UK offering £3000 to people refused asylum to relocate them to Rwanda

The Home Office is currently contacting some people who have been refused asylum in the UK to offer them £3000 to relocate to Rwanda, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) has said.

This, the JCWI said is separate from the Rwanda forced removals scheme commonly known as the ‘Rwanda plan,’ which targets people who are currently seeking asylum.

Many of the details of the scheme are still unclear, and we will update this document as the situation changes. Here is what we know so far:

What is the ‘voluntary departures’ scheme?
On 11 March 2024, the Home Office published its ‘voluntary and assisted departures’ guidance. The Government has for a long time had a scheme for people to “voluntarily” leave the UK to their home country if their asylum claim has been refused or if they would otherwise be deported. However, this can now include ‘voluntary departures’ to a third country, including Rwanda. This is a significant shift in policy. A similar scheme previously existed under the Dublin agreement when the UK was part of the EU. As far as we know, the Government currently only has a deal like this with Rwanda. However, the Government has repeatedly refused to publish its new agreement with Rwanda.

What is the £3,000 offer?
Under this policy, the Government can offer people money, supposedly to help them get settled in the new country. The Government has been calling people on the phone to offer them £3,000 to move to Rwanda under this deal. The offer is voluntary, which means people can say no. However, we are concerned that people who are not allowed to work or access the public safety net may feel less able to decline.

How is this different from the forced removals to Rwanda?
This is entirely separate from what has been called the Rwanda plan under the Rwanda Treaty / Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP). Under that plan, people who claim asylum in the UK but whose claims are deemed ‘inadmissible’ could be forcibly removed to Rwanda. See our explainer about the forced removals to Rwanda here. The voluntary scheme is separate, and the Home Office said it is currently only targeting people who have claimed asylum in the UK, had their claim heard here, but been refused. However, the Government has stated that people sent to Rwanda under the voluntary scheme will get the same benefits as those forcibly removed under the MEDP.

Who is targeted by the ‘voluntary departures’ scheme?
The Home Office has said they are targeting people whose asylum claims have been refused. However, we don’t know exactly what that means and if there are other criteria. It is not clear, for example, whether this includes people who have been refused asylum but have not yet appealed, or people whose claim is treated as withdrawn by the Home Office. The majority of asylum refusals are overturned on appeal, and there are cases where people’s asylum claims are wrongly treated as withdrawn e.g. if the Home Office sends a letter to the wrong address. We also don’t know how many people are being offered the scheme, because the Home Office refuses to publish that information.

What’s the problem?
The Government has not published its agreement with Rwanda, or details of any safeguards or independent monitoring of this scheme.
The Government has not published the criteria used to select people for ‘voluntary departure’ to Rwanda, nor the number of people offered this option.
The Government claims through the ‘Safety of Rwanda’ Act that Rwanda is a “safe third country”, despite the fact that our Supreme Court ruled in November 2023 that Rwanda is not safe, particularly for certain groups like members of the LGBTQI+ community.
We are concerned that the Home Office appears to be directly approaching people by phone, without outlining their options or rights in writing, or ensuring they have had appropriate language support or legal advice.
The Home Office has made no assurances that the people being made this offer are adequately informed of the safety risks in Rwanda.
This scheme raises serious ethical questions and we are extremely concerned that this will lead people to make decisions without the ability to provide full and informed consent.
While the Government has said that people sent to Rwanda are eligible for permanent settlement in Rwanda, it is not clear what immigration status people will have when they arrive.
What can I do?
If you are offered voluntary departure to Rwanda, YOU CAN SAY NO. DO NOT RESPOND OR SIGN ANYTHING UNTIL YOU HAVE LEGAL ADVICE.