Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to process the applications of Afghan refugees currently located in third countries; and what is their timetable for (1) completing the processing of their applications, and (2) bringing successful applicants to the UK.

The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is not time limited, and we are working at pace to consider each application on a case-by-case basis. Timelines for processing applications vary from case to case, due to the complexity and personal circumstances of each applicant.

Efforts to support all eligible Afghans and to help them to come to the UK remain a Government priority. We have received more than 114,000 applications since the scheme opened and to date, we have relocated over 8,800 ARAP principals and their dependants to the UK.

We continue to work alongside international partners to relocate eligible Afghans from and through third countries.