NEW visa applications from Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion are set to be paused for three months due to unprecedented demand, the Scottish Government has announced.

Neil Gray, minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine, has said it was an “incredibly difficult” decision to pause the super sponsor scheme.

The pause will come into effect from 9am on Wednesday, July 13.

It is understood those who have already made their application or been granted their visa will be unaffected by the change.

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Visa applications listing the Scottish Government as a sponsor has increased by 21% as of July 5, while visas issued to Ukrainians have risen by 27%.

And arrivals under the super sponsor scheme have gone up by 20%, resulting in the need for a temporary extension to the scheme, the Scottish Government said.

The pause will allow the Scottish Government to ensure safe accommodation can continue to be provided to those who have already applied and may now travel to Scotland.

Mr Gray said: “With a recent decrease in people applying for private sponsorship in England, and Wales having paused their own scheme, the number of applications naming the Scottish Government has increased considerably in recent weeks.

“For this reason, we have taken the incredibly difficult decision to follow Wales in pausing our scheme so we can continue to provide a high level of support and care to everyone who has already been granted a visa.

“We will review our position in three months but, of course, if circumstances change during that time, we will bring that date forward.

“In the meantime, we are taking significant action to increase the capacity of our temporary accommodation and are also boosting our matching system to maximise the number of displaced people placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguarding checks.”

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A total of 21,256 visas have been issued to Ukraine nationals listing a Scottish sponsor – more than 20% of the UK total and the highest number per head of the population.

Mr Gray added: “I am proud that thanks in a large part to our super sponsor scheme, we are now providing safe accommodation to the most Ukrainians per head of population in the UK.

“We have been able to ensure thousands of people displaced by Russia’s horrific and illegal war were able to travel immediately and receive support and a place to stay without the need to be matched with a private host first.

“Our absolute priority has been to respond quickly to support those forced to flee their homeland and I thank all local authorities, third sector organisations, the private sector and the public, who have all mobilised in a major effort to help – together, we have co-ordinated accommodation and delivered essential services at a large scale and in a very short space of time.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain said the decision will put Ukrainian “lives at risk”.

She said: “Vladimir Putin is not going to pause his assault on Ukraine for three months while Neil Gray and co iron out the bureaucratic kinks. This decision is going to put lives at risk.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have been warning for months that the Government’s efforts to secure housing and vet hosts were woefully inadequate. Local authorities have been crying out for more help.”