UK To Open New Refugee Route For Afghan Women, Girls And Palestinians

The UK is set to reopen a refugee resettlement route that will prioritise vulnerable Afghan women and girls and Palestinians, with the programme initially limited to hundreds of places each year, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to announce at the Labour conference on Monday.

The route stopped accepting new referrals in December 2024 and will now be reopened with an annual cap. The government expects numbers to eventually rise to the low thousands if levels of illegal migration fall, but refugee organisations and migration experts have questioned whether a scheme operating at that scale can deter people from making Channel crossings in small boats.

According to The Guardian, people admitted through the resettlement route will have a different settlement pathway from refugees who arrive through irregular routes. Those selected will be granted indefinite leave to remain, giving them a five-year path to permanent settlement, while refugees who arrive through irregular routes will face reviews of their status every 30 months for up to 20 years.

Hundreds of places initially

Mahmood is expected to announce the immediate reopening of the scheme, which had been suspended in practice for almost two years but was never formally closed.

People with disabilities and vulnerable women and girls will be prioritised. The Home Office expects Afghan women and girls and Palestinian refugees to account for about one in four arrivals.

The number of people admitted will initially be in the hundreds, with an annual cap. Home Office sources said the programme could expand to the low thousands as illegal migration falls.

Applicants will undergo security and criminality checks. Refugees will be identified by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Refugee Assistance Project (Irap).

Family units will be allowed to come to the UK together. Extended family members, however, will not be covered under the scheme following restrictions on family reunification introduced earlier by the government.

Government statistics show that almost 300 legacy cases arrived through the existing UK resettlement scheme during the first half of this year. Officials said these were people referred before the scheme was suspended who took longer to arrive in the UK.

Experts question impact on Channel crossings

The limited number of places has prompted questions over whether the route will affect irregular migration.

Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the reopened route was similar to a scheme that Labour closed last year and that its impact would depend on the number of people allowed to enter the UK.

“It has been framed primarily as a matter of principle – in other words, the UK should be doing its bit, and not as a strategy to reduce unauthorised arrivals.

“That is just as well, because there is no reason to believe that resettlement would have a large impact on unauthorised arrivals,” she said. Allowing in the “most vulnerable” in the resettlement part of the scheme would be a “trade-off” because of rising costs to the state, Sumption said.

“On one hand, there is widespread political support for the idea of prioritising more vulnerable refugees who would not have been able to make it over on a small boat.

“On the other hand, previous data suggests that these more vulnerable refugees, for understandable reasons, struggle more to support themselves in the UK, and fare considerably worse in the labour market, for example, than people who arrive through the asylum system,” she said.

Jon Featonby, chief policy analyst at the Refugee Council, said safe routes would need to operate on a larger scale to have an effect on people-smuggling networks.

“The government deserves credit for creating new safe and legal routes that will help refugees reach the UK without risking their lives. Safe and legal routes are essential to undermining people-smugglers’ business model, but they only work if they operate at scale. That means thousands of places, not hundreds.”

Different settlement rules for refugees

People arriving through the resettlement programme will be granted indefinite leave to remain, giving them a five-year route to permanent settlement.

Those who arrive through irregular routes will instead have their refugee status reviewed every 30 months for up to 20 years. They could be returned to their countries of origin if those countries are later judged to be safe.

Mahmood is expected to argue that tighter controls on irregular migration should be accompanied by legal routes for vulnerable refugees.

“Fairness is what unites us in this country. A fair society is what unlocks the very best of us. Because when people think this country is fair, they are more open and generous to others. When this country feels unfair, people turn inwards. They grow less willing to tolerate difference,” she will say.

“I know the British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations, and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution. But I also know this process must be capped and controlled, and communities must be ready and able to welcome those who come here.

“This is what we can do and who we can be as we restore control to our borders, bear down on the small boat crossings, and unlock the inherent generosity of this country.”

Other refugee routes to open

Mahmood will also confirm two of three other settlement schemes that have previously been announced.

From October, charities and non-profit organisations will be able to apply to become sponsors, allowing communities and universities to host refugees. The first arrivals through that programme are expected by autumn next year.

Applications for a separate work sponsorship route are due to open in spring 2027. Companies participating in the scheme will host refugees and provide accommodation, integration support and assistance with finding work.

Sponsors will be required to provide accommodation, integration support and help with finding work, with the scheme intended to reduce pressure on local authorities.

The vast majority of refugees who enter the UK through irregular routes will remain subject to the new restrictions on refugee status.

Security and welfare concerns

The reopening is likely to face criticism from Reform UK and the Conservatives, including questions about security checks and the potential cost of supporting refugees.

Women and girls and people with disabilities are among those most likely to depend on welfare support, according to concerns raised about the policy.

Security checks are also likely to come under scrutiny after The Sunday Times reported that a former Hamas bodyguard had been granted asylum in the UK and was recently arrested on suspicion of being involved in a terrorist plot.

The Home Office has said security and criminality checks will be carried out on people entering through the resettlement route.