Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan nationals have been resettled in the UK under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme Pathway 3.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has made one of the largest commitments of any country to support those impacted by events in Afghanistan.
The latest Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), published on 25 May 2023, shows that since their first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan schemes – the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) - have resettled a total of 21,004 people.
As of 25 May 2023, we were providing temporary accommodation for around 8,799 individuals resettled in the UK under the ARAP or ACRS, whilst they await permanent accommodation. More information on those that we are temporarily accommodating in hotels can be viewed at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
It is not accurate to describe Afghan families as being ‘held’ in bridging accommodation. They are living there temporarily, and we don’t want to see them in bridging accommodation for any longer than is necessary. We continue to work at pace to support Afghan families into homes of their own, so that they can settle into their local communities, feel safe and independent, pursue education, and rebuild their lives in the UK.
The government is providing £285 million of new funding to local authorities supporting the Afghan resettlement schemes. This includes £35 million in new cash for local authorities, which will go towards increasing the level of support available and overcoming key barriers in accessing the housing system and employment and a £250 million expansion of the Local Authority Housing Fund to help councils to source homes to house Afghans currently in bridging accommodation.
This new, generous package of support comes in addition to the existing support available for people on the ACRS and ARAP schemes, including access to welfare and the right to work, as well as access to public services. A dedicated cross-government casework team, made up of Home Office Liaison Officers and DWP staff, are based in hotels and work alongside local authority officials to provide advice to Afghans, including information on how to rent in the private sector, support people find jobs and English language training.
The move from hotels into settled accommodation is in the best interests of families and individuals and will enable them to benefit from the security of housing and long-term consistency of public services. This includes schooling, and the freedoms of independent living that only suitable non-hotel accommodation can provide
Data on the average length of stay in bridging accommodation is not available for publication.
Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next release due for publication in August 2023.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan nationals are eligible for relocation in the UK under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The latest Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2023 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab) (published on 25 May 2023), show that since their first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan schemes – the ACRS and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) - have resettled a total of 21,004 people.
The UK has made one of the largest commitments of any country to support those impacted by events in Afghanistan. The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will see up to 20,000 eligible individuals from Afghanistan and the region resettled to the UK over the coming years.
There is no application process for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). Instead, those who are eligible will be prioritised and referred for resettlement to the UK through one of the scheme’s three referral pathways. Further information on the ACRS can be found on the gov.uk website at:
Afghan citizens resettlement scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to expedite visa applications in cases involving Afghan nationals (a) whose family reunion visa applications have not been responded to within her Department's 60-day service standard, (b) who have provided medical evidence that they are suffering from (i) suicidal inclination and (ii) other mental ill-health and (c) where a family member referred to in the application is at risk of deportation to Afghanistan from (A) Pakistan and (B) another third country; if she will hold discussions with the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion on a family reunion case of an Afghan national; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government’s refugee family reunion policy provides a safe and legal route to bring families together.
We are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications. We are reviewing processes to streamline decision making.
We prioritise all applications where the application has been made by an unaccompanied child under the age of 18. We will also prioritise applications where there is an evidenced urgent or compelling reason.
I would be happy to look into this case for you if the Hon. Member provides detail in writing.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former Afghan interpreters, military personnel and locally-employed MOD staff and contractors were turned down for the ex-gratia scheme which operated from 2013 to November 2022; and what the most common reasons were for rejecting applications.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We owe a debt of gratitude to those Afghan citizens who risked their lives working for, or with, UK forces. Their safety and security, and that of their families, is a government priority. The Intimidation Policy and Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) was initially set up to recognise this.
We relocated approximately 1,400 people including Locally Engaged Staff and their immediate families to the UK. Of those staff, all but six were interpreters. Four were relocated under the now defunct Intimidation Policy, one under the new Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
To date, we have relocated over 12,000 ARAP eligible principals and their immediate families to the UK, including over 5,000 since Operation PITTING concluded at the end of August 2021.
We know there is still a way to go to bring all those who are eligible to safety in the UK. The Ministry of Defence continues to receive an unprecedented number of applications to the ARAP scheme, many of which are speculative, or duplicates of applications already made.
There has been total of 21,365 individuals arrive in the UK under the ARAP and Pathway 1of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. 7,619 people who were brought to safety in the UK during and after the evacuation eligible for the ACRS have been resettled under Pathway 1.
Whilst a precise breakdown of the all the data requested is not available, work continues to assure information relating to all the people resettled and relocated to the UK. The next quarterly publication of statistics is due on 25 May 2023.
