As part of a voluntary initiative to help reduce the backlog of refugees whose requests to stay in the nation have been denied, the British government intends to pay asylum seekers up to £3,000 ($3,836) apiece to relocate to Rwanda.
The government’s halted intention to forcefully deport the majority of asylum seekers to Rwanda is unrelated to the new deal with Rwanda; the latter was declared illegal by the UK Supreme Court last year.
Rather, it replicates an already-in-place government policy in which asylum seekers are offered financial support to return to their home countries from Britain; but, under the new proposal, the funding will only be granted to those who consent to reside in Rwanda.
Kevin Hollinrake, a junior Business Minister, praised the new policy as a cost-effective use of public money, as it was cheaper than the cost of caring for tens of thousands of asylum seekers in Britain who have been denied asylum.
The government cannot return people to war-torn countries or those with poor human rights records.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has invested significant political capital in a plan to stop the arrival of asylum seekers without permission on England’s southern coast in small, inflatable boats.
However, the Supreme Court ruled the policy unlawful, violating British and international human rights laws.
To counter this, Sunak’s government is passing legislation through parliament to declare Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers.
Rwanda currently has the capacity to accept a few hundred asylum seekers a year from Britain, and Sunak aims to have the first deportation flights leave in the next few months before a national election.