Found: SR21 Settlement (income budget will be confirmed in the Main Estimates and additional funding for asylum

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 on access to the asylum system for Afghan people.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

There has not been an explicit assessment on the impact this has on people of Afghanistan; however, impact assessments regarding the Illegal Migration Act have been published on GOV. UK under Illegal Migration Bill: overarching documents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason asylum seekers from Afghanistan are required to find their own accommodation in the UK; and if she will make it her police to set up an equivalent scheme for Afghans to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help relocate some of the most at-risk people in Afghanistan. So far, we have brought approximately 24,500 vulnerable people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

We do not want to see Afghan families already in the UK in bridging accommodation for any longer than is necessary. That is why we have been working across government to support families into settled accommodation so that they can fully integrate into their local communities, feel safe and independent, and rebuild their lives in the UK.

The government has established the “Find Your Own” accommodation pathway which empowers Afghan families to source their own accommodation. Council support staff in hotels will work closely with households to help them navigate the pathway.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Afghan asylum seekers housed in UK hotels will be offered permanent accommodation (a) in the same area as those hotels and (b) which is suitably sized for the size of their party.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Government is working with 350 local authorities across the UK to meet the demand for housing and will continue to do so. Over 9,000 people have been supported into settled accommodation (This breaks down as c.8,500 moved into homes with an additional c.500 matched but not yet moved).

Further statistics on individuals resettled or relocated under the Afghan schemes have now also become available in the Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022 release.

Consideration of family size is an important factor when assisting guests with their housing needs. All guests are encouraged to work with our Home Office Liaison Officers (HOLOs) and council support staff at their hotel when searching for a property, who will support them to identify suitable, affordable homes.

We have always been clear with guests that there is no guarantee that any hotel moves or settled accommodation allocation will be in the same area as where they are now.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) quickest and (b) slowest time was for communicating an asylum decision for an application made in the United Arab Emirates for an Afghan national who is a spouse of another Afghan national already granted asylum in the UK in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum or temporary refuge or make a claim for asylum or protection from abroad. Therefore, the information requested does not exist.

The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help relocate at-risk people in Afghanistan. To date, nearly 24,500 people have been brought to safety. This includes British Nationals and their families, Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at-risk, such as campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community. The UK continues to welcome eligible Afghans through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to arrange preliminary interviews for Afghan and Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Britain in (1) France, and (2) Belgium.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Whilst the Home Office sympathises with individuals in many difficult situations around the world, it is not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might like to come here. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

Our resettlement schemes already provide safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK. The UK welcomes people at risk through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Mandate Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship and the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications are awaiting decision by her Department from Afghan nationals whose spouse has already been granted asylum in the UK; and if she will provide a breakdown of locations from which applications have been made.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications awaiting a decision by nationality can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. Please note the data show a snapshot as at the last day of each quarter, rather than the number of asylum applications awaiting a decision over the entire quarter. The latest data relates to as at 31 December 2022. Data as at 31 March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

This data is not available broken down by outcomes received by family members.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, as well as quality and availability of data.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to reunite families separated as a result of leaving Afghanistan to seek asylum.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

We recognise that families can become separated because of the nature of conflict and the and manner in which people are often forced to flee their country. The refugee family reunion policy allows immediate family members, of those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country.

The Government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable people fleeing Afghanistan. However, the situation is extremely complex and presents us with significant challenges, including securing safe passage out of the country for those who want to leave and who are eligible for resettlement in the UK. This includes eligible family members of those resettled under the ARAP or ACRS.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that people in or around Afghanistan who have had to flee because of threats or torture from the Taliban are provided access other than under the ACRS scheme to claim asylum in the UK.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

These dangerous concealments are facilitated by vile people smugglers, who place profits above the lives of vulnerable people. The Government is determined to prevent further loss of life by breaking the business model.

The Home Office has invested significant amounts since 2014 to secure feeder ports, including increasing the use of body detection dogs and strengthening the vehicle screening regimes with the latest technology. The department is currently in the process of significantly strengthening the clandestine entrant civil penalty regime in order further drive improvements in vehicle security.

Unfortunately, there have been fatalities, including the Purfleet incident in 2019 when 39 Vietnamese nationals sadly lost their lives, and all such incidents are a reminder that attempts to clandestinely cross the border are inherently dangerous.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November to question 77411 on Refugees: Afghanistan, what steps she is taking to process asylum seekers she housed in temporary hotel accommodation (a) at the Holiday Inn Tamworth and (b) elsewhere to ensure that (i) those with valid claims for asylum are given leave to remain and accommodated in long term accommodation and (ii) those whose claims are invalid are speedily removed.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

All asylum claims are considered on a case by case basis and in line with published policy.  As such, claims by Afghan nationals will be considered in the same way as claims from any other nationality.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there has been an increase in the number of Afghan citizens claiming asylum in the UK since August 2021.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications and initial decisions on asylum applications from Afghan nationals can be found in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending June 2022. Data for the year ending September 2022 will be published on 24 November 2022. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

The Home Office does not publish data on ethnicity or religion of asylum applicants.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Hazara Muslims have (a) applied for asylum in the UK, (b) been granted asylum in the UK and (c) reached the UK after being granted asylum through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications and initial decisions on asylum applications from Afghan nationals can be found in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending June 2022. Data for the year ending September 2022 will be published on 24 November 2022. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

The Home Office does not publish data on ethnicity or religion of asylum applicants.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers from Afghanistan are currently living in hotels.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Through Operation Warm Welcome, Afghans resettling in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will be supported in accessing accommodation alongside the vital health, education, and support into employment they need, to fully integrate into society.

As stated in the recently published, 'Afghan Resettlement: Operational Data' factsheet, at 12 August 2022, the UK:

• Has welcomed 21,450 people to the UK from Afghanistan - or a neighbouring country - since June 2021.
• Is providing temporary accommodation for 9,667 people in hotels.

Officials are working at pace to assure information relating to the individuals resettling in the UK under our bespoke schemes for Afghans on case working systems. Once this work concludes, the Home Office will include Afghan resettlement statistics in its quarterly Immigration Statistics publications.

Until then the factsheet will be updated every quarter – with the next iteration scheduled for publication on 24 November 2022.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the number of people in Afghanistan who are eligible to claim asylum in the UK.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to travel to the UK to seek asylum.

Whilst we sympathise with people in difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might like to come here. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

Our bespoke relocation and resettlement schemes for Afghan people are, however, providing safe and legal routes for those affected by events in Afghanistan to start new lives in the UK.

Any current or former staff who worked for, or with, the UK Government and are assessed to be at serious risk of threat to life are eligible to apply for the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP). So far we have relocated around 10,300 eligible Afghan citizens and their family members under the ARAP scheme since it opened in April 2021.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan asylum seekers who have been admitted as refugees since August 2021 have not yet received their biometric residence permits.

Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford

Over 15,000 people were supported to come to the UK directly following the evacuation of Afghanistan, and in the nine months since Op Pitting, we have helped a further 4,000 people to safety in the UK, via neighbouring countries. Those who arrived in the UK were granted limited leave to enter which allows access to public funds and employment.

We are continuing the process of granting Indefinite Leave to Remain to everyone who arrived during the evacuation, and who is eligible. Biometric Residence Permits are produced automatically, usually within a few weeks of people being granted Indefinite Leave to Remain.

We have made arrangements to ensure prospective employers and landlords can contact the Home Office to confirm individuals’ right to take employment and rented accommodation prior to them receiving a Biometric Residence Permit.

The data on those who have received their Biometrics Residency Permits is internal management data and therefore not suitable for publication at this stage.