How will the UK’s Afghanistan resettlement scheme work?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday (18 August) that the UK would resettle up to 5,000 refugees from Afghanistan this year under “one of the most generous resettlement schemes in our country’s history”.

The prime minister said the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, introduced in response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country, would welcome up to a total of 20,000 in the “long-term” of the project.

However, organisations that facilitate refugee resettlement have warned there is “confusion”, because most Afghans who are internally displaced or face threats of persecution will not be able to access the scheme.