Teresa Lines works as part of a security humanitarian team, supporting the FCDO as a humanitarian management professional. Terri Lines also has specialist experience of managing professional teams to support government agencies in providing safe and secure environments for refugees. This article will look at Home Office strategies designed to ensure the safe passage of refugees to the UK through safe and legal routes.
Around the world today, millions of people have been forced to leave their homes by persecution, conflict and war. The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR helps the Home Office to identify refugees eligible for resettlement in the UK. In terms of protecting vulnerable people in need of protection from conflict and persecution, providing a safe and legal route to the UK is vital.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee their home and seek safety in another country. Refugees are unable to return to their own country for fear of persecution or because of violence, armed conflict or serious public disorder. Many flee with little more than the clothes they stand in, leaving behind their loved ones, homes, possessions and livelihoods. By mid-2023, UNHCR estimated that there were more than 110 million forcibly displaced people globally.
The UK Resettlement Scheme is a global initiative that helps refugees to build a new life in the UK. Almost every week vulnerable refugees are brought to the UK via the scheme, which was launched in February 2021. The number of refugees the Home Office resettles annually depends on a variety of factors, including the number of community groups willing to take part and the capacity of local authorities to support refugees.
The UK Resettlement Scheme prioritises refugees, including children, who come from regions affected by conflict and instability rather than those already living in European countries. The Home Office aims to expand its geographical focus beyond the Middle East and North Africa, providing safe and legal routes to the UK for vulnerable refugees from all over the world.
The Community Sponsorship Scheme works in a similar way to the UK Resettlement Scheme, with the key difference being that local community groups take responsibility for resettled families and individuals rather than the onus falling on local authorities. Community sponsor groups need to demonstrate that they have adequate resources and planning in place to support a refugee or family.
The Mandate Resettlement Scheme is a worldwide refugee scheme that resettles refugees with close family members living in the UK who are willing to house them. In addition, there is also the Refugee Family Reunion scheme, which granted more than 29,000 Refugee Reunion visas between 2015 and 2021.
The first step in the UK Resettlement Scheme is the UNHCR identifying refugees in need of resettlement and referring them to the UK Government. The Home Office then assesses the refugee’s case and carries out security checks. Refugees receive medical examinations to identify potential health issues and needs. They also receive advice to prepare them for life in the UK. Once a home is found for them, their visas are issued and flights are booked. Finally, the refugee arrives in the UK, where they receive specialist help to integrate into their new community.
The UK has a long and proud history of providing a safe haven for people fleeing oppression. From Jewish people fleeing the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s to victims of the Syrian conflict in recent years, the UK Government is committed to protecting vulnerable refugees from all over the world. Between 2015 and 2021, the Home Office helped more than 25,000 vulnerable people seeking refuge from persecution to resettle in the UK, a rate higher than any other European country.
