Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to announce the proposed work and study route for refugees; and what assessment they have made of its role in providing safe and legal pathways for refugees to the UK who are currently unable to access existing routes.

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 11 September to Question HL3403.

“In the Restoring Order and Control statement, the Home Secretary announced the development of new safe and legal routes to enable communities, universities and employers to identify refugees to sponsor.These routes offer an alternative to dangerous journeys for refugees genuinely fleeing war and persecution.

As announced on 27 June, the refugee study and named sponsorship routes will open to applications from prospective lead sponsors in the autumn, with arrivals expected from autumn 2027 onwards. The refugee work route is expected to open next year.

Work is underway to deliver the new routes, and the Government will set out further details in due course."