UK Considers Paying Asylum Seekers to Move to Rwanda
The United Kingdom’s government is mulling over plans to offer asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected up to £3,000 ($3,840) to relocate to Rwanda.
This proposed scheme, part of a negotiated agreement with Rwanda, aims to address a backlog of tens of thousands of asylum seekers denied the right to stay in the UK but cannot be returned to unsafe countries.
These plans are distinct from the contentious “Rwanda bill,” an earlier proposal aimed at forcibly deporting most asylum seekers to Rwanda. Instead, this initiative extends an existing policy of offering financial assistance for voluntary return to home countries.
According to the Home Office, approximately 19,000 individuals voluntarily left the UK in the past year under existing schemes. Under this new extension, asylum seekers agreeing to relocate to Rwanda would receive financial aid, despite concerns from rights groups about political oppression in the African nation.
“We are exploring voluntary relocations for those who have no right to be here to Rwanda,” stated the Home Office.Rejected asylum seekers are barred from legal employment in the UK but may be permitted to work in Rwanda and could be eligible for five years of additional support outlined in a 2022 deportation plan.
Junior Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake defended the policy, citing the cost of supporting failed asylum seekers in the UK.Meanwhile, legal challenges against the “Rwanda bill” have posed hurdles for the government.
Last year, the UK’s Supreme Court deemed the bill unlawful, citing violations of British and international human rights laws.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration is pushing legislation through Parliament to circumvent further legal obstacles by designating Rwanda as a “safe country” for asylum seekers.
The government asserts that Rwanda has the capacity to accommodate a few hundred asylum seekers annually, with the potential to increase this capacity.Sunak aims to initiate deportation flights in the coming months, ahead of an anticipated national election in the latter half of the year.Credit: Legit NG