More information can be viewed at:
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former (a) Afghan interpreters, (b) military personnel and (c) locally-employed Ministry of Defence staff and contractors accessed support through the Intimidation policy in place between 2010 and 2013.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We owe a debt of gratitude to those Afghan citizens who risked their lives working for, or with, UK forces. Their safety and security, and that of their families, is a government priority. The Intimidation Policy and Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) was initially set up to recognise this.
The Ministry of Defence continues to receive an unprecedented number of applications to the ARAP scheme, many of which are speculative, or duplicates of applications already made.
There has been total of 21,365 individuals arrive in the UK under the ARAP and Pathway 1of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. 7,619 people who were brought to safety in the UK during and after the evacuation eligible for the ACRS have been resettled under Pathway 1.
Whilst a precise breakdown of the all the data requested is not available, work continues to assure information relating to all the people resettled and relocated to the UK. The next quarterly publication of statistics is due on 25 May 2023.
More information can be viewed at:
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former Afghan (a) interpreters, (b) military personnel and (c) locally-employed MOD staff and contractors entered the UK under the ex-gratia scheme from 2013 to November 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We owe a debt of gratitude to those Afghan citizens who risked their lives working for, or with, UK forces. Their safety and security, and that of their families, is a government priority. The Intimidation Policy and Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) was initially set up to recognise this.
The Ministry of Defence continues to receive an unprecedented number of applications to the ARAP scheme, many of which are speculative, or duplicates of applications already made.
There has been total of 21,365 individuals arrive in the UK under the ARAP and Pathway 1of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. 7,619 people who were brought to safety in the UK during and after the evacuation eligible for the ACRS have been resettled under Pathway 1.
Whilst a precise breakdown of the all the data requested is not available, work continues to assure information relating to all the people resettled and relocated to the UK. The next quarterly publication of statistics is due on 25 May 2023.
More information can be viewed at:
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department was informed of the decision by the Home Office in 2021 to remove from the UK Nepalese and Indian citizens following their evacuation to the UK from Afghanistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
During Op Pitting, the FCDO assisted the evacuation from Afghanistan of some third country nationals, including individuals who worked directly for the British Embassy in Kabul, and individuals who were employed by private companies to provide security in Kabul. Those individuals who worked directly for the British Embassy in Kabul were supported to return to their country of permanent residence. Those who were employed by Gardaworld, to provide security to the British Embassy in Kabul, were assisted by Gardaworld to return to their countries of permanent residence.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on processing applications to the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK has made one of the largest commitments of any country to support those impacted by events in Afghanistan.
The latest Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022, published on 23 February, show that since their first arrivals in 2021, the ACRS and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) have resettled a total of 21,387 people. These statistics also show that we have now resettled more than 7,600 vulnerable Afghan nationals through the first phase of the ACRS.
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will see up to 20,000 people from Afghanistan and the region resettled to the UK over the coming years.
Under the second pathway, which opened in 2022, we have now begun to receive the first referrals from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of vulnerable refugees who have fled Afghanistan for resettlement to the UK. We are pleased to have welcomed the first 22 people to the UK under Pathway 2.
Under Pathway 3 we have welcomed the first arrivals to the UK and look forward welcoming all remaining individuals under this Pathway as soon as is practically possible. There are currently no published statistics on Pathway 3 as arrivals under this pathway began after the start of the new reporting period. The next publication of statistics is due on 25 May 2023.
We will continue to honour our commitment to those who remain in Afghanistan and the region. Our priority is to ensure that future UK arrivals can go directly into appropriate accommodation rather than costly temporary hotel accommodation. Doing this, whilst making sure that these individuals are fully supported and are able to successfully integrate into life in the UK is the right thing to do.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with the Home Office to help support British citizens in Afghanistan who wish to leave that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Afghanistan. British people who are in Afghanistan are able to leave by commercial means, including on commercial flights. There are currently no British consular officials in Afghanistan and our ability to provide assistance is severely limited. A hotline is available 24 hours a day for any British nationals in Afghanistan needing to speak to a consular officer. Consular teams in neighbouring countries are also able to offer some limited remote consular support.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure the safety of Afghans who worked for the UK Government.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles and may include an offer of relocation to the UK. The ARAP scheme launched on 1 April 2021 and remains open. The MOD is the lead department for the ARAP scheme, but the FCDO assesses eligibility for a small number of applicants who state that they worked for or alongside the FCDO. FCDO missions overseas support through providing accommodation in third countries until eligible persons (EPs) travel to the UK. To date, the UK has relocated over 12,000 ARAP EPs and their families to the UK, including over 5,000 since Operation PITTING concluded at the end of August 2021.