UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

HICGI News Agency

March 13

The UK government wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda ,following the agreement that they made .

It is proposing new laws to overcome legal obstacles, after the Supreme Court said its plan was unlawful.

Under a five-year agreement, some asylum seekers arriving in the UK would be sent to Rwanda, to have their claims processed there.

If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay. If not, they could apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, or seek asylum in another "safe third country".

No asylum seeker would be able to apply to return to the UK.

Anyone "entering the UK illegally" after 1 January 2022 could be sent to Rwanda, with no limit on numbers.

Ministers argue the plan would deter people from arriving in the UK on small boats across the English Channel.

However, when the scheme was first announced, the most senior Home Office civil servant said there was little evidence the effect would be "significant enough to make the policy value for money".

No asylum seeker has yet been sent to Rwanda, a small landlocked country in east-central Africa, 4,000 miles (6,500km) from the UK.

The first flight was scheduled to go in June 2022, but was cancelled after legal challenges.

In March 2024, the government also announced plans to offer failed asylum seekers up to £3,000 to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme.

It is aimed at people who are not granted leave to stay in the UK but are unable to return to their home countries. It will tie into the existing agreement between the UK and Rwandan governments.

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In November 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Rwanda scheme was unlawful.

It said genuine refugees would be at risk of being returned to their home countries, where they could face harm, something known as "refoulement".

This breaches the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits torture and inhuman treatment. The UK is a signatory to the ECHR.

The ruling also cited concerns about Rwanda's poor human-rights record, and its past treatment of refugees.

Judges said that in 2021, the UK government had itself criticised Rwanda over "extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture".

They also highlighted a 2018 incident, when Rwandan police opened fire on protesting refugees.

After the Supreme Court ruling, the government introduced a new bill to make clear in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country.

The legislation - which must be approved by both Houses of Parliament - orders the courts to disregard key sections of the Human Rights Act, in an attempt to sidestep the Supreme Court's judgement.

It also orders the courts to disregard other British laws or international rules - such as the international Refugee Convention - that stand in the way of deportations to Rwanda.

Some MPs have criticised the legislation because they believe it breaks international law. Others argue it does not go far enough.

The bill was passed by the House of Commons on 17 January, despite opposition from some Conservative MPs.

It was then debated in the House of Lords, where the government was defeated in all 10 votes on the bill.

Peers made several amendments including allowing courts to question the safety of Rwanda.

But any changes made by the Lords are likely to be overturned when the bill goes back to the House of Commons.

The agreement signed between Rwanda government and UK government, what it says.

Home Secretary James Cleverley said it guarantees that anyone sent to Rwanda would not be at risk of being returned to their home country.

The treaty says that a new independent monitoring committee will ensure Rwanda complies with its obligations, and that British judges will be included in a new appeals process.

The UK government had paid £240m to Rwanda by the end of 2023.

However, the total payment will be at least £370m over five years, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).

If more than 300 people are sent to Rwanda, the UK would pay a one-off sum of £120m into a fund to help the east African country's economy, with further payments of £20,000 per individual relocated.

On top of that, up to £150,000 will be paid for each person sent to Rwanda, the NAO report said.

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