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1437401

	registered interest
	date	02/03/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Chevening Scholarships Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide information to the Afghan Chevening Scholars on their immigration status.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North West
	tabling member printed	Carol Monaghan
	uin	133204
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office’s Policy Statement (updated 13.9.21) explained that we had introduced a concessionary approach which applied to any Afghan national who had permission under work or study routes to be in the UK before 1 September 2021. This means that Chevening scholars already in the UK may be eligible to apply to either the Graduate or the Skilled Worker route.</p><p>The Graduate route allows individuals to spend 2-3 years in the UK looking for and undertaking work at any skill level, before switching into another economic route (including the Skilled Worker route). The Skilled Worker route provides a pathway to settlement.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 08/03/2022 11:14:50 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins previous answer version 55824 answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4443 label Biography information for Carol Monaghan

1434040

	registered interest
	date	22/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Visas: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan journalists have received UK visas and been resettled in the UK since 1 August 2021.
	tabling member constituency	Folkestone and Hythe
	tabling member printed	Damian Collins
	uin	127369
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2022 answer text <p>The Government responded swiftly to the fast-moving and challenging events in Afghanistan, including supporting the largest and fastest evacuation in recent history. We can be proud as a country that we helped over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan in August 2021 and we continue to do all we can to enable those who are eligible to relocate to the UK.</p><p>There have been approximately 100 Afghan journalists who have been evacuated and brought to safety since 1 August 2021. Those who entered were granted Leave Outside the Rules (LOTR) for 6 months, this status is not a bar to them being permanently housed or to starting their life in the UK.</p><p>The Home Office is currently supporting those here in the UK to assist them to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain status.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 02/03/2022 16:41:47 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	3986 label Biography information for Damian Collins

1422984

	registered interest
	date	18/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of (a) the number of Afghan nationals resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who have higher education qualifications and (b) the proportion of that number who acquired those qualifications in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
	uin	125553
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2022 answer text <p>The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.</p><p>Afghans who are eligible under ACRS or ARAP are working with job centre work coaches to assess their readiness for the jobs market, including their skills and qualifications.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 24/02/2022 17:45:38 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1423019

	registered interest
	date	18/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an impact assessment has been undertaken by her Department on its decision to stop providing Afghan refugees staying in hotels with free access to non-basic toiletries and over-the-counter medication.
	tabling member constituency	Edmonton
	tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
	uin	125356
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2022 answer text <p>The UK Government undertook the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, helping over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan. Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation we were not able to source appropriate accommodation in the normal way, so we have had to use hotels as a temporary measure.</p><p>We do not want to keep families or individuals in temporary accommodation any longer than they need to be. It is important that they move into more permanent settled accommodation so that they can begin to rebuild their lives here in the UK. Over 4000 Afghans have already moved, or are in the process of being moved, into their permanent accommodation.</p><p>We are grateful to those local authorities who have already stepped forward to offer accommodation and we would like to encourage those local authorities who have not yet pledged support to consider offering to do so.</p><p>Afghans still temporarily accommodated in hotels are provided with meals and have access to healthcare, education, as well as support to seek employment opportunities or claim Universal Credit.</p><p>Until 11<sup>th</sup> February 2022 as well as accommodation and meals, additional items such as non-essential toiletries and over-the-counter medication were provided free of charge to guests in hotels as an interim measure before the grant of Universal Credit to them. However, these items are no longer being provided for those guests who are in receipt of Universal Credit. It is expected that the provision of Universal Credit will cover the cost of these items. This is in line with the approach taken to those in the UK population in receipt of Universal Credit. Meals, baby milk and baby food will continue to be provided.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 125357 125358 question first answered 28/02/2022 17:38:36 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1423020

	registered interest
	date	18/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Afghan refugees who have been placed in hotels are claiming universal credit.
	tabling member constituency	Edmonton
	tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
	uin	125357
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2022 answer text <p>The UK Government undertook the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, helping over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan. Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation we were not able to source appropriate accommodation in the normal way, so we have had to use hotels as a temporary measure.</p><p>We do not want to keep families or individuals in temporary accommodation any longer than they need to be. It is important that they move into more permanent settled accommodation so that they can begin to rebuild their lives here in the UK. Over 4000 Afghans have already moved, or are in the process of being moved, into their permanent accommodation.</p><p>We are grateful to those local authorities who have already stepped forward to offer accommodation and we would like to encourage those local authorities who have not yet pledged support to consider offering to do so.</p><p>Afghans still temporarily accommodated in hotels are provided with meals and have access to healthcare, education, as well as support to seek employment opportunities or claim Universal Credit.</p><p>Until 11<sup>th</sup> February 2022 as well as accommodation and meals, additional items such as non-essential toiletries and over-the-counter medication were provided free of charge to guests in hotels as an interim measure before the grant of Universal Credit to them. However, these items are no longer being provided for those guests who are in receipt of Universal Credit. It is expected that the provision of Universal Credit will cover the cost of these items. This is in line with the approach taken to those in the UK population in receipt of Universal Credit. Meals, baby milk and baby food will continue to be provided.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 125356 125358 question first answered 28/02/2022 17:38:36 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1423022

