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Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme
06 January 2022
Lead MP
Victoria Atkins
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
ImmigrationEmploymentForeign AffairsParliamentary Procedure
Other Contributors: 36
At a Glance
Victoria Atkins raised concerns about afghan citizens resettlement scheme in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Madam Deputy Speaker, I extend New Year wishes to the House and welcome Yvette Cooper. The UK evacuated approximately 15,000 Afghans last August as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated rapidly, with 7,000 already supported via the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP). Today's statement announces the formal opening of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which will resettle up to 20,000 people. This scheme is additional to ARAP and includes refugees such as women’s rights activists, journalists, prosecutors, and families of British nationals requiring assistance due to shared trauma with evacuated Afghans. The first phase aims to exceed the initial target of resettling 5,000 individuals within a year by prioritising those who have already been evacuated to the UK. Key pathways for ACRS include referrals from the UNHCR and support for those at risk who aided UK efforts in Afghanistan, particularly women and minority groups. The Government has allocated £286 million in aid for Afghanistan, including humanitarian assistance. Collaboration with councils and charities facilitated immediate sanctuary and support for over 1,200 people, with more than 4,000 relocating into new homes since June. The ACRS is part of the UK’s new immigration policy, emphasising a safe and legal route to support those in need.
David Linden
Lab
glasgow east
Question
The MP questions whether there are enough resources and support for Afghans already in the UK under ARAP to accommodate those arriving through ACRS, as well as the specific number of people who will be resettled between now and September.
Minister reply
Victoria Atkins responds by highlighting that the Government is working across multiple departments, devolved administrations, councils, local agencies, charities, and volunteers to provide sanctuary for Afghans. Since ARAP began in June, more than 4,000 people have been moved into permanent housing. The Government aims to exceed its initial target of resettling 5,000 individuals within the first year of ACRS.
James Davies
Con
Westbury
Question
The MP asks about the criteria for determining who is prioritised for settlement under ACRS and how it aligns with the Government's capacity to resettle people.
Minister reply
Victoria Atkins emphasises that decisions about prioritisation involve considering who faces most immediate risk of persecution. The Government’s capacity is not unlimited, and difficult choices are made based on available resources.
Yvette Cooper
Lab
Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
Question
The MP thanked the Minister for her statement and criticised the Government's delay in setting up the resettlement scheme. She questioned why British nationals and their families were being counted as part of the scheme and expressed concern about rumours of departments trading people to reduce support numbers. The MP also pressed for a clear figure on how many additional people will be arriving as part of the scheme between now and September, and asked for details on the third pathway involving NGOs and contractors.
Minister reply
The Minister thanked Yvette Cooper for her questions and defended the evacuation efforts. She clarified that British nationals and their families are being supported due to their unique circumstances. The ARAP programme is working diligently to process applications, with over 99,000 received since April. The minister rejected accusations of ineffectiveness but acknowledged difficult decisions needed in helping a large population at risk.
Robert Buckland
Con
Question
The MP commended the Minister's commitment and enquired about the safety of Afghan judges, who are now targets for the new regime due to decisions made under the previous one. He asked for an update on the safe progress of judges to the UK and their signposting to third countries.
Minister reply
The Minister congratulated Robert Buckland on his elevation and provided an update that more than 20 senior Afghan judges and prosecutors have been offered homes in the UK, along with their dependents. She noted that while they cannot offer a home to all Afghan judges, they are working with other international partners to support those who upheld the rule of law.
Anne McLaughlin
Lab
Glasgow North East
Question
Welcomes the scheme starting but criticises its delay. Questions whether those on ARAP transferred to ACRS retain family reunion rights, if people can apply for or be identified for the schemes, and asks about the status of British nationals and Afghan women and girls in danger.
Minister reply
Clarifies that there is no transfer between ARAP and ACRS. Mentions 7,000 evacuees including dependants under ARAP, and highlights ongoing efforts to identify safe routes for Afghans still at risk.
Bob Neill
Con
Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Question
Asks about practical ways of assisting judges and prosecutors who put their lives on the line protecting British troops in Afghanistan.
Minister reply
Offers to meet him and other interested parties to discuss how to help such individuals.
Diana R. Johnson
Lab
Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Question
Queries about the fair distribution of responsibilities among local authorities in schemes like ACRS, and whether councils will be compelled to participate.
Minister reply
Acknowledges that all councils must play their part for an even distribution across the country. Welcomes those councils exceeding expectations and assures continued work with them.
Steven Baker
Con
Wycombe
Question
Concerned about family members of constituents in hiding and afraid, seeking guidance on how to assist.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the difficulty faced by individuals still in Afghanistan and highlights ongoing efforts through safe legal routes.
Tim Farron
Lib Dem
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Question
Back in the summer, when the Government announced the scheme, we were told: “Priority will be given to women and girls, and religious and other minorities, who are most at risk of human rights abuses and dehumanising treatment by the Taliban.” However, the Minister has just told us in her statement that women and children, LGBT people and people from religious minorities will not be able to apply until year two of the scheme. Back in the summer, they were a priority. Now, they will feel betrayed and abandoned to persecution or worse. Will she reconsider her decision?
Minister reply
I am very happy to correct the hon. Gentleman. He will know that we have already flown over people who fulfil those criteria. For example, three cohorts of LGBT Afghans have now been helped by the Government and civil society partners to leave Afghanistan.
Question
The Afghan citizens resettlement scheme is clearly one of the most generous in the world, as my hon. Friend has rightly set out. Does she agree that 20,000 people is a very significant number that continues to reflect the fact that the United Kingdom has been one of the most hospitable countries in helping people in need, provided they come here by safe and legal means?
Minister reply
Very much so. Of course my hon. Friend knows that, in addition to the ACRS, we also have the ARAP scheme on which MOD officials and armed forces personnel continue to work very tightly.
Afzal Khan
Lab
Manchester Rusholme
Question
The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is worsening by the day. Huge numbers of people do not know where their next meal will come from as they endure harsh winter conditions, and Islamic Relief is one of the few organisations working on the ground to provide emergency relief. Despite this, eligibility for ARAP was narrowed by the Home Office in December. The Government have a moral responsibility and duty to protect all vulnerable Afghans. Will the Minister now reverse that decision?
Minister reply
May I take this opportunity to thank not just the hon. Gentleman but his local councils in Manchester, which have done a great job of looking after people in bridging accommodation?
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
The Minister mentioned former Chevening scholars being eligible under one strand of the new scheme. May I once again draw the House’s attention to the scholars who are already fully validated and fully funded by the Council for At-Risk Academics, which has been rescuing scholars at risk of oppression since 1933? Most of the limited number of people CARA has validated and funded are applying for ordinary student visas, but it is taking a very long time. Will she look into that and speed it up?
Minister reply
I am very happy to do so. I thank my right hon. Friend for his consistent effort to help these academics.
Stephen Doughty
Lab Co-op
Cardiff South and Penarth
Question
The Minister will know about the warm welcome in my Cardiff South and Penarth constituency from local authorities, the Welsh Government and community organisations, which is why it is particularly frustrating that I have not been able to resolve a number of the complex cases that I have raised with her and other Ministers. One case involves a British Council contractor who should have been eligible under ARAP. They are now out of Afghanistan in Qatar, but they are separated from their family in the UK. Are they supposed to continue under ARAP, or should they take this third route? Will she meet me to discuss that and the cases involving children under the age of 18 who are still separated from their families in the UK, which we raised in October?
Minister reply
I am grateful to all local authorities that are helping, including those in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency.
Question
I thank my hon. Friend for her work on this hugely complex and important task. Stroud constituents have put me in touch with more than 100 Afghanistan people, largely in family groups, whose life and work in the Government in pre-Taliban Afghanistan mean that they are now in daily danger. Sadly, over the past few months I have made very little progress on these cases, particularly since we were told that cases were sent to the Ministry of Defence. For the sake of completeness, will my hon. Friend clarify what happens to those cases being held by the MOD now that the new resettlement scheme is live? What message would she give to those people and to my constituents whom we are trying to help?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for all the hard work and diligence she has shown in representing her constituents, who understandably have real concerns about their family members.
Question
May I raise with the Minister again the particular vulnerability of women who were formerly judges and prosecutors in Afghanistan? She knows that I have been working with Marzia Babakarkhail, a former judge who is in the United Kingdom and is in touch with many of these women. The Minister said that some will have already come to the United Kingdom, but my understanding is that they are mainly very senior judges who were based in Kabul, at the heart of things; Marzia is particularly concerned about female judges and prosecutors in the provinces of Afghanistan. Will the Minister take some time to meet me and Marzia to discuss how the United Kingdom can help these women, whether by bringing them here or by helping them to get to a third country? Will she afford some time for such a meeting?
Minister reply
I would be happy to do so. The hon. and learned Lady makes an important point.
Robert Jenrick
Reform
Newark
Question
I, too, thank my hon. Friend for her excellent work on the scheme thus far. As was implied by the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson), the long-term success of the scheme will depend on the Minister and the Government persuading local authorities to participate and on giving them the tools to succeed. That is more difficult than it was with the Syrian scheme because local authorities currently have literally tens of thousands of people, mostly asylum seekers, in hotel accommodation. There are currently 60,000 to 80,000 individuals—almost a constituency-worth of people—in hotels. What is my hon. Friend going to do to persuade local authorities throughout the United Kingdom to participate and to ensure that they have the funding and support that they need to do so?
Minister reply
I thank my right hon. Friend for his role at the beginning of Operation Warm Welcome.
Hilary Benn
Lab
Leeds South
Question
The change in the eligibility rules for ARAP has caused great concern to former British Council staff in Afghanistan, including those who are in hiding, in fear of their lives, because the Taliban are looking for them. What can the Minister say to them and their families about the help that the UK is able to offer, particularly given the fact that there is currently no means of issuing visas in Afghanistan to enable people to leave the country? Might the Government consider that in the not-too-distant future?
Minister reply
As I said in my statement, the FCDO will be in touch with the three groups I described to advise them on the next steps of the process.
Felicity Buchan
Con
Weston-super-Mare
Question
My council, Kensington and Chelsea, has welcomed and continues to host many, many hundreds of Afghan evacuees in bridging accommodation. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need councils across the country to step up with permanent accommodation? It is clearly in the interests of our Afghan evacuees that they move into permanent accommodation as quickly as possible, so they can put down permanent roots in those communities.
Minister reply
I thank the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the great work it has done in supporting many, many Afghans and their families. Indeed, it has been leading our efforts to work up integration packages, so that people understand the values and laws of our country, as well as the day-to-day practical measures they need. I completely agree with my hon. Friend that the more councils that offer houses, the quicker people are moved out.
Stephen Timms
Lab
East Ham
Question
When will the Minister be able to tell us more about the arrangements for family reunion that she referred to earlier for people at risk in Afghanistan who have family here ready to support them? Will every effort be made to place people arriving from Afghanistan who have close family here wanting to help them in temporary accommodation close to their relatives?
Minister reply
In relation to the first question, as I say, I am in the hands of my ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Defence and the FCDO as to what can be done internationally, but the family reunion rules are as set out in the immigration rules. On trying to accommodate people in bridging accommodation close to their families—I think that was the right hon. Gentleman’s question—we are doing our level best, but I hope he and others will understand that, because of the scale of the evacuation and all the factors we have heard about, there are many factors we have to take into account, including the size of families, which we cannot always accommodate as quickly as we would like.
Thomas Tugendhat
Con
Tonbridge
Question
May I first pay huge tribute to my hon. Friend, who has done such an extraordinary job? The amount of joy it has given me to welcome friends into this country has been frankly overwhelming, but there are many who are still stuck in third countries. Please can she address with the Foreign Office the support of those who are waiting for exit visas or support? Secondly, those who have written to me for support, and to many other Members across the House and the country, have often applied for schemes that have now been replaced. Will those applications be rolled into this scheme, or will they require resubmission?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend and I pay tribute to the very moving speech he gave in this Chamber over the summer. On the schemes being superseded by the ACRS and ARAP, if I may, I will discuss that with him outside the Chamber, because I just want to be clear about what schemes he is responding to. Our aim throughout is to get eligible people to the United Kingdom as quickly and as safely as possible, and then to settle them well within our country.
Andrew Slaughter
Lab
Hammersmith and Chiswick
Question
Around 200 Afghan constituents have contacted me since August. In the main, they have either dependents stuck in Afghanistan or relatives who are at serious risk because they worked in support of coalition forces but do not qualify under the restrictions of the ARAP scheme. Can the Minister explain how those groups will be helped by her scheme? To me, and I suspect to them, it looks like a brick wall.
Minister reply
Again, I hope the hon. Gentleman will appreciate that I cannot analyse 200 cases off the cuff at the Dispatch Box. The ACRS has now been launched and the ARAP scheme was launched some time ago, and assessments are being conducted to refer eligible people to those schemes. The family reunion rules are set out in the immigration rules, and we are working with third countries and other international partners where we can to try to secure routes outside of Afghanistan to the United Kingdom.
