Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of offshore immigration processing schemes used by other countries, including the impact of these schemes on asylum seekers and migrants’ (a) safety, (b) access to legal recourse and (c) freedom from persecution.

The Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the UK and Rwanda is a completely new and innovative approach. Individuals deemed inadmissible to the UK’s asylum system may have their asylum claim considered in Rwanda rather than in the UK, with a view to receiving the protection they need in Rwanda if their claim is granted. Rwanda will accept physical and legal responsibility for the relocated individuals. Anyone granted protection will be supported in Rwanda to build a safe and prosperous new life, supported for 5 years with integration support, accommodation and healthcare.

Everyone considered for relocations will be screened, interviewed, and have access to legal advice in the UK prior to relocation. Decisions will be taken on a case-by-case basis and nobody will be removed if it is unsafe or inappropriate for them.

Rwanda has a strong history of welcoming refugees, gaining international recognition for improving their lives, employability and integration in local communities.

Rwanda will process claims in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention, national and international human rights laws, and will ensure their protection from inhuman and degrading treatment or being returned to the place they originally fled.