Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32013 on Asylum, whether she has commissioned any reports on expanding (a) safe and (b) legal routes for people seeking asylum within the last twelve months.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This country will always play our part, alongside others, to help those fleeing war and persecution, but we need a proper system where rules are enforced.
The UK welcomes refugees through our global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. We continue to keep all policies under review.
The numbers resettled through the UKRS depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and integration support in the UK.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help (a) people seeking asylum and (b) refugees to (i) develop their skills and (ii) increase their employability.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long history of providing protection to those that need it and supporting refugee integration and employment. This includes work across government to ensure that mainstream services meet the needs of refugees.
Refugees granted refugee status or humanitarian protection (as well as those
arriving under one of the UK’s resettlement schemes) have immediate access to the labour market, including employment support from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) work coaches in the same way as other jobseekers. Unemployed refugees are eligible for full funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learning.
In addition, through the Skilled Worker visa, the UK has labour mobility initiatives for refugees and displaced people to take up employment in the UK. We are currently reviewing labour mobility initiatives for refugees and displaced people to ensure we are learning from what works to increase employability and outcomes.
We continue to provide local authorities with a core tariff to support the integration of those who arrive through the UK’s Resettlement Scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy. We work across Government to ensure these services meet the needs of refugees and continue to keep our policies under review.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the need for a resettlement scheme to support Palestinian refugees seeking asylum in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long history of providing protection through various resettlement routes to supporting the most vulnerable people in the world.
We keep all existing pathways under review and we are closely monitoring the events in Gaza,
Palestinians who wish to settle in the UK can do so via the existing routes available which allow a person to apply to work, study, settle or join family in the UK. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been resettled under the UK Resettlement Scheme in each of the past four years.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Resettlement schemes play a key role in the global response to humanitarian crises: saving lives and offering stability to refugees most in need of protection. We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the global refugee agency, to identify those living in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities who would benefit most from resettlement to the UK. Our resettlement schemes are not selective on the basis of employability or integration potential. Apart from the criteria we set for each scheme, we do not seek to influence which cases are referred to us by UNHCR. Our approach is to resettle refugees in line with the global need identified by UNHCR, typically from countries hosting large populations of refugees such as those bordering countries with conflicts, where resettlement may be the only durable solution. This provides refugees with a safe and legal route to the UK.
Data on the number of people resettled through the UK Resettlement scheme is published in the quarterly immigration statistics release. This is viewable on gov.uk.
The table below shows the number of individuals resettled under UKRS. The data is relevant up to December 2024.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
UK Resettlement Scheme | 1,121 | 887 | 485 | 678 |
It is not possible to disclose staffing numbers relating to UKRS currently due to the operational nature of the scheme.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they take to promote the UK Resettlement Scheme to relevant immigrants.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Resettlement schemes play a key role in the global response to humanitarian crises: saving lives and offering stability to refugees most in need of protection. We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the global refugee agency, to identify those living in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities who would benefit most from resettlement to the UK. Our resettlement schemes are not selective on the basis of employability or integration potential. Apart from the criteria we set for each scheme, we do not seek to influence which cases are referred to us by UNHCR. Our approach is to resettle refugees in line with the global need identified by UNHCR, typically from countries hosting large populations of refugees such as those bordering countries with conflicts, where resettlement may be the only durable solution. This provides refugees with a safe and legal route to the UK.
Data on the number of people resettled through the UK Resettlement scheme is published in the quarterly immigration statistics release. This is viewable on gov.uk.
The table below shows the number of individuals resettled under UKRS. The data is relevant up to December 2024.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
UK Resettlement Scheme | 1,121 | 887 | 485 | 678 |
It is not possible to disclose staffing numbers relating to UKRS currently due to the operational nature of the scheme.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people they employ to administer the UK Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Resettlement schemes play a key role in the global response to humanitarian crises: saving lives and offering stability to refugees most in need of protection. We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the global refugee agency, to identify those living in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities who would benefit most from resettlement to the UK. Our resettlement schemes are not selective on the basis of employability or integration potential. Apart from the criteria we set for each scheme, we do not seek to influence which cases are referred to us by UNHCR. Our approach is to resettle refugees in line with the global need identified by UNHCR, typically from countries hosting large populations of refugees such as those bordering countries with conflicts, where resettlement may be the only durable solution. This provides refugees with a safe and legal route to the UK.
Data on the number of people resettled through the UK Resettlement scheme is published in the quarterly immigration statistics release. This is viewable on gov.uk.
The table below shows the number of individuals resettled under UKRS. The data is relevant up to December 2024.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
UK Resettlement Scheme | 1,121 | 887 | 485 | 678 |
It is not possible to disclose staffing numbers relating to UKRS currently due to the operational nature of the scheme.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what obligations local authorities have to provide state-subsidised housing to people with refugee status; and what priority they have.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Eligibility for social housing in England is tightly controlled.
If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing.
Among those eligible for social housing, priority is determined according to need. Refugees are not automatically granted a priority need.
If an asylum seeker receives a positive decision on their claim, asylum-pathway refugees have their housing needs considered on the same basis as other eligible applicants in accordance with the local authority’s housing allocation scheme.
Local authorities supporting resettled refugees who arrive in the UK via the UK Resettlement Scheme do so on a voluntary basis.
The previous government consulted on changes to social housing allocation tests. This government’s response was published on 2 September and can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghans have been granted (a) indefinite leave to remain and (b) British citizenship since 15 August 2021.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Home Office publishes information on Settlement by nationality in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), direct link to the Settlement data tables. The statistics relate to grants and refusals of settlement and refer to individuals who wish to make their right to remain in the UK indefinite.
The Home Office publishes information on Citizenship by nationality in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), direct link to the Citizenship data tables. The statistics relate to applications, grants and refusals of Citizenship.
Additionally, the Home Office publishes data on refugees resettled under resettlement schemes in the Asylum and Resettlement data tables.
The latest data relates to year 2024.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of expanding safe and legal routes available to asylum seekers on the numbers of small boats crossing the Channel.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through our existing global resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship and the Mandate Resettlement Scheme. Safe and legal routes will continue to play a vital role in our overall migration system. However, given the scale of today’s global displacement challenges, it is not possible to offer a pathway into the UK to every person who needs or wants one. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
Asked by: Laura Kyrke-Smith (Labour - Aylesbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes made to her Department's guidance entitled Nationality: good character requirement, published on 10 February 2025, on (a) refugees already granted indefinite leave to remain and (b) the integration of people with refugee status.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The previous government's Illegal Migration Act introduced a statutory ban on granting citizenship to anyone who has arrived in the country through irregular routes, a measure that proved completely unworkable, contained minimal discretion to recognise exceptional circumstances, and was never properly implemented. That measure is being repealed, and replaced with clearer rules in the caseworker guidance, including provision to exercise discretion where appropriate.
For many generations refugees who have arrived on resettlement and who have settled in the UK have been able to apply for British citizenship if they meet the conditions, and that continues to be the case. The UK must always do its bit to support those fleeing persecution. But we are also clear that we must also do all we can to prevent people making dangerous small boat crossings, risking their lives in the arms of criminal gangs.
This government is absolutely committed to fostering and supporting integration; that will be an important area of focus for the White Paper currently under development.