Refugees: Afghanistan

(asked on 14th September 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to welcome a larger number of vulnerable Afghans eligible for the Afghanistan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme in the event that the 5,000 quota is reached within the first six months of the first year.


Answered by
Victoria Atkins Portrait
Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This question was answered on 29th September 2021

The Government has worked at pace to develop a new and bespoke resettlement scheme, announced on 18 August, which will relocate 5,000 vulnerable people in its first year. The ACRS is one of the most generous schemes in our country’s history, which will give up to 20,000 people at risk a new life in the UK over coming years.

We must ensure people can be properly supported when they get to the UK. A huge programme of work spanning different government departments, charities, NGOs, local authorities and communities is already underway to resettle people safely and provide support including with healthcare, education, jobs and housing. It is right that we support local authorities, and that we do not take more people than we can accommodate.

Some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk – will be the first to be resettled under the ACRS.

The Government will work with international partners and NGOs in the region to implement a referral process for those inside Afghanistan, (where safe passage can be arranged) and for those who have recently fled to other countries in the region. We will need some time to work through the details of this process, which depends in part on the situation in Afghanistan.

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