	registered interest
	date	18/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what date she estimates that all Afghan refugees currently in hotels will have been moved into permanent accommodation.
	tabling member constituency	Edmonton
	tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
	uin	125358
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2022 answer text <p>The UK Government undertook the biggest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, helping over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan. Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation we were not able to source appropriate accommodation in the normal way, so we have had to use hotels as a temporary measure.</p><p>We do not want to keep families or individuals in temporary accommodation any longer than they need to be. It is important that they move into more permanent settled accommodation so that they can begin to rebuild their lives here in the UK. Over 4000 Afghans have already moved, or are in the process of being moved, into their permanent accommodation.</p><p>We are grateful to those local authorities who have already stepped forward to offer accommodation and we would like to encourage those local authorities who have not yet pledged support to consider offering to do so.</p><p>Afghans still temporarily accommodated in hotels are provided with meals and have access to healthcare, education, as well as support to seek employment opportunities or claim Universal Credit.</p><p>Until 11<sup>th</sup> February 2022 as well as accommodation and meals, additional items such as non-essential toiletries and over-the-counter medication were provided free of charge to guests in hotels as an interim measure before the grant of Universal Credit to them. However, these items are no longer being provided for those guests who are in receipt of Universal Credit. It is expected that the provision of Universal Credit will cover the cost of these items. This is in line with the approach taken to those in the UK population in receipt of Universal Credit. Meals, baby milk and baby food will continue to be provided.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 125356 125357 question first answered 28/02/2022 17:38:36 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1421960

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: English Language
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2022 to Question 98220 on English language support for refugees, whether the Operation Warm Welcome programme for Afghan arrivals in the UK following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan still covers the costs of English language classes.
	tabling member constituency	Bermondsey and Old Southwark
	tabling member printed	Neil Coyle
	uin	122684
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2022 answer text <p>For those coming through both the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), once granted Indefinite Leave to Remain, beneficiaries over the age of 19 have immediate access to funding through the Department for Education’s Adult Education budget including English For Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses.</p><p>As part of Operation Warm Welcome, the funding package offered to Local Authorities, who have pledged support to the ARAP and ACRS cohort, is additional funding of £850 per adult over the age of 19 which will be made available to assist with English Language training.</p><p>This funding is available for the first year in country.</p><p>Resources from the BBC can be found here <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/afghan_beginners" target="_blank">BBC Learning English - Beginners English</a>. The Open University has curated a series of short courses especially English provision and other resources for refugees. It is free to all and available at <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.open.edu%2Fopenlearn%2Fsociety-politics-law%2Fresources-refugees&amp;data=04%7C01%7CHOParliamentaryQuestions%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7Cc75f812623c449d05a3b08d9f55b7599%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637810595431191348%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=YixvjsOeAPCmeMEXoYWry2LO9AyfFzEXHTieOF4ovmw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.open.edu/openlearn/society-politics-law/resources-refugees</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 21/02/2022 17:22:32 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4368 label Biography information for Neil Coyle

1420772

	registered interest
	date	08/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places remain to be allocated on the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and how many and what proportion of the people given protection under that scheme are British nationals or living in the UK as of 8 February 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Oldham East and Saddleworth
	tabling member printed	Debbie Abrahams
	uin	120764
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/02/2022 answer text <p>The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.</p><p>We are not giving a running commentary on statistics of those in the scheme due to the continuing flow of people being welcomed. We will include this data within published resettlement statistics later in 2022.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 21/02/2022 16:42:59 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4212 label Biography information for Debbie Abrahams

1420102

	registered interest
	date	07/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people who are eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), who already hold valid limited leave to remain in the UK, will be able to benefit from the ACRS; and if she will publish guidance on the necessary steps to take.
	tabling member constituency	Halifax
	tabling member printed	Holly Lynch
	uin	119693
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2022 answer text <p>The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6 January 2022 and will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.</p><p>Anyone resettled under the ACRS will receive Indefinite Leave to Remain. The ACRS policy statement can be found here - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme</a></p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 10/02/2022 16:45:56 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4472 label Biography information for Holly Lynch

1420372

	registered interest
	date	07/02/2022
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration: Afghanistan
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support Afghan nationals after the end of their six 6 months leave to remain in the UK; and what steps her Department is taking to provide information, advice and support to those people before the end of that six month period.
	tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
	tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
	uin	119804
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office has written to Afghan families advising them of the next steps to progress permanent residence in the UK.</p><p>The Home Office has established a dedicated caseworking team, which is working jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence. This team is contacting those here in the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and those moving onto the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, to assist them to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain status.</p><p>While families are being accommodated in Bridging Hotel accommodation, their essential living needs are being met. We have already put in place numerous mechanisms to support families, this includes a contact centre, a DWP and Home Office Liaison officer (HOLO) presence to support Universal Credit enrolment, lead job surgeries and reassure families and a funding package of £28 per person per day for provision of Local Authority Wrap- around support services. We are providing full food and board to all guests alongside 24/7 security presence on site.</p><p>The role of the HOLO is to provide both face to face support and remote support when not physically present. They are reactive to the needs of those accommodated in hotels and can provide signposting to other government departments and Local Authorities and ensure safeguarding concerns are appropriately acted upon.</p><p>The provisions provided by the LA funding package include welcome services, needs identification, translation, healthcare in the hotels, GP registration, safeguarding and community cohesion support.</p><p>We initiated a ‘Jobs First Pilot in 3 hotels on 31<sup>st</sup> January 2022. This is being led by DWP and aims to support guests within the hotels to find employment and begin their journey to financial independence.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 23/02/2022 18:07:22 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan