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Afghanistan: How many people has the UK resettled? Afghanistan: How many people has the UK resettled?
(about 1 month later)
It's been a year since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan, almost 20 years after they had been ousted by a US-led coalition. The government has announced new funding to relocate more than 8,000 Afghans who are currently living in hotels in the UK.
The UK was closely involved with the evacuation of British nationals and those who had worked for the British. The government says this will help move refugees into permanent homes, but critics say it risks making some Afghans homeless.
How many Afghans have been resettled in the UK? How many Afghans have arrived in the UK?
The government says that more than 21,000 Afghan refugees have been resettled in the UK. The government says that more than 24,000 Afghans had arrived in the UK as of December 2022. Of these, more than 21,000 have been resettled under refugee schemes.
Most came as part of Operation Pitting, which was the British military operation starting on 13 August 2021 to evacuate British nationals and Afghans from Kabul. Most came as part of Operation Pitting, the British military operation starting in August 2021 to evacuate British nationals and Afghans from Kabul.
About 2,000 came before Operation PittingAbout 2,000 came before Operation Pitting
15,000 were involved with Operation Pitting 15,000 arrived during Operation Pitting
5,000 have arrived since then. 7,000 have arrived since
They have been resettled under several schemes and we do not have breakdowns of how many were involved with each scheme.
The Home Office said another 1,400 former staff and their families had already been relocated since 2013 under the earlier Ex-Gratia scheme.
In April 2021 - before the Taliban took control - the government launched a new scheme to resettle Afghans in the UK called the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
Under that scheme, Afghans who worked for the British military and UK government - for example, as interpreters - are able to settle permanently in the UK, rather than the five years' residency which was previously offered.
In addition to ARAP, the government opened the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) in January 2022, which it says will allow up to 20,000 refugees to settle in the UK.
This scheme focuses on women and children as well as religious and other minorities in danger from the Taliban.
Immediate family members of those eligible under either the ACRS or ARAP schemes are also eligible for resettlement in the UK
How many Afghans applied to be evacuated?
In written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, Raphael Marshall, who previously worked on the Foreign Office's Afghanistan crisis response, estimated that between 75,000 and 150,000 people had applied for evacuation in August 2021.In written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, Raphael Marshall, who previously worked on the Foreign Office's Afghanistan crisis response, estimated that between 75,000 and 150,000 people had applied for evacuation in August 2021.
He estimated that 5% of these received assistance.He estimated that 5% of these received assistance.
The Home Office said another 1,400 former staff and their families had already been relocated since 2013 under an earlier scheme.
What are the Afghan resettlement schemes?
In April 2021 - before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan - the government launched the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme.
Under the scheme, Afghans who worked for the British military and UK government - for example, as interpreters - could apply to settle permanently in the UK, rather get five years' residency which was previously offered.
The government also opened the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) in January 2022, which it says will allow up to 20,000 refugees to settle in the UK.
This scheme focuses on women and children as well as religious and other minorities in danger from the Taliban.
Immediate family members of those eligible under either the ACRS or ARAP schemes are also eligible for resettlement in the UK.
In 2022, 4,629 Afghans were resettled under these schemes but most are people who worked for the UK before Kabul fell in August 2021. Only 22 were brought in because they were vulnerable or at risk refugees.
How do the resettlement schemes work?How do the resettlement schemes work?
As part of an initiative called "Operation Warm Welcome", local councils have been allocated funding packages of £20,520 per person over three years.As part of an initiative called "Operation Warm Welcome", local councils have been allocated funding packages of £20,520 per person over three years.
The funding will help refugees to enrol in education, find work and integrate in their new communities.The funding will help refugees to enrol in education, find work and integrate in their new communities.
The government also announced it would provide an additional £10m in the first year for housing costs, with £5m available in year two and £2m in year three. The government is providing an additional £10m in the first year for housing costs, then £5m and £2m in the two following years.
However, it was widely reported earlier in the year that 12,000 refugees are still being housed in hotels. What other support is the government providing for Afghan refugees?
