Chevening Scholarships Programme: Afghanistan

(asked on 22nd September 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the safe passage of Chevening scholars’ families to the UK who were not evacuated from Afghanistan.


Answered by
Victoria Atkins Portrait
Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This question was answered on 18th October 2021

Between 15 and 29 August, the UK evacuated over 15,000 people from Afghanistan. That includes more than 8,000 British nationals; close to 5,000 Afghans who loyally served the UK, along with their dependants; and about 500 special cases of particularly vulnerable Afghans, including Chevening scholars, journalists, human rights defenders, campaigners for women’s rights, judges and many others.

We successfully evacuated the majority of Afghan Chevening scholars in this year’s cohort and will continue to do all we can to support the small number who remain in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement scheme will prioritise those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech, and rule of law. The scheme will also prioritise vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk.

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