is useful to keep in mind when you’re trying to reach any phone numbers listed in this guide and other informational resources aimed at Ukrainians in the UK.

Important information

  • https://edinburgh.mfa.gov.ua/ - Consulate of Ukraine in Edinburgh, (+44)7909056906, can be contacted for help in general.
  • The official guide for Ukrainians from the British government: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TXLvvZZoKsA4MsV6DsTHl0i9oVFnt9Wt/view?usp=sharing (Ukrainian)
  • The phone number for ambulance, police and firefighters is 999 or 112.
  • Police non-emergency number - 101.
  • NHS (healthcare) telephone for non-emergency care - 111. You do NOT need to be registered with a GP to get help from them. This is also the phone number you should call if you’re in need of emergency dentistry. They have Ukrainian and Russian interpreters if necessary.
  • Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (aka the Ukrainian Club) - 14 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, open Tuesday and every second Thursday from 10am until approximately 1pm. Contact via Facebook and email (edinburgh@augb.co.uk). Also exists in Glasgow (the contact email is glasgow@augb.co.uk). AUGB Edinburgh Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AUGBEdinburgh AUGB Glasgow Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GlasgowUkrainians/ AUGB offers humanitarian aid as well as advice and community links.

Language support

  • Some Scottish services do not yet have Ukrainian or Russian translators. You can submit a request to Respond: Crisis in Translation https://respondcrisistranslation.org/uk/need-support (in Ukrainian). Respond offer phone interpretation as well as certified document translation.
  • We recommend an app called SayHi for automated voice translation. You can speak in your own language through it and it will automatically translate your words into English: https://www.sayhi.com/en/translate/
  • You can automatically translate any webpage into Ukrainian or Russian by going to the Google Translate page, pressing the Websites button, choosing the original and the target language, and then pasting the url of the website you need to translate into the field. You will then be able to use the website in your desired language.
  • FOR DOCUMENT TRANSLATION, if you’re not using Respond, you can translate most documents yourself. Unless otherwise specified, Scottish institutions typically do not require a translation signed by a notary and will accept any translation you provide as long as it is formatted correctly.

You should typically include a translation certificate in your translated document. This should contain the following text:

Date I, [Your Name], am competent to translate documents from Ukrainian to English, and certify that I have translated the preceding documents faithfully and accurately to the best of my ability.

[SIGNATURE] [Your Name] [Address] [Phone]

Here’s a bank of translation templates specifically for Ukrainian documents:

Charity Translators (at the bottom of the page)

What to do upon arrival

  1. Apply for benefits. We recommend this step to everyone even if you do not intend to remain on benefits for a long amount of time. It helps the government process you through the system and offer you direct assistance. You can still apply if you don’t have a bank account yet. See details here.
  2. Create a bank account (details here).
  3. During the first 6 months, apply for the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) if you haven’t submitted your biometrics beforehand using the ID Check app or by visiting a visa application centre (VAC). See paragraph 1.2 of the official guide. If you have used ID Check or submitted biometrics at a visa application centre, collect your BRP from the post office you indicated in your application (or redirect it to a different one; see details here).
  4. Apply for a NINO (National Insurance Number). You will need this to work in the UK. If you have applied for Universal Credit, you will be sent a link to a NINO application you should complete within the timeframe indicated (typically 48 hours). You should not, in this case, apply for NINO separately from Universal Credit.
  5. Register with a doctor (GP = General Phyisician, i.e. family physician). Details here.

What happens on arrival?

1. Points of arrival: Edinburgh

1.1. Edinburgh Waverley.

  • Edinburgh Waverley now has a manned volunteer desk. You can approach it and request assistance.
  • If there are no volunteers, you should phone the city council using this number: +44 131 200 2306. If you’re unable to call UK phone numbers or speak English, you may show the council number to a station worker. The council may ask for your name and date of birth. If you’re asking another person to call for you, we advise that you write this information down and give it to them.
  • After you have arrived and informed the council, they will call you a free taxi that will deliver you either to the hotel or to the welcome hub. Normally, if you arrive before 5pm on a weekday or before 4pm on a weekend, you will be taken to the welcome hub at the Vega Building, Clocktower Estate, Flassches Yard, South Gyle Crescent, EH12 9LB. Out of hours you will be taken to one of the hotels in Edinburgh. It is difficult to predict which as they fill up rapidly and the council has to take people to different hotels at different times.
  • There is no other way of contacting the council to request being allocated to a hotel. Waiting on the line for a long time is unfortunately normal and there’s nothing that can be done to remedy that. The council will answer eventually. If you find it preferable, you may wish to make your own way to the welcome hub during its working hours.

1.2. Edinburgh Airport.

  • There’s a welcome desk. It is normally manned every day by volunteers from Volunteer Edinburgh. You do not need to call ahead to let them know that you’re arriving. The welcome desk is located in the arrivals area (International Arrivals 2) and you can simply approach it and request assistance.
  • After you have arrived, volunteers from Volunteer Edinburgh will help you get either to the hotel or to the welcome hub.
  • Volunteers may also give you a free British SIM from Vodafone if they have these at the time of your arrival. If you have not received yours, you can then get one in any Three shop in the UK. THREE sim cards are free for a month. Vodafone ones are free for 6 months. If you wish to get a Vodafone one, you may want to contact one of the charities on this list: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/everyone-connected/charities-connected
  • If there are no volunteers at the welcome desk, you should follow the guidance above relating to Edinburgh Waverley and call +44 131 200 2306. Border force officers may also be able to help you.

1.3. Other arrival points in Edinburgh.

  • If you arrive elsewhere, there will not be a welcome desk. You can still follow the guidance above for Edinburgh Waverley and contact the council in the same manner in order to be given instructions and assistance with getting to the hotel or to the welcome hub. If you arrive using your own car, they will give you the address you need to drive to.

Glasgow

1.4. Glasgow Airport.

  • Glasgow Airport has a welcome desk manned by volunteers on a daily basis. In the absence of volunteers at the welcome desk, you should phone +44 141 222 7352 (9am to 5pm) or +44 300 343 1505 (out of hours). If you’re unable to call UK phone numbers or speak English, you may show the council number to an airport worker. The council may ask for your name and date of birth. If you’re asking another person to call for you, we advise that you write this information down and give it to them.
  • After you have arrived and informed the council, they will direct you either to the welcome hub (the closest hub to the airport is at the Holiday Inn, Paisley PA3 2TE - map location) or to a hotel. They will NOT normally help you with transport.
  • There is no other way of contacting the council to request being allocated to a hotel. Waiting on the line for a long time is unfortunately normal and there’s nothing that can be done to remedy that. The council will answer eventually. If you find it preferable, you may wish to make your own way to the welcome hub during its working hours.

1.5. Other arrival points in Glasgow.

  • There are no other welcome desks in Glasgow. You can follow the above guidance regarding calling Glasgow City Council to notify them of your arrival and request assistance.
  • The Glasgow Welcome Hub that processes new arrivals in the city centre is located at the Best Western Argyle Hotel (27 Washington St, Glasgow G3 8AZ, map location). You may make your way there if you find that preferable to trying to reach the council by phone.

Aberdeen

1.6. Aberdeen Airport.

The Aberdeen Airport does not currently have a manned welcome desk. On arrival, you should phone +44 800 0304 713 (either yourself or by asking an airport employee to assist you; note that this line is free to call via Skype). You should choose option 1 when calling this number. After this the council will provide you with free transport to the hotel.

Upon arrival you will ordinarily be directed to the Aberdeen Airport Dyce Hotel (Farburn Terrace, Dyce, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, AB21 7DW, Scotland). This is the Aberdeen City Council’s Ukrainian welcome hub and it will have volunteers who’ll assist you (although they may not be there 24/7).

If for any reason the city council line is inaccessible, you may also contact the Aberdeen City homelessness emergency line +44 800 917 6379 (this line is also free to call via Skype).

1.7. Other arrival points in Aberdeen.

The same general principle applies, but be aware that you may not be able to find someone to help you with contacting the city council, so unless you’re able to do this yourself, you should plan ahead. You may request our assistance via @hushelp_bot on Telegram.

Cairnryan

1.8. Cairnryan Ferry Port.

There’s an unmanned welcome desk at the port. On arrival you should phone +44 3033 333 001 (during the day) or +44 1387 273 660 (during the evening, night or early morning). The welcome hub associated with Cairnryan is located at the Municipal Chambers, Buccleuch St, Dumfries DG1 2AD (map location).

Elsewhere in Scotland

❗ We’re aware of the Stirling Council being open to direct arrivals. You should contact them at resettlement@stirling.gov.uk if you’re interested in settling there.

At the moment you should generally avoid arriving in Scotland outside of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cairnryan, and Aberdeen, as other local authorities are not currently equipped to process Ukrainian arrivals. However, if it so happens that you have no choice, do not worry. You need to contact the council of the region you’re arriving in to request assistance, either yourself or via an interpreter.

If you have not received a response from the local council and the issue is becoming urgent, you may wish to turn to the council’s homelessness department as your next port of call in order to try and secure emergency housing.

2. The Edinburgh Welcome Hub.

  • The welcome hub is located at the Clocktower Estate in the Vega Building (Vega Building, Clocktower Estate, Flassches Yard, South Gyle Crescent, EH12 9LB). It’s open 9-17 during weekdays and 9-16 during weekends.
  • There’s transport available from the Hampton by Hilton Hotel (at the airport) to the welcome hub. Inquire at the hotel reception. If you’re not at this hotel, you can get free transport from the council by contacting them on +44 131 200 2306.
  • It has interpreters if you do not speak English.
  • If you arrive out of hours and cannot access the welcome hub on the day of your arrival, you can request help with getting there the next working day.

