UK Government to Pay Asylum Seekers to Emigrate to Rwanda

14-03-2024

Lloyd Russell

Human Rights and Europe Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence 

Following stalled attempts to implement its controversial Rwanda Bill, the UK government is considering paying up to 3,000 British pounds to asylum seekers to relocate to Rwanda. This follows months of repeated attempts by the UK government to implement its Rwanda bill policy, which plans to involuntarily relocate thousands of vulnerable migrants. Despite widespread condemnation from international human rights groups (such as Amnesty International) and its blocking by the UK Supreme Court which deems the bill to be ‘unlawful’, the government insists on sending migrants to Rwanda.

The legal dispute as to whether Rwanda can be considered as a safe country for migrants effectively boils down to Rishi Sunak’s government’s insistence upon its being a viable and ideal destination for asylum seekers. In an effort to overcome this, Sunak’s government is attempting to pass legislation which would block any further legal challenges towards the proposed bill. Sunak is alluding to his government’s desire to pass the bill before the next UK general election. This follows claims that the country has the capacity to accept a few hundred asylum seekers a year, with further governmental speculation that this could eventually be increased.

The 3000 pounds is being offered to rejected UK asylum seekers that cannot return to their home countries because of political or international pressure. The government has also offered to pay relocation costs and temporarily the costs of living for potential asylum seekers moving to Rwanda. 

References and Further Reading

Al Jazeera. (2024, March 13). UK plans to pay asylum seekers to move to Rwanda. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/13/uk-plans-to-pay-asylum-seekers-to-move-to-rwanda