Rwanda asylum plan facts for kids
The UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership was an immigration policy proposed by the governments of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak whereby people whom the United Kingdom identified as illegal immigrants or asylum seekers would have been relocated to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettlement. Those who were successful in claiming asylum would have remained in Rwanda, and they would not have been permitted to return to the United Kingdom.
The first flight for this plan received legal clearance from the High Court of Justice and was scheduled for 14 June 2022. A last-minute interim measure by the European Court of Human Rights led to the plan being halted until the conclusion of the legal action in the UK. At the end of 2022, the High Court further ruled that though the plan was lawful, the individual cases of eight asylum seekers due to be deported that year had to be reconsidered. The Court of Appeal ruled on 29 June 2023 that the plan was unlawful; with an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom leading to a concurrence with the lower court on 15 November 2023.
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 overruled the courts' judgments and declared Rwanda a safe country. After Keir Starmer and the Labour Party won the 2024 general election, Starmer announced that the Rwanda plan would be cancelled.
Description
The UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership, also known as the Rwanda asylum plan, is a policy that was announced in a speech by British prime minister Boris Johnson. It is an immigration policy whereby people identified by the United Kingdom as being illegal immigrants or asylum seekers will be relocated to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettlement. It was enacted for a duration of five years by British home secretary Priti Patel and Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta on 13 April 2022. Its stated aims are to decrease the number of migrant crossings in the English channel and boost Rwandan investment and development. Johnson said it would "save countless lives". The United Kingdom will pay Rwanda an "economic transformation and integration fund" amounting to £120 million, and will also fund each immigrant between £20,000 and £30,000 for their relocation and temporary accommodation in the scheme. The agreement with the Rwandan government does not specify how many migrants will be accepted under the scheme but it has subsequently been reported that the initial maximum will be 200. In comparison, net migration to the UK rose to a record high of around 504,000 in the year to June 2022, driven by an increase in the number of non-European Union nationals. The government registered 45,755 people arriving by small boats in 2022, 60% higher than in 2021, according to the Home Office. That has led to a record backlog of 161,000 asylum cases.
Upon their arrival in Rwanda, migrants will be temporarily accommodated in the capital Kigali while their claims for asylum are processed. If successful, migrants will then receive permanent residency in the country and be offered permanent accommodation. It is expected that all claims will, at most, take three months to be processed. Once in Rwanda, migrants will not be allowed to return to the United Kingdom to seek asylum.
The United Kingdom has stated that asylum in the country will still be granted on an individual basis, but that depends on the strength of each claim. Rwanda has stated that they will not accept immigrants with criminal records, nor will it accept families or anyone under the age of majority.
Legal challenge
On 19 December 2022, the High Court of the United Kingdom ruled that the British government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda while their application is ongoing is lawful. However, a group of asylum seekers selected for deportation appealed the case to the Court of Appeal, which ruled on 29 June 2023 that the plan is unlawful because Rwanda is not a safe country. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to appeal the verdict at the Supreme Court.
In a unanimous ruling the Supreme Court agreed with a Court of Appeal decision, finding the plan unlawful on the grounds of deficiencies in Rwanda's asylum system.
After concluding a new treaty with Rwanda on 5 December 2023, on 7 December the government introduced the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024, which was passed on 23 April 2024 after many rounds of "parliamentary ping-pong." The Act overrules the judgments and declares Rwanda a safe country.
See also
In Spanish: Plan Ruanda para niños
- Externalization (migration)
- Illegal Migration Bill
- Operation Sovereign Borders
