TOI Correspondent from London: The UK govt has without warning shut down two legal schemes that helped over 34,000 Afghans claim sanctuary in Britain, sparking fury among the Afghan diaspora.
Immigration rule changes laid in parliament on Tuesday ended the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for new applications. The scheme, launched in April 2021, was for those who had helped Britain fight the Taliban or who worked for the UK govt and feared reprisal.
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which opened in Jan 2022 to help women, girls and minority groups come legally to the UK, was also shut.
Video
Migration minister Seema Malohtra said the UK will not launch any further pathways.
Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, director of the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association in London, which helps Afghan refugees in Britain, was angry about the closure and said Afghans were facing “daily humiliation” by the UK press.
“If they welcome the people of Ukraine and Hong Kong, there shouldn’t be any discrimination against Afghans. Trump has done the same thing by introducing a blanket ban on Afghans,” he told TOI.
“The UK press is promoting bad things about Afghan society. We were once part of Persian civilisation and invented lots of good things,” he said, adding that closing all legal routes meant more Afghans would come to the UK illegally. Afghans were the most common nationality arriving by small boat in the year ending March 2025, with 5,766 Afghans coming to the UK this way.
Nasimi added the two schemes had not evacuated minority ethnic and religious groups nor the majority of women and girls who faced the worst persecution in the world.
"Most of those who have been evacuated on these schemes so far were those who fled in 2021 who come from more privileged backgrounds who worked for NGOs and had links with the former Afghan govt and embassies. Some of them have now even gone back to Afghanistan.
"The people who really deserved to come, for example individuals who worked with NATO, are still stuck in Afghanistan or facing deportation from Pakistan and Iran. There are women, girls, musicians, female activists all still stuck in Afghanistan who would like to come to Britain.
"We are contacted daily by people who tried to come via these two schemes who never got any response. We are swamped with emails from such people. Millions of women and girls are living in the worst conditions in the world in Afghanistan. Schools have been closed for girls for four years now. The Home Office should work with grassroots organisations like ours, so we can introduce the people who really deserve to come. While we welcome the humanitarian aid to Gaza, since the return of the Taliban as well as the Russian Invasion in 1979, millions of women and children are still facing starvation in Afghanistan.”
Defence secretary John Healey said ARAP could be closed “not least so that defence efforts and resources can be focused where they are most needed — on our nation’s security.”
Over 12,800 Afghans have been resettled in Britain under ACRS. By March 31, 2025, 21,316 Afghans had been relocated under ARAP. A further 22,000 ARAP applicants are in a backlog.
Immigration rule changes laid in parliament on Tuesday ended the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for new applications. The scheme, launched in April 2021, was for those who had helped Britain fight the Taliban or who worked for the UK govt and feared reprisal.
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which opened in Jan 2022 to help women, girls and minority groups come legally to the UK, was also shut.
Video
Migration minister Seema Malohtra said the UK will not launch any further pathways.
Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, director of the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association in London, which helps Afghan refugees in Britain, was angry about the closure and said Afghans were facing “daily humiliation” by the UK press.
“If they welcome the people of Ukraine and Hong Kong, there shouldn’t be any discrimination against Afghans. Trump has done the same thing by introducing a blanket ban on Afghans,” he told TOI.
“The UK press is promoting bad things about Afghan society. We were once part of Persian civilisation and invented lots of good things,” he said, adding that closing all legal routes meant more Afghans would come to the UK illegally. Afghans were the most common nationality arriving by small boat in the year ending March 2025, with 5,766 Afghans coming to the UK this way.
Nasimi added the two schemes had not evacuated minority ethnic and religious groups nor the majority of women and girls who faced the worst persecution in the world.
"Most of those who have been evacuated on these schemes so far were those who fled in 2021 who come from more privileged backgrounds who worked for NGOs and had links with the former Afghan govt and embassies. Some of them have now even gone back to Afghanistan.
"The people who really deserved to come, for example individuals who worked with NATO, are still stuck in Afghanistan or facing deportation from Pakistan and Iran. There are women, girls, musicians, female activists all still stuck in Afghanistan who would like to come to Britain.
"We are contacted daily by people who tried to come via these two schemes who never got any response. We are swamped with emails from such people. Millions of women and girls are living in the worst conditions in the world in Afghanistan. Schools have been closed for girls for four years now. The Home Office should work with grassroots organisations like ours, so we can introduce the people who really deserve to come. While we welcome the humanitarian aid to Gaza, since the return of the Taliban as well as the Russian Invasion in 1979, millions of women and children are still facing starvation in Afghanistan.”
Defence secretary John Healey said ARAP could be closed “not least so that defence efforts and resources can be focused where they are most needed — on our nation’s security.”
Over 12,800 Afghans have been resettled in Britain under ACRS. By March 31, 2025, 21,316 Afghans had been relocated under ARAP. A further 22,000 ARAP applicants are in a backlog.
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