Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish guidance on wider groups of Afghans eligible for resettlement under the Afghan Citizen’s Resettlement Scheme.

As of 31 December 2022, 24,500 people have been brought to safety from Afghanistan and the neighbouring region. This figure includes over 7,600 individuals granted settled status under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

Eligible people are prioritised and referred for resettlement under the ACRS through one of three referral pathways. This includes individuals evacuated or called forward for evacuation under Pathway 1, vulnerable refugees referred by UNHCR under Pathway 2, and British Council and Gardaworld contractors and Chevening alumni referred under the first stage of Pathway 3.

In the second stage of Pathway 3, our commitment to work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk still stands. We are not able to open for referrals at this present time, but further information will be published in due course.

Our immediate focus is ensuring the resettlement of those eligible in the first stage of Pathway 3, which includes individuals who directly supported the UK and international community’s efforts in Afghanistan

We recognise there are many vulnerable individuals who remain in Afghanistan and the region. However, the capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and difficult decisions about who will be prioritised have to be made.