Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applicants have been awaiting an initial eligibility decision for more than (a) six months, (b) 12 months, (c) 18 months and (d) 24 months.

As of 12 December 2023, around 2,000 Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) principal applicants are awaiting an eligibility decision, of which many are new applications to the scheme. Of these:

684 principals have been awaiting an eligibility decision for more than six months; of which

579 principals have been waiting more than 12 months; of which

500 principals have been waiting more than 18 months; of which

379 principals have been waiting more than 24 months.

The longest outstanding ARAP applications are all complex cases. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) are working at pace to resolve these cases, often alongside colleagues across Government. All cases that are found eligible are prioritised after the necessary checks have been conducted.

After a concerted effort to clear the virtually the entire application backlog, between January and November this year MOD have issued decisions on over 75,000 applications, providing applicants the clarity they both need and deserve.