Rose Macaulay
In the wake of British and American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the British government introduced several new schemes to enable Afghan resettlement in the UK. But what do these schemes mean and are they really working?
What is Resettlement and how does it differ from Asylum?
To claim asylum in the UK, a person fleeing war or persecution must be in the UK. They cannot apply from outside the country and there’s no special asylum visa. So, they must travel to the country from their country of origin and make an asylum claim once they arrive. Their claim may be refused or they may be granted refugee status or some other form of humanitarian protection.
Refugee resettlement is an entirely separate process. There’s no application procedure. Refugees are selected by the UNHCR from resettlement camps under a set of criteria arranged by the UK Home Office and they will be granted full refugee status on arrival. They often receive packages of rights that are unavailable to asylum-seekers.
The government’s new Nationality and Borders Bill has received condemnation for making claiming asylum near impossible and penalising asylum-seekers. Resettlement has become one of the only safe and legal routes to achieve refugee status in the UK.
What is the Afghan Resettlement Scheme?
On the 29th of December 2020, the UK government announced the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). It offers relocation and assistance to Afghan nationals that were employed by the UK government to help the UK mission in Afghanistan and who may face a serious threat to their life.
In April 2021, Biden announced the full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by the 11th of September 2021 alongside NATO military allies, including the UK. In the first two weeks of August, the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban had seized Kabul.
The UK launched Operation Pitting, to get as many UK and former Afghan workers out of the country as possible. As heart-wrenching scenes of chaos and violence emerged from Kabul airport, the government increasingly came under fire for their decision to withdraw.
65% of the British public believe we should grant refugee status to those who worked for the UK.
Polling of the British public reveals that 65% agree the West let down Afghan women and children, with 59% agreeing British soldiers died for nothing and nearly half opposing the withdrawal of troops. At the same time, 65% believe we should grant refugee status to those who worked for the UK in Afghanistan whilst 52% support a general resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees and believe the UK has a moral duty to implement one.
In September, the government announced that those under the ARAP scheme would be given indefinite leave to remain, which is a change from the previously granted 5 years of residency. The government also introduced a new Afghan Citizens Scheme for up to 20,000 Afghan citizens who stood up for ‘democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech and rule of law’ and who are especially vulnerable. Victoria Atkins MP has been appointed as a Minister for Afghan Resettlement.
£200m has been committed to the scheme so far including £12m for school children, £3m for access to healthcare, and £5m to councils to provide housing support.
Where are we now?
The scheme has been promotionally dubbed ‘Operation Warm Welcome’. The Home Office twitter page regularly posts emotive videos and pictures of Afghans who have arrived in the UK being welcomed by Border Force, Priti Patel, and Victoria Atkins. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and others have gone on record to suggest it is the most generous scheme in the UK’s history.
However, MPs and charities have challenged the government for only committing to resettle 5000 refugees in the first year and ‘up to’ 20,000 over an unspecified number of years. UK-resident Afghans say the numbers fall far short of the potential needs of close relatives of Britain’s Afghan community, which numbers at least 100,000 people.
“It appears (Boris Johnson) hasn’t lifted a finger to help”.
Lisa Nandy, former shadow foreign secretary
Patel has been criticised by Conservative and Opposition MPs for failing to actually implement the scheme, nearly 4 months on. Rory Stewart, former international development secretary warned that we have a “narrow window” to get people out as the Taliban is currently complying and this ‘won’t be true forever.’
Lisa Nandy, former shadow foreign secretary said: “The PM said he would move heaven and earth to bring people to safety. Yet it appears he hasn’t lifted a finger to help”.
The future scheme is currently the only safe route for Afghans to enter the UK. Such delays risk pushing them to make dangerous journeys. Indeed, many of those who are in Calais and considering making dangerous Channel crossings, risking death, detention, and potential prosecution by the UK government, are Afghan refugees.
Growing Criticism
In November, the Government narrowed the eligibility criteria for the ARAP scheme. Individuals now have to prove they made a ‘substantive and positive contribution’ to the achievement of UK military or national security objectives and are at a certain level of risk.
At the same, criticism has grown surrounding the treatment of those Afghans evacuated in August who have been stuck in hotels for months.
The UK government claims they are working with the UNHCR ‘at pace’ to design the scheme and that the delay is due to difficulties locating housing and implementing biometric enrolment and eligibility checks to make sure Afghans are not a threat to national security.
However, campaigners have expressed concerns that the delays are due to attempts to reduce numbers. Adam Thompson, former Foreign Office director for Afghanistan has suggested that the scheme was a “politically expedient announcement”, and with media focus now elsewhere, the government has ‘”lost political will, lost focus, and lost implementation”.
The government has now announced that the scheme will be implemented this January. As the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan worsens, is it too little too late?
Featured image courtesy of Roger Bradshaw via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to the image.
