At least 4,300 Afghan citizens who are eligible to be resettled in the UK are still waiting to arrive.
According to the i newspaper, the British government is expecting a further 8,000 to apply for resettlement in the coming months.
The majority of the Afghan citizens who are waiting to be resettled are those who worked with British forces or the British government in Afghanistan. They are at risk of persecution by the Taliban, who took control of the country in August 2021.
The British government has been criticised for the slow pace of the resettlement process. In March 2022, the Home Office announced that it would resettle 20,000 Afghans by the end of the year. However, as of May 2023, only 12,200 Afghans have been resettled.
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The Home Office has said that the resettlement process is being slowed down by security checks and the need to find suitable accommodation. However, campaigners have accused the Government of not doing enough to help Afghans who are at risk.
Emily Graham, head of campaigns at Safe Passage International, said: “It is outrageous that the Government is continuing to fail people fleeing the Taliban. The Afghan schemes are utterly broken. Without working safe routes, it is no surprise to us that more and more Afghans are having to make desperate crossings in the Channel in order to reach safety and family here.”
The British government has said that it is working to improve the resettlement process. However, it is unclear when the backlog of Afghans who are waiting to be resettled will be cleared.
