united-nations.jpg
Photo by Ilyass SEDDOUG on Unsplash.
Support migrant centric journalism today and donate
The Home Office has been accused of ‘misrepresenting’ the United Nations Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) stance on a controversial UK immigration policy that sends asylum seekers to Rwanda. Despite a court hearing, the Home Office continues to insist that UNHCR supports the controversial scheme, while the UNHCR refutes the Home Office’s claim.
The Home Office and UNHCR have previously clashed over the safety and suitability of the Rwanda policy, which forcibly removes some asylum seekers who have arrived in the UK illegally via small boats crossing the Channel, or on the back of trucks.
In a High Court hearing on 10 June, judges were told that the Home Office had ‘misled’ refugees about the UN’s involvement in the controversial Rwanda plans. However, despite the UNHCR making its position clear on the policy, the Home Office continues to state that UNHCR is supportive of the scheme.
European Court of Human Rights
The first flight to Rwanda from the UK, which was due to take off on 14 June, identified victims of torture and trafficking among those set to be on board the plane. The European Court of Human Rights blocked the flight at the eleventh hour.
A fresh High Court hearing is now planned for September to determine the lawfulness of the Rwanda policy.
Recently, a critical report about flaws in the controversial UK immigration policy was published.
The report, released by the charity Asylos – an organisation that produces specialist reports about the safety of countries that the Home Office plans to send asylum seekers to – found fundamental inconsistencies between the Home Office’s assessment of Rwanda as a safe third country to send asylum seekers and its own findings.
In the Asylos report, seen by The Guardian, the Home Office vehemently defended its Rwanda scheme and claimed that it had the backing of the UNHCR.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Our own assessment of Rwanda has found it is a fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers, including working with the UN Refugee Agency, which said the country has a safe and protective environment for refugees.”
“As part of our partnership, the UK is providing an initial investment of £120m to boost the development of Rwanda, including jobs, skills and opportunities, to benefit both migrants and host communities,” the spokesperson added.
Working with Rwanda
According to Home Office sources, last year UNHCR and the European Union worked with Rwanda to resettle refugees from Libya and that UNHCR commended the Rwandan government for offering a ‘welcoming and safe environment’ for vulnerable people from around the world.
A UNHCR spokesperson told The Guardian: “Rwanda has generously hosted some 130,000 refugees in recent decades, mostly from neighbouring countries. But those seeking asylum have historically been granted a presumptive (prima facie) legal status - established procedures for individual refugee status determination in Rwanda are minimal.”
“UNHCR holds serious concerns with regard to specific shortcomings of the Rwandan asylum system and Rwanda’s capacity to offer long-term solutions for those being removed under the proposed deal,” the spokesperson added.
Emergency Transit Mechanism
The UNHCR spokesperson went on to say that an Emergency Transit Mechanism (EMT) scheme, which the Home Office has referred to during recent hearings and evacuates the most vulnerable refugees in Libya and Rwanda, has ‘vastly different aims and modalities to what is currently being proposed by the UK’.
Significantly, the ETM is an emergency and temporary voluntary programme – none of which is true to the proposed migration and economic development partnership between the UK and Rwanda.
The UNHCR spokesperson said: “The ETM does not involve resettlement or long-term integration in Rwanda, and refugees’ status is determined by UNHCR. There is no reasonable comparison between the ETM and what is proposed for asylum seekers forcibly sent by the United Kingdom to Rwanda.”
Workpermit.com can help with Sponsor Licences
If you need help with employing Skilled Workers and help to apply for a Sponsor Licence, including complying with your Sponsor Licence obligations, workpermit.com can help.
For more information and advice on Sponsor licences, please contact us on 0344 991 9222 or at london@workpermit.com(link sends e-mail)
