Asked by: Lord Sedwill (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish auditable cost records for Afghan resettlement schemes.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Afghan resettlement is a cross-Government effort, with costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and other Government departments including the Home Office, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
On 18 March 2026, the NAO published a report which detailed the costs of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) in response to the Department’s provision of information on MOD spending to the NAO. Part Three of this report sets out funding for the schemes, the costs incurred to date, and expected future costs. This report can be accessed via the link below:
The report lays out that, since 2021, His Majesty’s Government (HMG) has spent £3.1 billion on the ARP. HMG estimates a total cost of £5.5-6 billion on Afghan resettlement activity throughout the life of the programme. This figure is kept under review using the latest data available.
The MOD and its cross-Government partners will continue to update Parliament including the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee in line with usual processes throughout the course of the ARP.
Asked by: Lord Sedwill (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghan nationals who supported British military or civilian staff in NATO and International Security Assistance Force command structures have applied under category 4 of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy; and how many of those applicants were found to be (1) eligible, and (2) ineligible.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is not possible to provide a comprehensive breakdown of figures by employment dates or job roles, including those who worked in NATO and International Security Assistance Force command structures. This is because this information is not presented in a format that is readily available, nor included in published statistics.
Each ARAP scheme application is assessed individually against the eligibility criteria outlined under the Immigration Rules: Appendix ARAP. Applicants cannot directly apply under a particular category. Further information on this can be found in the attached and at the following link:
Asked by: Lord Sedwill (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 13,958 principal applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy found to be ineligible were Afghan nations who served alongside UK forces in roles not directly employed by the UK, including personnel attached to NATO and International Security Assistance Force missions.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is not possible to provide a comprehensive breakdown of figures by employment dates or job roles, including those who worked in NATO and International Security Assistance Force command structures. This is because this information is not presented in a format that is readily available, nor included in published statistics.
Each ARAP scheme application is assessed individually against the eligibility criteria outlined under the Immigration Rules: Appendix ARAP. Applicants cannot directly apply under a particular category. Further information on this can be found in the attached and at the following link:
Asked by: Lord Sedwill (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the review of rejected Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applications to include all previously refused applicants.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All applicants that receive an ineligible outcome may seek a review of their decision within 90 days of receiving this decision, in accordance with the ARAP Review Policy. Further information on this can be found at the following link:
All decisions made in the Triples Review carry a right to have this decision reviewed, however the Triples Review has not been extended to every ARAP applicant.
Asked by: Lord Sedwill (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 13,958 principal applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy who were found ineligible have had their cases reviewed against revised eligibility criteria.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The ARAP eligibility criteria have not changed. As a result, no previously ineligible principal applicants have had cases reviewed against revised criteria.
Each ARAP scheme application is assessed individually against the eligibility criteria outlined under the Immigration Rules: Appendix ARAP. Further information on this can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Lord Sedwill (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applicants who served with British forces (1) prior to October 2014, and (2) after October 2014, were successful; and what is their assessment of the reason for any discrepancy.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is not possible to provide a comprehensive breakdown of figures by employment dates or job roles, including those who served with British Forces. This is because, this information is not presented in a format that is readily available, nor included in published statistics.
Each application is assessed individually against the eligibility criteria using a case-by-case approach which takes into account the evidence available. The ARAP eligibility criteria are outlined under the Immigration Rules: Appendix ARAP. Further information on this can be found in the attached document.
Asked by: Lord Sedwill (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of Afghanistan’s Commando Force 333 have been admitted to the UK under the various Afghan resettlement schemes (1) in 2021–22, and (2) since July 2022.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
In 2021, around 8,000 Afghans were relocated to the UK under Afghan resettlement schemes administered by the Ministry of Defence to the UK. Since July 2022, around 5,300 were relocated. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of individuals relocated to the UK under ARAP by job role.
Figures covering Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) applicants will need to be provided by the Home Office.