Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a rapid UK visa authorisation process for those Afghan citizens who worked in Kabul with former Royal Marine Commando Paul Farthing for the charity Nowzad.

Our Afghan relocation policy is one of the most generous in the world and has already supported over 7,000 directly employed former Afghan staff and their families to leave Afghanistan under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP). As we continue to significantly accelerate the pace of relocations, thousands more will follow.

The Government is rightly prioritising the evacuation of British citizens, their family members and those who qualify for the ARAP by virtue of their work directly for and with HMG. But we are also making every effort to ensure those who are at risk by virtue of their work with charitable or humanitarian organisations are able to leave Afghanistan safely.

The Home Office is committed to providing protection for vulnerable people fleeing Afghanistan. The Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme will welcome up to 5,000 vulnerable Afghans to the UK, who have been forced to flee the country, in its first year, with up to a total of 20,000 in the long-term.