The Rwanda asylum plan (officially the UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership, also known as the Rwanda asylum scheme, the Rwanda plan and the Rwanda deal) is an immigration policy which was first proposed by the British government, whereby people who the United Kingdom identifies as being illegal immigrants or asylum seekers will be relocated to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettlement. Those who are successful in claiming asylum will remain in Rwanda and they will not be permitted to return to the United Kingdom.
The first flight for this plan received legal clearance from the High Court 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 is 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 is unlawful; the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is currently considering its legality.
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, stop human smuggling, and boost Rwandan investment and development. Johnson said it would "save countless lives" and would break the business model of "vile people smugglers". 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.
Application
On 14 May 2022, Johnson said in an interview with the Daily Mail that fifty migrants had been told that they would be transported to Rwanda over the next two weeks, and that his government was ready for legal opposition to the plan's enforcement.
The first flight under this plan was scheduled for 14 June 2022 and was expected to carry more than 30 people. By 14 June, the number of people expected on the flight had been reduced to seven after successful legal challenges had removed a number of people from it. On the evening of 14 June it was confirmed the flight would no longer depart on that date following an interim measure from the European Court of Human Rights. Home Secretary Priti Patel said that she was "disappointed" by the outcome and that preparations for "the next flight" were to begin immediately.
Legal challenge
Two campaign groups – Detention Action and Care4Calais – joined the PCS Union and four asylum seekers to challenge the plan in the High Court and request a last-minute injunction to stop the first flight from taking off on 14 June 2022. However, on 10 June 2022 the High Court refused to grant the injunction requested.