Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Afghan interpreters resettled to the UK under the Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) are also eligible for the support measures offered to Afghan interpreters resettled through the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme including the provisions under (a) Op NEWHOPE and (b) Operation Warm Welcome Full Degree scholarships.

Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) Afghan Nationals are not eligible for Op WARM WELCOME. There are ongoing discussions within Defence about extending Op NEWHOPE to EGS Afghan Nationals.

While compiling the answer to this question, it was noticed that an error was made in the written answer to your question 16958, answered on 16 June 2022. Please consider this reply as a correction to the record.

The Operation Warm Welcome full degree scholarships and OP NEWHOPE provisions are both provided under Operation Warm Welcome. Within Operation Warm Welcome, the categories of people eligible for the Warm Welcome Scholarship are:

• Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) resettlement route
• Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) resettlement route
• Those with links to Afghanistan who are already registered at a UK university and are experiencing financial hardship due to the situation in Afghanistan
• Afghan British Nationals (ABNs), described for these purposes as those that were evacuated during Operation Pitting and who entered bridging accommodation or who presented as homeless to a council, but hold British citizenship or some other status that permits them to remain and reside in the UK without the need to be granted leave to remain.

Afghan individuals who are eligible for Op WARM WELCOME, who have a Defence connection and want to maintain their connection to the Armed Forces, are eligible for Op NEWHOPE support. Those who are eligible for Op NEWHOPE support are able to continue to receive wider HMG support, which includes Warm Welcome scholarships.