Afghan refugees in Scotland could wait up to 82 weeks in temporary accommodation

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP has today labelled the accommodation arrangements in place for refugees in Scotland as “a masterclass in chaos,” after research by the party found that the longest time an Afghan refugee had waited in temporary accommodation was 82 weeks.    

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request asked the Home Office for both the longest and average length of time that an Afghan refugee living in Scotland had been in temporary accommodation.  

The longest time in temporary accommodation was 82 weeks (575 days), while the average time in temporary accommodation was 47 weeks (331 days).

The Home Office describes temporary accommodation as a stay in a “bridging hotel.”

Mr Carmichael said:  

“The UK Government’s asylum policy is a masterclass in chaos.  

“As if their Illegal Immigration Bill wasn’t bad enough, these figures show that the Conservatives are leaving too many in a state of uncertainty.  

“People need to know what comes next, so it’s entirely unreasonable to expect them to be living out of suitcases for any lengthy period of time, worried where and when the next roof will be.  

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are demanding that the Government immediately scrap the callous Illegal Immigration Bill and focus instead on providing a properly funded refugee resettlement scheme. This will give people to confidence and certainty they need to build a new life far from home.”