What is the issue?

There are very few safe routes available for refugees to come to the UK at present. These are mostly nationality-specific, including:

• The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)
• The Hong Kong British Nationals Overseas route (BNO)
• Homes for Ukraine scheme (and until recently, the now closed Ukraine family scheme and Extension scheme)

There are very limited ways for people who are not from one of these three nationalities to come here. One such way is through the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), administered by the UNHCR, which identifies refugees eligible for resettlement from various countries. Another way is through refugee family reunion, whereby people with refugee status in the UK can apply to be reunited with family members overseas.

The majority of people crossing the Channel in small boats over the past year come from just five countries.

There is a clear correlation between the decline in safe routes and the rise in small boat crossings. The majority of people crossing the Channel in small boats over the past year come from just five countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran where there are very limited ways to reach the UK safely. The high numbers from Afghanistan also highlights the failings of the ACRS scheme.

What is a new Government likely to inherit?

Refugee resettlement under the UKRS was at a decade-low in 2023, with just 766 refugees resettled. The previous Government frequently stated that over 500,000 refugees had come to the UK since 2015. While this was welcome, the reality is that it is very difficult for refugees not from Ukraine, Hong Kong, Afghanistan or Syria (under the Vulnerable Persons Scheme which has now closed) to come here on a safe route.

Clause 60 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 requires the Home Secretary to “make regulations specifying the maximum numbers of persons who may enter the United Kingdom annually under safe and legal routes.” The Government began a consultation process with local authorities on their capacity to accommodate more refugees at the end of last year, although the results of this consultation were not released.

There are also problems with the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. When the General Election was called, the Government had begun a long-awaited process to ensure that those arriving under Operation Pitting in October 2021 could be reunited with family. The process was not completed however by the time the election had been called.

There is also a concern that the route for at-risk minorities in Afghanistan to be resettled to the UK under the new route in Pathway 3 has not yet been established.

What are we proposing a new Government should do?

The Refugee Council released a report in January of this year which set out some of the ways a new Government could expand the range of safe routes for refugees:

• Pilot a refugee visa With a target of 10,000 visas issued in the first year for people from high-grant rate countries, allow refugees to travel to the UK legally for the purposes of claiming asylum.
• Family reunion Fixing the immigration rules to allow refugee children to sponsor their family members to join them in the UK, and children in Europe to join extended family in the UK, while removing financial barriers which inhibit this.
• Resettlement Expanding refugee resettlement through the global UKRS route, working closely with UNHCR and local authorities to ensure we can plan for arrivals.

What impact will this have?

At the Refugee Council we provide the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Refugees. We took evidence from refugees in May who spoke of the impact improving safe routes would have on their lives.

Amir from Afghanistan shared his thoughts on the importance of family reunion routes:

It’s really hard to leave everything behind. In Afghanistan I was working as a journalist, a videographer. Those five days at the airport in Kabul – you can’t imagine. In the UK I was staying in a hotel. I lost hope. You’re like a child who can walk but not talk. I was homeless for a month. No one loves to leave their motherland. Family separation is really hard – we’d really love to be together. This issue means a lot for all of us.

Read our previous election posts on refugee homelessness, the right to asylum, and a roundup of frequently asked questions on refugee and asylum issues.