The British Home Office has announced that the government is ready to temporarily send 33,000 asylum seekers to Rwanda, as announced on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.
In December 2023, England won a court case that had prevented the sending of immigrants to Rwanda, as it was argued that Rwanda is not a safe country for immigrants.
Figures released by the British Home Office on Tuesday show that since July, when the Prime Minister’s Order was issued, there have been 33,085 illegal immigrants who have applied for immigration through legal channels.
The decree grants the government the right to arrest all migrants who have entered illegally and temporarily send them to a safe country, which in this case is Rwanda. After a year of staying there, they will be granted asylum upon their return to England.
Reports from the Telegraph state that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to start sending the first migrants between the end of March and May 2024.
It is said that while the first plane carrying immigrants will depart, it may initially bring only a small number, as confirmed by James Eadie, the lawyer of the British government.
James Eadie spoke about the five-year agreement between Rwanda and the UK regarding the development and care of immigrants. The agreement allows for immigrants to be hosted in Rwanda while they await legal entry into the UK.
In 2022, the UK signed a 5-year agreement with Rwanda, wherein Rwanda agreed to accept immigrants from the UK who had entered illegally. The UK has provided support, including 290 million pounds, to help take care of the refugees during their stay in Rwanda.
The Refugee Council has estimated that Rwanda has the capacity to house no more than 10,000 asylum seekers per year.
Once the scheme is implemented, this would leave 25,000 asylum seekers in limbo every year, while the British government counts over 112,000 people who have registered to seek legal asylum.