Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether special provisions will be made in cases where children pass their 18th birthdays while waiting for the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme to come into effect.

Through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), the UK will relocate up to 20,000 people at risk, including women and girls and minority groups, so they can rebuild their lives in safety. The scheme is not yet open and remains under development; however, we would anticipate that those resettled will include children within family units. Additionally, unaccompanied children in the region may be offered resettlement where it is determined that resettlement to the UK is in their best interests and they have been identified as eligible for the scheme.

Further information on the eligibility, prioritisation and referral of people for the ACRS is set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement