More than 8,000 Afghans who are presently residing in hotels in the UK will be relocated thanks to new funding that the government has revealed.
The government claims that doing this will assist in resettling migrants, but detractors claim that it may result in some Afghans losing their houses.
How many Afghans have entered the United Kingdom?
According to the government, as of December 2022, more than 24,000 Afghans had landed in the UK. More than 21,000 of them have been relocated through resettlement programmes.
The majority arrived as part of action Pitting, a military action by the British that will begin in August 2021 to remove Afghans and British citizens from Kabul.
2,000 people arrived prior to Operation Pitting.
During Operation Pitting, 15,000 people came,
7,000 more have since.
Raphael Marshall, who previously worked on the Foreign Office’s response to the Afghanistan crisis, estimated that between 75,000 and 150,000 people had requested evacuation as of August 2021 in written testimony to the Foreign Affairs Committee.
He assumed that 5 percent of them got aid.
According to the Home Office, 1,400 additional ex employees and their families have already been moved since 2013 under a previous plan.
What are the programmes for resettling Afghans?
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) programme was introduced by the government in April 2021, prior to the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan.
The programmes allowed Afghans who worked for the British troops and the UK government, such as interpreters, to apply for permanent residence rather than the five-year citizenship that was previously available.
The Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which the government claims will enable up to 20,000 migrants to reside in the UK, was also launched by the government in January 2022.
This plan centres on protecting minorities at risk from the Taliban, including women, children, and religious and other minorities.
For relocation in the UK, immediate family members of those who qualify under the ACRS or ARAP programmes are also qualified.
4,629 Afghans were relocated in 2022 as a result of these programs, but the majority were British employees prior to Kabul’s fall in August 2021. Only 22 migrants were admitted because they were weak or in danger.
How do the relocation programmes function?
Local authorities have been given financial packages totaling £20,520 per individual over three years as part of the “Operation Warm Welcome” scheme.
The money will assist refugees in enrolling in school, locating employment, and assimilating into their new neighbourhoods.
For living expenses, the government will contribute an extra £10 million in the first year, followed by $5 million and £2 million in the next two.
What additional assistance is the government giving to Afghan refugees?
To assist local governments in relocating about 8,000 Afghans from hotels and into fixed residences across the UK, the government has unveiled a new £35 million fund. It will also increase the local government housing budget by another £250 million.
The migrants will have three months to check out of their lodgings and find new accommodations. The Refugee Council has voiced worry that the new policies may cause some Afghans to become homeless.
More than 9,000 Afghan migrants, according to the Home Office, are still staying in hotels, while another 9,000 have already relocated into permanent housing or are waiting to do so.
The Home Office estimated that it would cost £1.2 million per day to house Afghan migrants in lodgings in February 2022.
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How are more Afghans able to travel to the UK?
They may do so via the UK Resettlement Scheme, which gives priority to migrants from war-torn areas. 36 Afghans travelled this path in 2022.
The alternative primary method of settling is to apply for refuge once in the UK.
People who are believed to have entered the UK illegally could, however, be sent to Rwanda for processing under planned reforms to the UK immigration system.
The number of Afghans making the English Channel crossing and landing in the UK on small boats has significantly increased:
2020 saw 494 people crossed in small boats.
1,437 people crossed in small boats in 2021.
8,633 people crossed in small boats in 2022.
According to Home Office data, nearly 11,000 Afghans and their families requested refuge in 2022.
How many individuals were evacuated by other nations?
After the Taliban took control in Afghanistan, the US evacuated the most people from the country.
From August 14 to August 28, 2021, 113,500 individuals attended.
Over that time, other nations evacuated much fewer people, according to official comments and news releases:
greater than 5,300 from Germany
More than 5,000 in Italy
More than 3,700 are from Canada.
France – approximately 3,000
Some nations have continued to conduct sporadic evacuations since August 2021. France declared on December 3 of that year that it had evacuated 258 individuals from Afghanistan.
Additionally, there was a rise in the number of Afghans requesting refuge in some EU nations, including Germany, France, and Greece.