Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to use its log of individuals at risk in Afghanistan referred to it by hon. Members; and whether that log will be part of the referral process for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will prioritise those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law; and vulnerable people such as women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups (including ethnic / religious minorities and LGBT+).

Those eligible for the scheme include individuals evacuated during Operation Pitting. Due to the success of the evacuation in unprecedented circumstances, there are around 6,500 people in the UK who have been brought to safety during and after the evacuation who are eligible for the ACRS. We’re considering how we use MPs correspondence to inform the referral process, as set out in the Oral statement.

There will not be an application process for the ACRS. Instead, eligible people will be prioritised and referred for resettlement through one of three ways, more detail can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme.