The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill is currently making its way through Parliament.
It was previously known as the Rwanda Scheme, which the UK Supreme Court ruled unlawful (due to breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights and Rwanda’s past attitude toward refugees) in November 2023.
Now, the government have introduced this bill to clearly state in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country.
Currently, the Bill is bouncing between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as amendments are rejected and remade between the two.
The Bill
The Rwanda Bill would see some asylum seekers who arrived in the UK “illegally” after January 1, 2022, be sent to Rwanda (4,000 miles from the UK) to process their claims there. The Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) was announced by the UK and Rwanda on April 14, 2022, which allows for the relocation of asylum seekers.
If their claims were processed successfully, then asylum seekers could stay in Rwanda. If not, they could stay there by other means, or find asylum in a different “safe third country”.
This means that no asylum seekers sent to Rwanda would be able to apply for a return to the UK.
The Rwanda Bill would, according to Ministers, deter those coming across to the UK unsafely and “illegally” on small boats across the English Channel.
In December 2022, roughly 45,000 people crossed the English Channel in boats.
December 2023 saw less than 30,000.
So far, no asylum seekers have been sent to Rwanda – a first flight was supposed to go in June 2022. However, it was cancelled after legal alterations.
Why is it controversial?
According to the government website, once an asylum seeker arrives in Rwanda their individual asylum claim will be processed. Rwanda will “create a safe environment for migrants to start a new life, with education, employment, accommodation and integration support.”
However, when the UK Supreme Court ruled that the Rwanda Scheme was unlawful in November 2023, they stated that genuine refugees risk being sent to their home countries, where they could be in danger of harm.
An updated Country Information Note (CIN) on Rwanda regarding human rights was created in January 2024.
The CIN noted that while Rwanda had made several improvements around human rights matters, the treatment of journalists, political opponents, and activists is often still inhumane. The 2022 USSD human rights report said: “Local officials and state security forces continued to detain and imprison some individuals who had previously disagreed with government decisions or policies.”
The UK government would be able to send migrants to Rwanda if the bill is passed. However, they cannot guarantee their safety, or even that they can stay, once they’re there.
See our complete, simple guide on the UK immigration system here.
Featured Image Credit: Niamh Brook