UK Reopens Refugee Resettlement Scheme

The UK government says it is reopening the UK Resettlement Scheme immediately, offering a legal route to Britain for vulnerable refugees and prioritising Afghan women and girls, Palestinians and people with disabilities. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out the plan at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday, September 28. The scheme stopped accepting new referrals in December 2024 but was not formally abolished. The Home Office expects it to admit hundreds of people a year initially, with a possible increase to the low thousands if irregular migration falls. Places will be capped annually, though the government has not specified the cap. The department estimates Afghan women and girls and Palestinians will make up about one-quarter of arrivals. Refugees will be identified through referrals from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Refugee Assistance Project, then undergo identity, security and criminal-record checks, according to the government. Immediate family members will be able to join refugees under the scheme, but the provision will not extend to wider family members, according to reports of the plan.