The government has announced a new £35m fund to help local authorities move around 8,000 Afghans out of hotels and into permanent homes across the UK. It will also add a further £250m to the local authority housing fund.
The refugees will be given three months to vacate their hotels for relocation. The Refugee Council has expressed concerned that some Afghans may be left homeless by the new measures.
The Home Office says that more than 9,000 Afghan refugees are still living in hotels while another 9,000 have either been moved to a permanent home or are waiting to move in.
In February 2022, the Home Office said that accommodating Afghan refugees in hotels cost £1.2m per day.In February 2022, the Home Office said that accommodating Afghan refugees in hotels cost £1.2m per day.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Already we are proud this country has provided homes for more than 7,000 Afghan evacuees, but there is a shortage of local housing accommodation for all."
Afghanistan evacuee 'feels stuck' in hotel roomAfghanistan evacuee 'feels stuck' in hotel room
Afghan refugees in London hotel 'reject accommodation offers'Afghan refugees in London hotel 'reject accommodation offers'
How can other Afghans come here? How can other Afghans come to the UK?
The main other way to settle in the UK is to seek asylum once within the country's borders. They can come through the UK Resettlement Scheme which prioritises refugees from regions in conflict. In 2022, 36 Afghans came through this route.
However, proposed changes to the UK immigration system mean that people arriving illegally in the country could be sent to Rwanda for processing. The other main way to settle is to seek asylum after arriving in the UK.
Between January and March 2022, more Afghans arrived in the UK in small boats than any other nationality - a total of 1,094. However, proposed changes to the UK immigration system mean that people deemed to have arrived illegally could be sent to Rwanda for processing.
Home Office statistics also show that Afghan asylum seeker applications to the UK grew from about 1,300 in the year to the end of March 2021 to more than 4,000 the following year. The number of Afghans arriving in the UK on small boats having crossed the English Channel has increased sharply:
In 2020, 494 crossed in small boats
In 2021, 1,437 crossed in small boats
In 2022, 8,633 crossed in small boats
Home Office statistics also show that nearly 11,000 Afghans and their dependents applied for asylum in 2022.
How many people did other countries evacuate?How many people did other countries evacuate?
The US evacuated the largest number of people from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power.The US evacuated the largest number of people from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power.
Afghans wait to be processed after arriving in the US on an evacuation flightAfghans wait to be processed after arriving in the US on an evacuation flight
From 14 August to 28 August 2021, it got 113,500 people out.From 14 August to 28 August 2021, it got 113,500 people out.
Other countries evacuated much smaller numbers over that period, according to official statements and press releases:Other countries evacuated much smaller numbers over that period, according to official statements and press releases:
Germany - more than 5,300Germany - more than 5,300
Italy - more than 5,000Italy - more than 5,000
Canada - more than 3,700Canada - more than 3,700
France - around 3,000France - around 3,000
Since the end of August, some countries have continued to carry out occasional evacuations. On December 3, France announced that it had evacuated 258 people from Afghanistan. Since August 2021, some countries have continued to carry out occasional evacuations. On December 3 of that year, France announced that it had evacuated 258 people from Afghanistan.
There was also an increase in the number of Afghans who applied for asylum last year in some EU countries such as Greece, France and Germany. There was also an increase in the number of Afghans who applied for asylum in some EU countries such as Greece, France and Germany.
How many British nationals are left in Afghanistan?
At the time of the evacuation, then-Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that the number of British nationals still in Afghanistan was "in the low hundreds", although he wouldn't give a more precise figure.
Mr Raab told a committee of MPs that nearly all the people in Afghanistan with single UK nationality and accompanying documentation had been brought back - but that it was hard to estimate the number of remaining dual-nationals.
He also cited the challenge posed by families where not everyone was documented.
On 7 December 2021, the prime minister's special representative for Afghanistan, Nigel Casey, told MPs there were about 200 British nationals still in Afghanistan.
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