Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reopen resettlement programmes, humanitarian visas or family reunion.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through our global resettlement schemes, which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme.
We are developing new capped sponsored refugee pathways across education, labour and community routes. This will ensure that there are routes available to support individuals in need of protection, but in a way that meets the need of UK communities.
During the suspension of Appendix Family Reunion, the Government is taking forward wider asylum and family reforms to place the system on a fairer, more controlled and sustainable footing. Further information on forthcoming changes will be set out in due course. In the meantime, other family routes remain available, including Appendix FM: Family Members, which was amended to allow applications from a partner and dependent children of a sponsor with protection status in the UK.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether work and study visas for refugees will only be available to those refugees who are assessed as in need of protection.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Restoring Order and Control policy statement set out how the Government would transform its approach to safe and legal routes. Alongside the new community sponsorship route, the Government committed to the creation of capped routes for refugee and displaced students to study in the UK, and for skilled refugees and displaced people to come to the UK for work.
Work is underway to operationalise these new routes and further details will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to open new community sponsorship safe routes.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to launching new Safe and Legal routes. This includes the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.