UK to reopen refugee resettlement scheme, with Afghan women and girls and Palestinians among those expected

Britain will reopen a refugee resettlement scheme to bring vulnerable people from around the world to the UK, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced, with Afghan women and girls and Palestinians expected to make up about a quarter of those accepted.

Mahmood, who is of Pakistani heritage, made the announcement on Monday at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool, Dawn reported.

“We will take vulnerable refugees from across the world and give them the chance of a new and better life here in Britain with the first arrivals this year,” she said.

How the scheme will work

The scheme will be run in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP).

Key points	Details
Partners	UNHCR and the International Refugee Assistance Project
Initial size	Hundreds of people, rising to the low thousands
Limit	An annual cap will be set
Priority groups	About 25% expected to be Afghan women and girls and Palestinians
First arrivals	This year

The number of places is expected to start in the hundreds and grow to the low thousands as illegal migration falls, according to the government.

Community sponsorship

The scheme includes three new community refugee sponsorship routes that had been announced earlier. Charities and non-profit organisations will be able to apply to become sponsors within days, although the first arrivals through community sponsorship are expected around a year from now.

Replacing the Afghan route

The new scheme follows the closure last year of the UK’s Afghan resettlement route, which had been set up after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. The inclusion of Afghan women and girls reflects continuing concern about their treatment under Taliban rule, where they face severe restrictions on education and work.

‘Safe and legal routes’

The announcement is part of the Labour government’s push for what it calls “safe and legal routes” into the country, as an alternative to dangerous crossings of the English Channel in small boats.

But the plan has also exposed tensions within the party. Some Labour members are uneasy that the government is at the same time tightening other legal routes for migration.

Deaths in the Channel

The risks of irregular crossings were underlined as the scheme was announced. Three migrants, including a 10-year-old child, died while trying to cross the Channel, according to reports.

Why it matters for Pakistan and Afghans

Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, and many Afghans who fled after 2021 passed through Pakistan while waiting for resettlement abroad. Any new route to the UK for Afghan women and girls will be watched closely by those still waiting in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The move also comes as governments around the world face scrutiny over how they treat migrants. This week, UN experts warned that US deportations to third countries were triggering a “cascade” of rights abuses, and Malaysia began sending Myanmar migrants home.

Why it matters

The scheme offers a new, if limited, path to safety for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The numbers will start in the hundreds and will be capped each year. For Afghan women and girls and Palestinians who are selected, it could mean the chance of a new life, and for the UK government, a way to show that it can offer safe routes while cracking down on illegal ones.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn.