UK shuts both its Afghan resettlement schemes without warning

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.
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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.

Nasimi added the two schemes had not even evacuated the right people to date. “Most of the Afghans evacuated so far are from a Pashtun background, who have tribal links with the Taliban. They have come to the UK, got their residency, and travelled back to Afghanistan to support the Taliban. The Pashtuns are wealthy and live in palaces now. But 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, and activists all stuck in Afghanistan who would like to come to Britain. We are contacted daily by people who tried to come via these schemes who never got any response. Millions face starvation.”

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.