The UK Government says it will welcome up to 20,000 Afghan refugees after the Taliban seized control of Kabul.
The Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme will see women, children and others most at risk of human rights abuses by the Taliban welcomed into the UK, in what the government is calling the “most generous resettlement schemes in our country’s history”.
The government says 5,000 will be resettled in the UK within the first year of the scheme.
Those who have been forced to flee their home or face threats of persecution from the Taliban will also be offered a route to set up home in the UK permanently.
The scheme will be modelled on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, which has resettled 20,000 Syrian refugees since 2014.
‘Many are now in urgent need of help’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who have worked with us to make Afghanistan a better place over the last 20 years.
“Many of them, particularly women, are now in urgent need of our help.
“I am proud that the UK has been able to put in place this route to help them and their families live safely in the UK.
“The best solution for everyone is an Afghanistan that works for all Afghans.
“That means the international community coming together to set firm, political conditions for the country’s future governance.
“And it means focusing our efforts on increasing the resilience of the wider region to prevent a humanitarian emergency.”
UK has proud history of offering sanctuary
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “The UK Government will always stand by those in the world in their hour of need when fleeing persecution or oppression.
“I want to ensure that as a nation we do everything possible to provide support to the most vulnerable fleeing Afghanistan so they can start a new life in safety in the UK, away from the tyranny and oppression they now face.
“Our country has a proud history of offering sanctuary to those in need.
“We will not abandon people who have been forced to flee their homes and are now living in terror of what might come next.
“The Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme will save lives.”
On Wednesday 18 August Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address Westminster on the UK’s work on the crisis in Afghanistan.