Urgently expand the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) · petition

What the petition asks

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) offers safe relocation to Afghan staff that worked with the UK in Afghanistan. Currently, the policy is limited to staff that worked directly for HMG in certain roles. Given the Taliban's recapturing of Kabul, the policy must be widened urgently.

To ensure the safety of Afghan nationals who undertook huge personal risks to deliver programming either funded by or in line with the UK's mission in Afghanistan, the criteria around ARAP must urgently be expanded. Given the Taliban's recapturing of Kabul and much of the country, criteria must include humanitarian and development roles to offer relocation to staff under direct threat due to the work conducted on behalf of HMG. Minority groups and women should be additionally prioritised.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

The Home Office announced on 18 August 2021 a bespoke resettlement route for Afghan refugees who have been forced to flee the country. The resettlement scheme will prioritise women and girls, and religious and other minorities.

This new route is separate from the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which already offers any current or former locally employed staff who are assessed to be under serious threat to life priority relocation to the UK.

You can read more about it on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bespoke-resettlement-route-for-afghan-refugees-announced

We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign:

Help the people of Afghanistan: Help the people of Afghanistan.

Offer asylum to Afghan citizens who worked with UK forces: Offer asylum to Afghan citizens who worked with UK forces

Timeline

16 Aug 2021	Petition opened for signatures
20 Aug 2021	Rejected by the Petitions Committee