Afghanistan: Resettlement
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what month the first relocations to the UK took place (a) among the 217 principal applicants found newly eligible as a result of the data incident under Category 1 of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) under the Afghanistan Response Route.
Answered by Luke Pollard
Following the February 2022 data incident, the first relocation to the UK of an individual from within the 217 principal applicants found eligible under Category 1 of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) occurred in January 2024.
Under the Afghan Response Route, the first eligible person was relocated to the UK in July 2024. There are various factors which make individuals and their families travel ready. This can mean there is time between eligibility being granted, and people being relocated.
Although there was one individual that arrived in November 2023, they arrived as an Additional Family Member (AFM) but were subsequently found eligible under Category 1 under ARAP, as part of the 217 cohort.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) reviewed the eligibility of individuals affected by the Data Incident under ARAP. On 12 October 2023, the then Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Grant Shapps, directed officials to retake decisions for a small cohort of individuals under Category 1 who worked directly for HMG but who were previously found ineligible for ARAP. Category 1 assesses threat and is for those directly employed by HMG. The MOD acted quickly to review these cases, which ultimately resulted in 217 principal applicants being found newly eligible under Category 1 of ARAP. The data incident changed the view of threat at that time.
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