The UK government announced on Wednesday that it is thinking about a plan to send asylum seekers who have been rejected to Rwanda voluntarily. They are reportedly willing to offer up to £3,000 ($3,800) to support the move.
The proposal is an expansion of current voluntary return programs, and it is being discussed as the government faces challenges in implementing other contentious plans to send migrants to Rwanda.
The scheme was first introduced in 2022 to discourage the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants on small boats from mainland Europe. However, legal issues have caused it to stall.
To comply with a UK Supreme Court ruling that deporting asylum seekers to Kigali violates international law, the government is working on legislation to require judges to consider Rwanda a safe third country.
Additionally, a new agreement with Rwanda has been reached.
Earlier this year, the UK also established a new arrangement for the country to welcome individuals whose asylum applications in the UK have been rejected, as reported by The Times.
The plan would involve providing up to £3,000 in financial assistance, as part of existing voluntary return programs, to those who are willing to relocate to Rwanda, according to the report.
Initiatives to integrate into Rwandan society
This would mark the first instance of migrants being incentivized to leave the UK without returning to their home country, The Times noted.
The objective is to remove the large number of migrants who are not authorized to stay in Britain but cannot be sent back to their home countries.
The interior ministry stated, “We are considering voluntary relocations to Rwanda for those who are not entitled to stay in the UK.”
The ministry pointed out that 19,000 individuals were voluntarily removed from the UK in the past year, and such initiatives are “an important part of our efforts to address illegal migration”.
Rejected asylum seekers are not allowed to work legally in the UK, but they would be permitted to do so in Rwanda and would also be eligible for five years of additional support as part of the 2022 deportation plan.
This includes housing and access to programs to help them integrate, study, and train.
Rwanda, home to around 13 million people in the Great Lakes region, is considered to be one of the most stable countries in Africa.
However, human rights groups accuse President Paul Kagame of governing in a climate of fear, suppressing opposition and free speech.
The country has received recognition for its modern infrastructure, but concerns have been raised regarding its human rights record.
The primary opposition party in the UK, Labour, stated that the latest plan demonstrates the government’s impractical deportation scheme.
AFP
