Syrian refugees arrive in Scotland on Glasgow chartered flight

About 1,200 Syrian refugees have already been resettled in Scotland

More than 200 Syrian refugees are beginning a new life in Scotland after arriving on a chartered flight at Glasgow Airport.

They have been brought to Scotland as part of the UK government's Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) scheme.

The families have been taken in by councils including Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute and North and South Ayrshire.

More than 1,200 Syrian refugees have already been resettled in Scotland.

Immigration minister Robert Goodwill said: "The humanitarian crisis in Syria is unprecedented which is why we decided to undertake one of the largest resettlement schemes in the UK's history.

"I am very grateful to the local authorities, community groups and individuals across Scotland who have helped to provide these vulnerable people with a safe environment and the chance to rebuild their lives."

'Meeting its commitment'

Hundreds of flights carrying Syrians escaping their country's civil war have arrived in the UK over the past 18 months.

More than 5,500 refugees have been resettled in the UK under the scheme so far and around a fifth of them have been found homes in Scotland.

The UK government said it remains on track to meet its commitment of resettling 20,000 Syrians by 2020.

In addition to the VPR scheme, the government has also committed to accepting up to 3,000 vulnerable children and family members directly from the Middle East and North Africa.