Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why only 22 Afghans have been resettled under Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme as of December 2022.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will see up to 20,000 people from Afghanistan and the region resettled to the UK over the coming years.

Under the second pathway, which opened in 2022, we have now begun to receive the first referrals from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of vulnerable refugees who have fled Afghanistan for resettlement to the UK. Further detail can be found on the UNHCR website: UNHCR UK Information and Links on Afghanistan Situation - UNHCR United Kingdom

We will continue to receive referrals to the scheme in coming years.

The pace of actual arrivals will depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR and the availability of suitable accommodation and support in the UK. As with existing and previous resettlement schemes, we will manage flows based on need and in support of the wellbeing of the people and communities involved.

Those referred will be assessed for resettlement by UNHCR using their established processes.