Second failed asylum seeker sent to Rwanda and another due to leave next week as part of voluntary relocation plan

Rishi Sunak and migrants

A second asylum seeker has believed to have been sent to Rwanda while a third is set to be relocated next week under a voluntary relocation plan

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Georgina Cutler

By Georgina Cutler


Published: 18/06/2024

- 08:48

The voluntary relocation plan is open to anyone caught in Britain with no right to be here

A second asylum seeker is believed to have been sent to Rwanda while a third is set to be relocated next week under a voluntary relocation plan.

The migrants were flown to Rwanda on a commercial flight with a payment of £3,000 from the British taxpayer to help relocate.


The latest asylum seeker to take up the Home Office scheme saw their relocation over recent days after their bid to stay in the UK was rejected, The Sun reports.

In March, the voluntary relocation plan - which is open to anyone caught in Britain with no right to be here - was unveiled.

Home Secretary James Cleverly visited Rwanda

Home Secretary James Cleverly visited Rwanda at the end of last year

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It is believed to have been up and running in April.

The Home Office said Rwanda stood "ready to accept people who wish to rebuild their lives and cannot stay in the UK".

The arrangement is independent of the Government’s initiative to manage small boat arrivals, which is scheduled to begin next month - if the Tories win the next election.

However, due to "purdah" rules around the election, the Home Office refused to comment on the latest migrant.

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"We will not be providing updates on the uptake of our voluntary route," a source told The Sun.

When the first migrant was sent to Rwanda in April, the Home Office said: "We are now able to send asylum seekers under our migration and economic development partnership.

"This deal allows people with no immigration status here to be relocated to a safe third country where they will be supported to rebuild their lives."

It comes after the number of visa applications plunged by a third following new restrictions implemented by the Conservative Party.

Migrants arriving in Dover

The arrangement is independent of the Government’s initiative to manage small boat arrivals in the UK

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The number of student dependants applying for visas dropped by 79 per cent after the route was limited in January to only include families of research postgraduates.

Following the major cuts by the government, a number of key visa applications have reduced.

The restrictions implemented by the Tories could have a "fighting chance" of slashing net migration to as low as 150,000 a year, an expert has suggested.

Chairman of the Migration Advisory Committee Professor Brian Bell said the reforms could cause an "enormous" decrease in people coming to Britain, particularly among students.

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