Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Paragraph: 34
We were disappointed about the exclusion from the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme...
Conclusion
We were disappointed about the exclusion from the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme of Afghan aid workers to whom the UK Government had clear lines of moral responsibility, either because they were sub- contracted by the UK Government or employed by aid agencies in receipt of UK aid. We are disappointed that Afghan aid workers have not been explicitly recognised in the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). We are very concerned about the time being taken by the Government to implement the ACRS and whether Afghan aid workers will receive protection under that scheme.
Paragraph Reference:
34
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Home Office retains overall responsibility for immigration and visa policy, and considering applications to enter and stay in the UK. The capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited, and difficult decisions about who should be prioritised for resettlement are therefore unavoidable, if we are to help anyone in this way. The Government has already begun resettling families under the ‘first pathway’ of the ACRS. This includes vulnerable and at-risk individuals who arrived in the UK through our military evacuation in August 2021, and eligible people who were notified by the we have been able to help reach the UK since then. From Spring 2022, under the ‘second pathway’ of the ACRS, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will refer to us Afghan refugees who are in need of resettlement. And the Government is working to launch the ‘third pathway’ of the ACRS as soon as possible, under which, in the first year, the government will consider eligible at risk-British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni for resettlement. Beyond the first year, under the ACRS ‘third pathway’, the Government will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk. The Government is working amidst a complex and changing picture to establish this pathway in future years. Further detail will be published in due course.