Jack Brereton
Con
Stoke-on-Trent North
Question
Stoke-on-Trent has already contributed far more than our fair share to refugee resettlement, and we are now supporting Afghans with rehousing. Given that many other parts of the country have done little to support refugee resettlement up to now, does my hon. Friend agree that we should ensure that councils who have done little up to now pay and play their fair share with the Afghan resettlement scheme?
Minister reply
May I pay particular tribute to the good people of Stoke? They have been incredibly welcoming not just to Afghans but to many other immigrants to the country and looked after them. I very much acknowledge my hon. Friend’s point that it is for us all to play our part and to ask our councils to offer homes where they can and to identify properties. The quicker that we can get properties on our books, as it were, the sooner people can move out of bridging accommodation and build real, permanent futures for themselves and their families.
Lilian Greenwood
Lab
Nottingham South
Question
I am clearly not alone in dealing with large number of constituents with family members trapped in Afghanistan. They are increasingly desperate, because until today they did not have any further detail about the resettlement scheme’s operation. Will the Minister now publish advice and guidance that we can provide to constituents with family members in Afghanistan whose lives are at risk? Having listened to the statement and knowing about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the dangers of travelling to a third country, I fear that those constituents will be losing all hope.
Minister reply
Again, we have been clear from the start—it was clear in the 13 September statement—that this is not a process open for applications. It is a referral process precisely because of the numbers involved. We know that an enormous number of the population of some 40 million will feel unsafe, and we do not have an unlimited capacity to help all 40 million citizens. I encourage the hon. Lady to help her constituents who are looking at the family reunion rules and the schemes to see if there is a route for them.
Fiona Bruce
Con
Congleton
Question
The Government have rightly included minority groups, including those at risk due to their religious beliefs, in the eligibility criteria for the ACRS. Will the Minister reassure me that the ACRS is now open to those vulnerable religious minorities and that that could be combined with community sponsorship?
Minister reply
Very much so. I am told that some people who fall into the criteria described by my hon. Friend have already been evacuated to the United Kingdom. I know that she has been a real advocate for the community sponsorship policy. Indeed, I am proud to say that one of my local churches is making efforts to participate in that. I look forward to seeing that in my constituency.
Meg Hillier
Lab/Co-op
Hackney South and Shoreditch
Question
The Minister has repeatedly talked about the family reunion rules and pointed to the existing rules. However, there are families who cannot pass the English language test to try to get into the UK—how on earth will they learn the English language under the current Taliban regime? Are the Government looking at loosening some of the rules of family reunion for Afghan families coming to join their family member in the UK? The family members have got housing and the ability to support their families and help them to learn English here, but that rule is one of the many barriers to them coming here in the first place.
Minister reply
I understand the House’s focus on family reunion rules, because, as the hon. Lady said, so many already have family here. We have had to apply the rules as fairly and proportionately as we can, recognising the realities of the security situation in Afghanistan. We have no consular presence in Afghanistan, and the British Army withdrew at the end of August, so we are working with third countries and consulates in third countries to try to help people. I cannot pretend that this is an easy process. I have tried to be clear throughout with the House about just how difficult it is to get out people who are already in Afghanistan.
Bob Stewart
Con
Beckenham
Question
Some 29 years ago, my battalion—my officers particularly—involved itself in getting our interpreters back to the United Kingdom from Bosnia. My battalion did it on its own; we often had to put people up. Eventually, we got accommodation, but we did not get support to help the people we brought in to get an education, medical care and jobs. I ask my hon. Friend to assure me that the system will follow all the way through to ensure that the people we are helping are helped all the way through the integration process.
Minister reply
Again, I stand in awe of some of my right hon. Friend’s military achievements. He is right that we are trying to be ambitious in our integration schemes. We have put forward generous funding packages for housing, education and healthcare and, importantly, to focus on helping people to understand our values, customs and laws so that they can get going and build lives for themselves as quickly as possible. For example, it is great news that all children who were evacuated during Operation Pitting are now in school, and that is very much the tone and the progress that we want to make with everyone we welcome through Operation Warm Welcome.
Erith and Thamesmead
Question
May I ask the Minister about individuals who already have the right to live in the UK but cannot reach the UK safely? I have cases of people who already have leave to remain in the UK but are trapped in Afghanistan and have not been able to access consular support as they are not UK nationals. One constituent has children in Afghanistan who applied for UK citizenship but have not been able to travel to the consulate in Pakistan to complete their application. Can the Minister explain what support will be given to those individuals? I also remind her that she agreed to meet me in September and I have sent a follow-up request but I still have not received a response.