3. The Glasgow Information Hub.

NB! There’s been controversy around the fact that the volunteers running the Glasgow Information Hub at Edward House have been involved in Russian anti-draft activism. Here’s a statement by AUGB Glasgow.

  • The volunteer-manned information hub is located at Ground floor, 249 West George Street, G2 4QE. It’s open Monday to Friday from 10:00 until 14:00. This hub provides social and informational support as well as assistance with filling in Universal Credit forms, BRP applications, etc.

4. If Your Sponsor is the Scottish Government.

❗ Please note you’re not guaranteed access to social housing (i.e. a separate flat of your own provided by the local authorities). You should not refuse to be placed with a sponsor because you wish to secure social housing. Ukrainians have the same right to social accommodation as Scottish people, and many Scottish people who are poor, disabled, or otherwise in need wait a long time for their turn to get this kind of accommodation. The Scottish government has asked for our cooperation in making the Ukrainian displaced population aware of the scarcity of social housing and in asking displaced persons not to rely on it as an option.

  • The Scottish government will house you in a hotel or a hostel when you arrive. People are no longer being placed on the cruise ships docked in Edinburgh and Glasgow (MS Victoria and MS Ambition).
  • If you have a pet, you will be placed in a pet-friendly hotel.
  • There is no guarantee of being placed in a specific region of Scotland. You may express a preference, but this is dependent on whether there’s room available in your chosen region. You will most likely not be housed in Edinburgh or Glasgow as they are full.
  • You will not be removed from this temporary accommodation as long as you’re in genuine need and cannot secure housing of your own. We have been advised by the Scottish government that there’s no set period for which Ukrainians may be housed in government-sponsored accommodation. However, you should be considerate of other Ukrainians who are yet to arrive in the country and who will also need a place to stay when they come. If you’re able to find private accommodation, you should do so as soon as reasonably possible. We have some guidance and advice on how to do this here. You should be proactive about this and in any case at least attempt to find your own housing. The Scottish housing system is under strain and the government is doing everything it can to ensure no one is without shelter, but they need your cooperation for this.
  • If you have to leave the country and return later, you will still be housed upon return if you’re in genuine need (i.e. cannot secure your own accommodation). This is not dependent on the duration of your absence. You’re not guaranteed a place in the same hotel/region where you used to live before you left Scotland.
  • In general, the Scottish housing system for Ukrainians operates under the principle of good faith. As long as you need it, you will be cared after, but you are asked to use this option only as long as you need it and no further.
  • You will sometimes be offered a private sponsor to live with. This is also not a guarantee, as currently there are not that many private sponsors available in Scotland. However, if you are offered such sponsored housing, we generally do not recommend that you refuse it without a good reason (such as if the potential sponsor is bigoted towards you, strikes you as unsafe to live with). If you do fall out with your sponsor and have to leave, the local authorities will not leave you without shelter.

5. If You Have an Individual Sponsor.

  • You’re guaranteed free accommodation for 6 months. The sponsor cannot legally charge you rent within this timeframe.
  • There are currently no special provisions in place for what will happen after these 6 months are over. We recommend being proactive about finding your own accommodation. If you have failed to find your own accommodation, however, or if you know you’re unable to (such as because of a disability or due to childcare responsibilities), you will need to turn either to one of the welcome hubs or to your local council’s emergency homelessness team once your sponsorship period is over. They will support you with housing.
  • The sponsor is not obliged to provide you food or any other items. They may choose to do so if they wish, however.
  • If you’re matched to a separate accommodation (such as a flat or a house your host does not live in) provided by a private individual, you are typically liable for the utility bills. It is your responsibility to ensure they’re paid. On the other hand, if you share a flat or a house with your host, they are the ones who are responsible for covering the costs of utilities. They may ask you to contribute, but they cannot force you to do so. (https://www.gov.scot/publications/ukraine-super-sponsor-scheme-guidance-for-hosts/pages/host-role/) If you feel you’re being asked to pay an unreasonable amount or if you cannot afford utility bills, you should contact your local authorities for help.
  • If an irreconcilable issue arises between you and the sponsor, the council may re-match you to a different sponsor or provide you with alternative housing. You need to contact them (directly or through an interpreter) and inform them of the situation as soon as possible.

The council will sometimes attempt to mediate the conflict in the first place (i.e. attempt to get you to reconcile with your sponsor). If you feel that this is a viable option, you may also wish to use the free National Family Mediation service for Ukrainian hosts and guests - Homes for Ukraine Mediation - National Family Mediation (nfm.org.uk)

6. Applying for Financial Support.

  • This is the first thing we recommend doing in the UK, even if you do not intend to remain on benefits for a long time. This helps the local council integrate you in the system and ensure that you get all the support available to you.