UK tells Afghans promised sanctuary in Britain they must make their own way to safety
Afghan families granted asylum in the UK will have to flee the Taliban-ruled country on their own, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has said.
Around 9,000 Afghans who are eligible to come to the UK but are still waiting to be relocated will receive no help from the UK to leave Afghanistan, defense secretary Luke Pollard told the House of Commons on Tuesday.
“They will need to go to a third country when they are able,” he said, where housing and visa support will be available there until 2028.
Mr Pollard said some of those eligible to come to the UK had already moved to third countries such as Pakistan this year. He explained: “Having seen growing evidence of successful self-mobility and carefully re-evaluating the risks to this group and other factors, including value for money for taxpayers, we have decided to end in-country assistance for movements out of Afghanistan.”
The National Audit Office said in March that unless evictions were accelerated it would take around three more years for the government to bring all the promised shelters to Britain.
Afghan resettlement schemes closed to new applicants in July last year, just before it was revealed that the Ministry of Defense was responsible for a massive data leak on applicants’ details which the ministry said put thousands of lives at risk.
Families have the right to come to the UK because of their previous support for UK forces in Afghanistan or because their data has been breached. Ministers had previously committed to bringing all eligible Afghans to the UK by March 2029 under the new combined plan, the Afghan Resettlement Program (ARP). But Mr Pollard said on Tuesday a cut would be introduced in December 2028, when all aid and relocations will end.
The Ministry of Defense also ended the use of short-term housing on defense land for Afghan families, and Mr Pollard told MPs: “We will not be able to continue ARP support indefinitely.”
Mr Pollard said six hotels were being used to house Afghan families and two would be closed within a few days. Independent Last week, the UK reported that two Afghans approved for relocation had challenged the Ministry of Defense in the High Court over their failure to help them escape Afghanistan.
Dr., one of the founding members of the Sulha alliance, which helps former Afghan military interpreters. Sara de Jong said: “The MoD’s announcement that it will stop in-country support for a safe exit from Afghanistan with the offer of relocation will come as a complete shock to Afghans. “Just because some have managed to escape does not mean the option is open to everyone.
“Those who cannot risk coming out of hiding to get their paperwork and those who do not have the financial means to pay sky-high visa prices are now abandoned. The statement also ignores the ongoing security issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan, making it even more difficult to act independently.”
