PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Refugees: Afghanistan (1 February 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2022 to Question 102809, on Afghanistan: Refugees, what her Department's timeframe is for contacting Afghan citizens eligible for the third referral pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who are not British Council or GardaWorld contractors or Chevening Alumni.

Asked by:
Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat)

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.

The capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited. In Year 1, resettlement through the third pathway will be limited to those British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni who are most at risk. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be in touch with those eligible to support them through the next steps.

Beyond the first year of the ACRS, we will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans most at risk under the third referral pathway.

Information on how the ACRS will operate including the referral pathways are set in the oral statement of 6 January.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oral-statement-on-the-afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme

Answered by:
Victoria Atkins (Conservative)
23 February 2022