The United Kingdom is set to immediately relaunch its refugee resettlement scheme, with the government initially expecting hundreds of refugees to arrive through the programme.
The UK Interior Ministry said the scheme, along with three newly announced community-based refugee sponsorship routes, would provide legal pathways for vulnerable refugees to settle in the country.
Interior Minister Mahmood formally announced the plan during a speech at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool, saying fairness would remain a key principle of the government’s immigration policy.
The move comes as the Labour government faces internal debate over immigration policies aimed at tightening rules for migrants arriving through legal routes while reducing asylum applications made through irregular channels.
The resettlement programme will operate in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). It follows the closure of an Afghan refugee resettlement route last year.
The government is also considering changes that could require some legal migrants to wait significantly longer before becoming eligible to apply for permanent settlement in Britain.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has expressed concerns about some of the proposed changes, saying they could alter the expectations of people already following existing immigration rules.
Mahmood said around a quarter of those expected to enter through the reopened resettlement programme would be Afghan women and girls as well as Palestinians.
The government said charities and non-profit organisations would be able to apply within days to sponsor refugees, with the first arrivals through the community sponsorship route expected in about a year.
According to the Interior Ministry, the number of refugees entering through legal resettlement routes could eventually reach the low thousands as irregular migration declines. An annual limit will also be established.
The announcement came as three undocumented migrants, including a 10-year-old boy, died while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to Britain, according to French authorities.
Northern France remains a major departure point for migrants seeking to reach Britain without visas. Many pay smugglers to travel in overcrowded and unstable inflatable boats across one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
French authorities said the boat involved left the Sangatte area in northern France at around 5:15am local time carrying 105 people.
Passengers contacted rescue services around 8am after the vessel encountered difficulties approximately six kilometres from the English coast.
