Refugees: Afghanistan
(asked on 10th January 2022) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will select those who are currently in Afghanistan to take part in the Afghans Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6 January 2022 and will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.
We helped over 15,000 people to safety in the emergency evacuation under Operation PITTING and have continued to bring people to the UK, with around 1,500 people helped to enter since the evacuation.
From Spring 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees to the scheme, based on assessments of protection need.
In the first year, the Government will honour its commitments to resettle those British Council contractors and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni who are most at risk under the ACRS
There will not be an application process for the ACRS. Instead, eligible people will be prioritised and referred for resettlement through one of three ways.
More detail can be found on GOV.UK.