Resettlement schemes for Afghans to come to the UK after the Taliban takeover will eventually close, the Government has indicated.
Defence Secretary John Healey said more than 1,000 eligible families had been welcomed to the UK in the past 12 months but added it cannot be “an endless process”.
He also said those who come to the UK will, from spring, be able to spend a maximum of nine months in so-called transitional accommodation such as hotels, before having to find their own place to stay.
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) formally opened in January 2022 with a pledge by the then-Conservative government to resettle up to 20,000 people “over the coming years”.
The separate Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme was put in place for Afghans who had worked with the UK government, and their families, before the Taliban takeover.
In a written statement to Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Healey said: “Over the past 12 months, we have welcomed around 90 eligible families each month and we expect this pace to continue.
“This cannot, however, be an endless process and ultimately, the Government intends to reach a position where the UK Afghan resettlement schemes can be closed. We will update the House on this accordingly.
“We are grateful for the cross-Government commitment and approach to delivery on this important programme and will provide further updates in the new year.
“We will continue to work to deliver on our commitment to resettle those eligible Afghans who have supported the UK, and to whom we owe a debt of gratitude.”
The closure of the schemes is not thought to be imminent, although the Government has not given details on timing.
Mr Healey said the “best resettlement delivers successful integration and supports arrivals to rebuild their lives in their new home” as he announced the nine-month limit on transitional accommodation.
He added: “All Afghan arrivals will be supported to source their own settled accommodation through the Find Your Own Accommodation (FYO) pathway.”
The Government said it is also “fixing the foundations of a complicated system and drawing together a single pipeline for Afghan resettlement” from spring to “deliver greater efficiency and better outcomes across Government”.
This will mean that while people arrive under the different Arap or ACRS schemes, they will all be resettled in the same way once they arrive in the UK.
The latest official Government figures show that 17,956 people were resettled in the UK under Arap between April 2021 and September 2024.
In the same time period, 12,426 people were resettled under the ACRS, including those considered vulnerable refugees and women and girls at risk.
A major British military evacuation from Afghanistan in August 2021 saw thousands airlifted out of the country in what was known as Operation Pitting, as the Taliban re-took power in the country and UK and US forces withdrew following a years-long war.
Afghans are already the top nationality crossing the Channel, so we fear without this safe route we will only see more people turning to smugglers to reach protection here
Safe Passage International said it was “concerned” by the Government’s move, saying while the schemes have been “complex and painfully hard to access”, they have been a “lifeline to safety”.
The charity voiced concerns over the effect on people seeking safety who might end up “turning to smugglers to reach protection here”.
Afghans made up the largest proportion of small boat arrivals from January to September this year, at 17.3%.
Wanda Wyporska, chief executive at Safe Passage International, said: “We’re concerned that the Government is thinking about closing the safe pathways for Afghans, given there are no other working safe routes that can bring those fleeing the Taliban to safety here.
“We urgently need more detail on this so Afghans are not left in danger. We know there are many Afghans living in terror and under the threat of increasingly repressive Taliban rules, such as those oppressing women and girls.
“Afghans are already the top nationality crossing the Channel, so we fear without this safe route we will only see more people turning to smugglers to reach protection here.”
Should the schemes close, the charity called for “new safe routes, such as a refugee visa” and wider resettlement “to ensure people fleeing war and persecution can reach safety here”.
