THE number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Dumfries and Galloway will continue to fall, council chiefs have confirmed.
Since 2022, the region has welcomed 796 Ukrainians – with 576 arriving in 2022, 190 in 2023, and 30 to date in 2024.
Around 350 households across Dumfries and Galloway opened their doors to the Ukrainian guests, but there are now around 40 still actively hosting – 33 as Super Sponsors and seven under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
At Dumfries and Galloway Council’s social work committee last Tuesday, Councillor Emma Jordan said: “I see the number of people looking after Ukrainian guests has reduced.
“Do we still need more hosts – or are our Ukrainian guests moving on and we don’t need that support so much?”
Charles Rocks, the council’s head of children, families and justice service, said: “We don’t anticipate there will be new demand. There’s been a change in the Visa scheme, which closes in respect of the timeline for new Ukrainian citizens being able to arrive into the UK.
“So, we don’t anticipate that number increasing.”
He then heaped praise on Super Sponsors and hosts in the region for their “amazing work” supporting Ukrainians.
He added that Ukrainian families may have naturally moved on, or identified other options to live in different areas through connections with friends and family.
As of October 31 this year, there were 270 Ukrainian guests still living within the community, which includes 177 adults and 93 children.
