As a response to the recent events which have unfolded in Afghanistan the UK government have announced a resettlement scheme for Afghan citizens known as the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme.

The government have introduced this scheme to help people who are facing threats of persecution from the Taliban and offering them a route which will allow them to reside in the UK permanently on a lawful basis.

The home secretary announced for the first year under this route they will offer 5,000 Afghan nationals to apply, this will be both for individuals who are currently in the UK on a temporary basis and are unable to return to Afghanistan, and those who are trying to currently flee Afghanistan and enter the UK. It has been planned in the long-term the scheme will be rolled out to 20,000 individuals in total, allowing them to resettle in the UK.

Who is eligible to apply for the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme?

All nationals of Afghanistan are eligible to apply for the resettlement scheme. However, it has been announced that this route will prioritize women and girls, and other minorities, who are most at risk of human rights abuses and dehumanising treatment by the Taliban identifying them as venerable.

What support is available once individuals arrive in the UK under Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme?

Once individuals arrive in the UK and claim asylum or register with the resettlement scheme, they will receive various forms of support from the UK government such as:

• Access to the NHS- Refugees will have full access to the public healthcare system in the UK this will include access to their local GP, hospitals, and other public healthcare organisations.

• Financial support – All refugees who are unemployed are eligible to receive public funding from the UK government to help with them living costs, in addition this will also be provided with assistance in relation to finding suitable housing and accommodation.

• Permission to work – Once an individual has successfully obtained refugee status they can register to obtain a national insurance number, and will have the right to lawfully work in the UK.

• Educational support - For refugees between the ages of 5 to 17 classified as minors they will get access to all state school education including free school meals. And as of recently the government have introduced programs which allow refugees to enrol on courses to help re-build their lives in the UK, such as English language skill courses and work placements.

What other routes are available for Afghan nationals?

As mentioned above the home secretary has put a cap on the number of individuals who can apply for the resettlement scheme, resulting in only 5,000 individuals being able to apply in the first year. Due to the limited number of spaces and the large volumes of individuals applying, Afghan nationals are eligible to apply via the other following routes to reside in the UK:

• Asylum route – As a result of the severity of recent events in Afghanistan it has forced thousands of people to flee from their homes and seek refuge in other countries, the UK alongside others have announced resettlement schemes with limited spaces available for individuals to apply. If individuals are unable to apply under the resettlement scheme they are still eligible to apply for alysum once they enter the UK, this will ensure the individual has access to the benefits listed above once they receive their refugee status in the UK. For more information regarding this route please contact us directly for further assistance.

• Points- based system routes – If individuals are planning to come to the UK to study in further education or seek employment as a highly skilled migrant, they can do so if they meet the relevant requirements and are able to find the qualifying bodies and organisations to sponsor them. For more information regarding this route please contact us directly for further assistance.

• Family routes – If individuals are either married or engaged to British citizens they are eligible to file entry clearance applications to join them in the UK, this route also allows child dependants to travel to the UK alongside the listed main applicant. For more information regarding this route please contact us directly for further assistance.

How can we help?

At Nido Legal our lawyers commend themselves in Immigration law, not only do we pride ourselves in relation to our work, but our lawyers are diverse and able to provide their legal services in various languages to assist individuals such as Punjabi, Urdu, English, Vietnamese, Hindi and Merupuri.

As well as having our multilingual lawyers provide legal advice in relation to your immigration query, we will provide the following services:

• Legal advice – At Nido Legal we pride ourselves in relation to our client care which is why we do not initially charge for a brief telephone consultation, however once instructed we provide you with tailored advice based on your current circumstances and situation.

• Legal work – Our lawyers go above and beyond when it comes to dealing with our client’s cases, we don’t simply submit the relevant applications we ensure our client’s receive the best possible results for themselves by going the extra mile.

• After-care: Once we have assisted you with the visa process it doesn’t stop there, we offer to assist our client’s with interrogating into life in the UK in relation to various aspects such as employment matters, we will assist in the process of applying your national insurance number alongside other services.

The scheme is not yet open for individuals to apply, however if you revisit our page or contact us directly at Nido Legal we will keep you updated on the latest news regarding the resettlement scheme and assist you with any other further immigration enquiries.