How will Indian illegal migrants in UK be impacted by Rwanda deportation plan?
British prime minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to relocate some migrants to Rwanda gained parliamentary approval early Tuesday. He confirmed that deportation flights would commence in July.
(FILES) Migrants travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England.(AFP)
What is Rwanda’s deportation plan?
The Rwanda asylum plan involves relocating some asylum seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda, where their claims will be processed under a five-year agreement. It will be applicable to those “entering the UK illegally” after January 1, 2022.
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If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay; otherwise, they could seek asylum in another “safe third country” or apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, BBC reported.
No asylum seeker would have the option to apply to return to the UK under this arrangement.
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Why the UK wants to deport asylum seekers?
The government argues that the plan will deter people from attempting to arrive in the UK via small boats across the English Channel.
Details regarding the number of individuals on these flights remain undisclosed, but Sunak mentioned plans for “multiple flights a month through the summer and beyond.”
The government has reportedly prepared by increasing detention spaces to 2,200 and deploying 200 dedicated caseworkers to expedite processing. Additionally, 25 courtrooms and 150 judges are available to handle legal cases associated with the plan, the report added.
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How will Indians be affected by the Rwanda plan?
• The number of Indians seeking asylum in the UK in 2023 surpassed the 5,000 mark for the first time in 2023. Post-pandemic, Afghanistan topped the list with close to 9,300 applications, followed by Iran (7,397), Pakistan (5,273) and India (5,253), March month data from the UK Home Office showed, reported The Hindu (premium article).
• More than 1,000 Indians risked their lives in 2023 by crossing the English Channel from Europe in inflatable small boats for job opportunities and asylum in the UK.
• Last year, 1,192 Indian migrants embarked on the perilous journey to reach the UK. Indians ranked ninth, while the majority of those who successfully crossed into the UK hailed from Afghanistan (5,545 people), Iran (3,562) and Turkey (3,060).
• The share of illegal migrants from India aged 18-29 has witnessed a significant surge, comprising nearly 60 per cent of the total number of illegal Indian migrants who crossed into the UK in 2023, the report said.
