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 program 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.
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.
New Scots Portraits was commissioned by Scottish Refugee Council as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations.
ARBROATH harbour. The Tawhidi family from Kabul, Afghanistan arrived in March 2022.
INVERURIE Turfa Daara 61 Siham Idlib 34 Fatima 66 arrived in 2018 from Syria. The good friends had just come out of a sweet making session and were chatting to Biff Barrow, the group’s organiser.
INVERNESS The Pacha family. from Afghanistan. Lal Pacha (father) and Nadera Pacha (mother) arrived with their family in 2023.
STORNOWAY Abdullah Al Nakeeb 13 left, carrying his two year old brother Yazan, (born in Scotland), with Majd 11 racing on the sands near Stornoway. The family arrived in 2017 from Syria.
RENFREW Alina Salohub resettled in Renfrew from Chernivtsi, Ukraine in 2022 with her two children. Oleksander is 11 and Anna 19 is studying architecture at Glasgow School of Art.
SANQUHAR Anastasiia Mosiichuk arrived with her daughter Anna 5 in 2023 from Ukraine. She has a BA in Economics and would like the opportunity to pursue this, but for now is working at the local hotel.
CRIEFF Anna Sokolchuk arrived in 2022 from Kiev. She escaped by driving her mum, Boris 4 (then a baby) the family cat and two friends (they got out in Germany) the day after the Russian bombing started. Oleg, Anna's husband, immediately volunteered for the army and has been on the front line ever since. Anna works a finance assistant for a national care group at the head office in Perth.
DUNDEE Anwar arrived in 2024. He attends English class and his favourite past time is playing football with his friends at Showcase Street Soccer. He is planning on a career as an electrician.
STORNOWAY HARBOUR Bashar Alothman with daughter Amina, 9, and son Mohammad, 7. The family arrived from Aleppo, Syria 2018. Bashar is working as a reprographic technician
GLASGOW Aryan Davani 24, arrived from Abadan, Iran, in 2019. He works in IKEA as a kitchen planner, while studying electrical engineering.
EDINBURGH Dolo, came from Somalia via Kenya with her grandson Ahmed who was orphaned at a young age. He is now working full time in a laundrette but his wish is to get a college place, and study IT. When he arrived he felt 'shy and hopeless but things have really turned around for me. The people have been amazing and very friendly'.
PERTH Elsa from Eritrea is pictured in the Acorn café, Perth, an ESOL Perth initiative, she volunteers while studying to gain a NQ in Social services: Children and Young people.
DUMFRIES Kateryna Novikova, with daughter Viktoriia. They arrived from Zhytomyr, Ukraine in 2022, on the resettlement scheme. Kateryna is working as a resettlement officer, while Viktoriia has started a business course.
PERTH Khaled Ta Yar, 33, from Kobani, Syria. He escaped the army after serving 2.5 years. He has leave to remain until 2028 or until there is a change in regime. He is working 12 hour shifts in a recycling plant at present but is a tailor to trade and would love to open a shop.
GLASGOW Diana Pimiento with daughter Isabella, 16arrived in 2024 from Columbia via Halifax. Isabella is taking is taking subjects which will allow her to study medicine. Diana is involved with many community projects and hopes to set up a homeless charity, similar to what she was involved in back in Columbia.
GREENOCK Khalida and Alaf Mantiq arrived with their son Emran 9, from Kabul, Afghanistan in 2024. Alaf was in telecommunications and Khalida was a journalist. She hopes after her English skills haved become more proficient, she can attend college and return to her career in journalism.
KIRRIEMUIR Oksana Shaskun arrived from Ukraine in 2022. She lives with her mum and two children Vlad 13 and Sofia 4. Oksana's husband is in the military.
CRIEFF Lena 62 and husband Sasha Statsenko 66 left their home in Nikopol when the Russians targeted a nearby nuclear plant. Sasha is attending ESOL classes and Lena has picked up on her embroidery, which she taught in her home town. They have been with their host family for over a year. Left, Stuart an onshore oil worker and next to him, Janet his wife, who is a paramedic. They have a 6 year old daughter Myrtle and dog Ghillie.
STORNOWAY: Callanish stones. Murtaza and his wife Frishta Dawoodbeig arrived in Stornoway from Afghanistan in October 2021, shortly after the Taliban takeover. Kia their 2 year old son was born in Stornoway. They knew nothing about Stornoway and had no idea what life on an island would be like. Now they have adapted to island life they feel very attached to the place. Happy and hopeful about their lives.
INVERNESS Nahla Farhad arrived in 2019 from Idlib, Syria with her husband Khaled, a self -employed taxi driver. and children. Mohammed, Yarrob, Ibrahim and Julia. Their eldest son Mohammed 17 is a promising footballer with Ross County. Pictured here, raspberry picking is Yarrob 12. His mum Nahla and sister Julia 3 who was born in Scotland.
EDINBURGH: NEWHAVEN HARBOUR Natallia Kondratiuk, 27, Ukraine, with the winter camouflage netting that the group ‘Spiders for Ukraine’ have made. They make camouflage nets for the war effort to be used in the most endangered zones and to support the mental wellbeing of Ukrainians in Scotland. Her brother Arthur is fighting on the front line.
STIRLING Niamad arrived from Sudan due to the civil war. Involved with many local community groups she has three children and is expecting a fourth.
DUMFRIES The Noori family from Afghanistan. Aabil was an army commander. They arrived in 2022. The children are all enjoying school.
PERTH Olha and son Lev 11 were in Cherkasy city when the war started. Ben Kivlin, a Scottish friend heard of their plight and travelled to bring them back to Scotland. Their friendship grew into love and they married with Lev as their witness in 2024.
PERTH Olha and son Lev 11 were in Cherkasy city when the war started. Ben Kivlin, a Scottish friend heard of their plight and travelled to bring them back to Scotland. Their friendship grew into love and they married with Lev as their witness in 2024.
KELLOHOLM Olha Chesnova arrived from Odessa, Ukraine, in 2023 with her son Danya 9. Olha works for Dumfries and Galloway Council in Lifelong Learning. She supports the ESOL classes in Upper Nithsdale. Danya is in the local cubs.
DUNDEE Omar Sheikh 26 arrived from Yemen in April 2024. He is studying English with view to a career in nursing. Every Friday he volunteers as a cook at the Maxwell community centre. There is an enclosed well stocked garden which supplies much of the kitchen's needs.
EDINBURGH Kristina and her family arrived in 2024 from Sudan via Egypt. Peter 22 is studying law while his brother James is studying business. The two younger boys Youssef and Dawoud are at school. Devout catholics they were happy to find that they lived round the corner from their local church. Kristina is in the choir and the two eldest are altar boys.
ABERDEEN The Ramadan family husband Zahed, wife Laila and 3 children arrived from Syria through the UKRS scheme in 2021. Younes 12 chases Heyv 3 in the cornfield near their home.
ROTHESAY Youssef Al Najjar arrived with his family in 2017. Youssef owns the local patisserie TAZZA with the Fasi family
EDINBURGH: WEST GRANTON Pie Girukwigomba with his wife Jacqueline Mukabatsinda. They left Burundi due to political issues (Pie was a government advisor) and arrived in Scotland in March 2023.
DUNDEE Rafia Haidara, arrived from Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2022. She continued her studies and gained a masters in Business Administration in 2023 from Dundee University. Rafia is presently working at a distribution centre while trying to get into the Finance or accounting field.
PETERHEAD Sajida Fazli with son Kalimullah, 2. From Kabul, Afghanistan, she arrived in 2021. Sajiida is currently doing ESOL classes and is involved in local community groups.
ABERDEEN Samuel Beteketob, arrived in April 2024 from Eritrea. Sam is presently studying English, as this would enable him to follow his dream of being a nurse. He has permanent leave to remain and now has his own flat, this has given him independence after having lived in a migrant hotel.
EDINBURGH: CALTON HILL Shatha is a visual artist and Saber a musician. They moved from Yemen to Scotland in winter 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. Now that they feel safe and settled in Edinburgh, they are focusing on producing art, immersing themselves in the community and leaving a positive impact.
ABERDEEN Husband and wife Oksana and Serhi Tverdokhlibova from Ukraine, arrived in 2024. Serhi drove to Ukraine and brought son Mitya to Scotland in June 2025. Serhi is a delivery driver, Oksana is in product design and Mitya is in film production.
SANQUHAR Vira Oholiuk 72 arrived from Odessa, Ukraine in 2022. She had been an electrical engineer in her homeland. Vira loves her village and can often be found brushing the local high street and planting flowers (seen here). Vira's son and grandson are fighting on the front line. Her daughter and son in law live nearby and are computer programmers.
ROTHESAY Yahya Fasi, right, arrived from Syria with his parents and siblings in 2017. Yahya is a football coach with St. Mirren. The family also have a barbershop/ beauticians and a patisserie in the town.
GLASGOW Zainab Yagoub arrived from Sudan in 2019. Zainab is doing an ESOL course and involved in a community group at the Gorbals Church. She loves the baking class as this was her occupation in Sudan.
ABERDEEN The Altammo family arrived from Syria 2025. Ahmad and wife Rankin with children Ali and Mohamad – ages 7 & 8 who are both keen footballers.