The UK government wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
It is trying to pass new legislation to allow the scheme to go ahead, after the Supreme Court said the plans were unlawful.
What is the Rwanda asylum plan?
Some asylum seekers arriving in the UK would be sent to Rwanda, to have their claims processed there, under a five-year agreement.
If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay. If not, they could apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, or seek asylum in another “safe third country”.
No asylum seeker would be able to apply to return to the UK.
Ministers have argued the plan would deter people from arriving in the UK on small boats across the English Channel.
How many asylum seekers could the UK send to Rwanda?
Under the policy, anyone “entering the UK illegally” after 1 January 2022 could be sent to Rwanda – a small landlocked country central Africa – with no limit on numbers.
The first flight was scheduled to go in June 2022, but was cancelled after legal challenges. No asylum seeker has yet been sent to Rwanda.
During a press conference on 22 April, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “the first flight carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda will leave in 10-12 weeks”. He had previously said they flights would take off by spring 2024.
ReutersLegal challenges meant the first Rwanda flight was cancelled shortly before take-off in June 2022
Mr Sunak declined to give details of how many people would be on the planes, but said there will be “multiple flights a month through the summer and beyond”.
The PM also said the government had “put an airfield on standby” and had booked commercial charter planes.
He said the number of detention spaces for people it was preparing to remove had been increased to 2,200 and that “200 trained, dedicated caseworkers” were available to process cases quickly.
Mr Sunak said 25 courtrooms and 150 judges – who could sit over 5,000 days – were available to deal with any legal cases.
The prime minister added that there are “500 highly trained individuals ready to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda”, with a further 300 to be trained.
What was the Supreme Court ruling and is Rwanda safe?
In November 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Rwanda scheme was unlawful.
It said genuine refugees would be at risk of being returned to their home countries, where they could face harm.
This breaches the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits torture and inhuman treatment. The UK is a signatory to the ECHR.
The ruling also cited concerns about Rwanda’s poor human-rights record, and its past treatment of refugees.
Judges said that in 2021, the UK government had itself criticised Rwanda over “extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture”.
They also highlighted a 2018 incident, when Rwandan police opened fire on protesting refugees.
What is in the Rwanda bill?
After the Supreme Court ruling, the government introduced a bill to make clear in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country.
The legislation – which must be approved by both Houses of Parliament – orders the courts to disregard key sections of the Human Rights Act, in an attempt to sidestep the Supreme Court’s judgement.
It also compels the courts to disregard other British laws or international rules – such as the international Refugee Convention – which stand in the way of deportations to Rwanda.
Some MPs criticised the legislation because they believe it breaks international law. Others argue it does not go far enough.
What is happening to the Rwanda bill in Parliament?
The bill was passed by the House of Commons on 17 January, despite opposition from some Conservative MPs.
It has then passed back and forth several times between the Lords and the Commons. Peers have repeatedly voted to amend the legislation, but MPs have overturned all of those changes.
Given the government’s majority, the bill had been expected to clear its final stages on Wednesday, but another vote will be held on Monday.
If it does go through, charities supporting asylum seekers have said they plan to launch legal challenges “as quickly as possible”.
What does the new treaty with Rwanda say?
The UK government also signed a new migration treaty with Rwanda.
Home Secretary James Cleverley said it guarantees that anyone sent to Rwanda would not be at risk of being returned to their home country.
The treaty says that a new independent monitoring committee will ensure Rwanda complies with its obligations, and that British judges will be included in a new appeals process.
What will the Rwanda plan cost?
The UK government had paid £240m to Rwanda by the end of 2023.
However, the total payment will be at least £370m over five years, according to the National Audit Office .
If more than 300 people are sent to Rwanda, the UK would pay a one-off sum of £120m to help boost the country’s economy, with further payments of £20,000 per individual relocated.
On top of that, up to £150,000 will be paid for each person sent there, the NAO report said.
These figures would not include the cost of payments to anyone to who chooses to go to Rwanda voluntarily.
Previously released official figures suggested that removing each individual to a third country would cost £63,000 more than keeping them in the UK.
ReutersLegal challenges meant the first Rwanda flight was cancelled shortly before take-off in June 2022
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed that the Rwanda plan will “literally save us billions in the long run”, but did not explain the figures.
The UK’s asylum system costs nearly £4bn a year, including about £8m a day on hotel accommodation.
Failure to process asylum claims efficiently “has led to unacceptable costs to the taxpayer”, a report by MPs said in October 2023.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame offered to return money paid by the UK if no asylum seekers were sent.
