Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress she has made on the implementation of provisions to bring individuals under Category 3 to safety to the UK under the the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.

The ACRS is not application-based. Instead, eligible people will be prioritised for resettlement through three referral pathways.

Pathway 3 offers a route to resettlement for those at risk who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan, as well as those who are particularly vulnerable, such as women and girls at risk and members of minority groups.

The government announced further details on Pathway 3 on 13 June 2022. Under the first year of Pathway 3, the government will offer resettlement places to eligible, at-risk British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni. There are 1,500 Pathway 3 places available in the first year. This number includes the principal applicants and their eligible family members.

The FCDO have set out further information on how this works.The full link to the webpage is as follows: (Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 3: eligibility for British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening Alumni - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). We encourage anyone who thinks they might be eligible to complete the Expression of Interest as soon as possible, and before the deadline on Monday 15 August 2022.

After the first year of Pathway 3, the government will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome additional groups of Afghans at risk. Further detail will be set out in due course.