Minister reply
On that point, I apologise and that meeting will happen in the next seven days. On the hon. Lady’s point about people who are still in-country, as I said, we are working closely with countries in the region to find safe routes for eligible Afghans to be evacuated from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Those efforts are ongoing and will continue as the situation changes and develops. I am sorry that I cannot give her more information, but that, I am afraid, is the reality of the situation.
David Simmonds
Con
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Question
I very much welcome today’s announcement, and in particular, the statement at the Dispatch Box in respect of resettling well. A key part of that for local authorities is ensuring access to education. What assessment has been undertaken to ensure the adequacy of the funding provided to local authorities so that every refugee child receives a good-quality education?
Minister reply
We have published our support package for whole families, which includes children and adults who may need English language courses. The Department for Education announced that young people will fall into the system of having indefinite leave to remain and will not pay overseas fees for higher education.
Question
On 30 September, I received a letter from Lord Ahmad in response to cases of my constituents’ families stuck in Afghanistan. Can the Minister give me an update on the status of those people and what I can tell my constituents?
Minister reply
I think that is an answer that should be provided outside the Chamber.
Gareth Davies
Con
Grantham and Bourne
Question
While it is of course right that we offer this support, it does come with a cost for our local authorities. Can she confirm that local authorities in our home county of Lincolnshire will be provided with additional funding for any resettlements that are made?
Minister reply
Yes, very much so. I am delighted that local councils are responding as well as they are, but I very much encourage all councils to play their part in resettlements across the United Kingdom.
Question
Can we get a bit more clarity because many of us have large numbers of outstanding cases that are with various Government Departments? Will we get replies telling us where our constituents are in the system so that we can advise them?
Minister reply
The right hon. Gentleman will no doubt recall my “Dear colleague” letter of around 13 September. There are now two schemes—ARAP and ACRS. We have set out the eligibility criteria, as I explained in my statement.
Question
Local authorities in my constituency are playing their part. The Corporation of London is supporting 500 Afghan nationals with covid and flu vaccines. It is also teaching them English language at the Guildhall, and now we need to be looking at the employment side. Will the Minister explain what the employment strategy is for Afghan refugees?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend, and Westminster City Council and the City of London who have done an amazing job in looking after so many people so well. I will refer her very good suggestion to the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Mims Davies). The DWP is working up plans and we are very keen to get people who are able to into jobs as quickly as possible.
Ruth Cadbury
Lab
Brentford and Isleworth
Question
Having had long experience of the delays and injustice meted out by the Home Office to my constituents seeking leave to remain or naturalisation, what is the Minister doing, in her cross-departmental role, to ensure that similar delays and injustice are not repeated for Afghan citizens applying for these schemes?
Minister reply
The first families have already been granted indefinite leave to remain. The caseworking exercise continues and many thousands of people are being worked through at pace.
Question
The UK has a very proud history of accepting people who are in great need. This scheme shows that we do have legal and safe routes to come and live in this country. Does the Minister agree that the legislation currently in the House of Lords is vital in fighting illegal routes?
Minister reply
I am pleased to say that I do agree most wholeheartedly with my hon. Friend, who has articulated very well the issues facing this House and the country as a whole.
Fleur Anderson
Lab
Putney
Question
The delay of this scheme has been very traumatic for many of my constituents who have family members at risk. Can I tell them how they will know if they are in the system; how, if they cannot apply, they will know whether they are going to be contacted; and when is the earliest that they will be brought here if they are eligible for the third route?
Minister reply
I assume that the hon. Lady is talking about constituents here in the United Kingdom. If they are in bridging accommodation, they will be considered as part of either ARAP or ACRS unless they are British nationals.
Shadow Comment
Yvette Cooper
Shadow Comment
The shadow Home Secretary welcomes Operation Pitting but criticises the chaotic operation between Government Departments and the failure to respond promptly to ARAP applications. She questions delays in setting up the resettlement scheme and the inclusion of British nationals and their families within the ACRS quota. Cooper seeks clarity on how many individuals are being shifted from relocation schemes to the new settlement programme, expressing concern about rumours of trading people for numbers reduction. She also requests a clear figure of additional arrivals this year through the resettlement scheme. Concerns are raised regarding UNHCR referrals starting in spring and delays affecting NGOs' staff not eligible under ARAP. An urgent need is highlighted for an additional family route within ACRS to prevent exploitation by smugglers, given increasing numbers of Afghans attempting perilous journeys.
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