The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that Afghan families approved for sanctuary in Britain will no longer receive assistance to flee the Taliban-run country. Defence minister Luke Pollard informed the Commons in a written statement on Tuesday that nearly 9,000 Afghans eligible to come to the UK but still awaiting relocation will get no help from the UK to leave Afghanistan.
They will “need to make their own way to a third country when they are able to do so”, he stated, with housing and visa support available there until 2028. Mr Pollard noted that some eligible Afghans have already moved to third countries, such as Pakistan, this year. He explained: “Having seen increased evidence of successful self-moves and after assessing carefully again the risks to this cohort and other factors, including value for money for the taxpayer, we have decided to end in-country assistance for movements out of Afghanistan”.
Background on Afghan Resettlement
The National Audit Office revealed in March that without accelerated evacuations, it would take the government nearly three more years to bring all promised Afghans to Britain. The Afghan resettlement schemes closed to new applicants in July last year, shortly after the MoD was found responsible for a vast data leak of applicants’ details, which the department said endangered thousands of lives.
Families are eligible due to their previous support of UK forces in Afghanistan or because their data was compromised. Ministers had previously committed to relocating all eligible Afghans by March 2029 under the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). However, Mr Pollard announced a cut-off of December 2028, when all help and relocations will end. The MoD has also ended the use of short-term housing on the defence estate for Afghan families, with Mr Pollard telling MPs “we cannot sustain ARP support indefinitely”. Six hotels currently house Afghan families, and two will close within days.
Legal and Humanitarian Concerns
The Independent reported last week that two Afghans approved for UK relocation are challenging the MoD at the High Court over the failure to help them flee Afghanistan. Dr Sara de Jong, a founding member of the Sulha alliance, which assists former Afghan military interpreters, expressed shock: “The MoD's announcement to stop in-country support for moving safely out of Afghanistan will come as a complete shock to Afghans with a relocation offer. The fact that some have been able to escape doesn't mean that that option is open to everyone. Those who can't take the risk to go out of hiding to get the paperwork and don't have the financial means to pay hugely inflated visa prices are now abandoned. The statement also ignores the ongoing security issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which makes independent moving even more challenging.”
