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<p>The Government is deeply concerned about the situations in Syria and Iraq, and
is taking action to help those displaced by these crises. The Government believes
that humanitarian aid and actively seeking to end the conflicts are the most effective
ways for the UK to help the majority of those displaced. To date we have committed
£700 million to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, and £23 million in aid to Iraq,
helping to support hundred of thousands of people. We also support efforts to find
a political solution to the Syrian conflict, and we are working with the Iraqi government
and the international community to tackle the threat posed by ISIL and promote an
inclusive, sovereign and democratic Iraq which will protect all Iraqi citizens.</p><p>To
complement our humanitarian aid, we operate the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation
scheme to relocate the most vulnerable displaced Syrians who cannot be supported effectively
long term in the region to the UK. The scheme prioritises help for those in need of
medical care, as well as women and children at risk and survivors of torture and violence.
Beneficiaries are granted five years’ Humanitarian Protection with all the rights
and benefits that go with that status, including access to public funds, access to
the labour market and the possibility of family reunion. We also operate an immigration
concession for Syrian nationals who are already legally present in the UK to enable
them to extend their stay or switch immigration category without leaving the UK.</p><p>Under
our normal asylum rules, the Government also carefully considers each asylum application
lodged in the UK, including those made by Syrian and Iraqi nationals, on its individual
merits, to ensure we grant protection to those who genuinely need it. Those recognised
as refugees are granted five years’ leave, with rights to family reunion and access
to free medical care. The Government believes that this approach is the best way to
help Syrian and Iraqi nationals who have left their countries, and we therefore have
no current plans to extend these measures.</p><p> </p>
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