The publication of Reforming the Afghanistan Resettlement Schemes: the way forward for ARAP and ACRS marks the two-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) were both designed to help Afghan citizens whose lives are now at risk due to having worked in support of the UK during its presence in Afghanistan.

JUSTICE found, however, that neither scheme is working as it should. Despite promises to help Afghans relocate, there remain significant delays, lack of transparency, and lack of consistency to government decision-making. This has resulted in a lack of clarity about how the schemes operate, a convoluted application process with significant implications for the subsequent relocation. This includes the need to travel to third countries, such as Pakistan, for biometrics and visas, which often incurs significant risk to the lives of applicants.

The government have so far received 141,000 applications for ARAP but just over 12,300 individuals have arrived in the UK. There are approximately 2,417 eligible individuals and their families still in third countries yet to be relocated.

A further concern by the working group is the cap of 20,000 for ACRS, which is far lower that the UK’s international counterparts such as Canada, which has committed to resettling 40,000 Afghans. Of those who have applied, 9,059 places have been allocated but only 40 individuals have been relocated under ACRS pathway 2 (referrals from the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees), and 14 under ACRS pathway 3 (British Council contractors, GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni).

The report makes 24 recommendations to the government which include proposed changes to improve the accessibility and efficacy of the schemes designed to relocate Afghans at risk from the Taliban.

Recommendations in the report include:

• Reducing delays: Processing times should be improved and clear timelines provided. Government departments should also set out what the next steps will be and acknowledge when there are problems, such as delays, in the system.
• Improving consistency in decision-making: The Government should ensure there is consistent interpretation of the criteria, with a clear understanding of the breadth of the application, the criteria and the discretion open to decision-makers. There must be greater clarity and detail in decision letters which set out the grounds on which applications are refused.
• Clarifying how the schemes work: The Home Office must clarify the way it calculates the limit of the number of individuals who can qualify for ACRS, the internal processes used by referral partners, and the criteria and/or method of assessment by which those, whom have already been determined as eligible, are determined as being of ‘priority’.
• Improving communication with individuals: the Government must provide regular, formalised processes for communication with applicants, and ensure there is clear communication regarding individual cases within government departments, reflecting the urgency and high levels of risk. Primary caseworkers should be assigned to provide a direct line of communication and to provide updates on applications.

JUSTICE chief executive, Fiona Rutherford, said: “Immediate action is required to help Afghans who have put their lives and the lives of their family on the line for Britain and deserve to be quickly relocated to safety. The recommendations in this report have been developed by experts who have firsthand experience of the impact of delays to applicants and their families. I urge the Government to act quickly to honour its commitment to relocate Afghans at risk.”

Chair of the Working Group, Sonali Naik KC, said: “Two years on since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 is an important time to reflect on the impact of the Afghan Settlement Schemes set up to honour the contribution of those Afghans who worked alongside and supported the UK mission there for 20 years. Despite recognising those who have been able to be relocated to the UK, this report makes 24 recommendations to improve the schemes for those whose lives continue to be at risk. This is clearly the right thing to do.”