Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules published on 14 December 2021, HC 913, if she will make a comparative assessment of roles that meet eligibility requirements for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme under (a) the criteria of furthering the UK’s military and national security objectives and (b) previous ARAP criteria for assistance to locally employed staff.

The amendments to the immigration rules, as laid by the Home Secretary, are intended to ensure greater clarity and consistency for potential applicants, and that ARAP policy is reflected accurately. As such, there has been no substantive change in the ARAP eligibility criteria. Furthermore, the amended immigration rules will not apply retrospectively, and as such only applicants that have not yet undergone eligibility assessments will be assessed under the new rules.