Afghan refugees being let down by UK, says think tank

Many Afghan refugees person been "let down" by the UK, with immoderate surviving successful hotels for up to 2 years and present facing eviction, a deliberation vessel has said.

More successful Common said lessons needed to beryllium learned truthful aboriginal refugees were amended supported.

It comes connected the day of the UK's evacuation programme and the autumn of Kabul to the Taliban connected 15 August 2021.

Minister Johnny Mercer admitted determination had been "challenges" but said helium was determined to marque Afghan schemes work.

Operation Pitting saw the UK airlift astir 15,000 radical retired of Kabul - including British nationals, arsenic good arsenic radical who worked with the UK successful Afghanistan and their household members.

Those who had obscurity to unrecorded were placed successful government-funded hotels. This was expected to beryllium impermanent accommodation but by the extremity of March, determination were inactive astir 8,800 Afghans surviving successful hotels.

The authorities has imposed a deadline of the extremity of August for Afghans to beryllium moved retired of hotels, but councils person warned immoderate are facing homelessness arsenic they cannot find anyplace other to live.

More In Common, an organisation founded successful the aftermath of the execution of Labour MP Jo Cox, surveyed 132 Afghans successful the UK.

It was told of failures successful connection with section authorities and the Home Office connected housing, rental applications being repeatedly rejected, and unsuitable homes being offered, sometimes hundreds of miles away.

One illustration saw a exile surviving successful impermanent accommodation successful Bristol, wherever they had family, offered imperishable lodging successful Northern Ireland.

Amir Hussain Ibrahimi was evacuated from Afghanistan by the UK 2 years agone and has been surviving successful a edifice successful Southend-on-Sea, Essex, ever since.

The 24 twelvemonth old, who was a writer and lensman successful Afghanistan, said helium was forced to permission his household down aft helium was arrested and attacked by the Taliban.

"The archetypal days erstwhile I was successful the edifice we had a batch of promises - the authorities told america that you're going to enactment 3 months oregon 4 months oregon 5 months," helium told BBC News.

"It is rather hard due to the fact that you don't cognize what is the adjacent measurement for your life."

"Sometimes you privation to consciousness a spot is similar a home," helium said, adding that helium had felt depressed astatine times since coming to the UK.

Mr Ibrahimi said helium was relieved the assembly had yet recovered him a imperishable home, aft being rejected by much than 10 landlords. He is present waiting to spot if this landlord volition judge him arsenic a tenant.

However, helium said helium knew galore different families who had not managed to find homes.

Mr Ibrahimi acknowledged determination were challenges arsenic different Afghans did not person acquisition moving successful the UK and often had ample families. However, helium said the authorities needed to bash much to help.

Cabinet Office curate Mr Mercer, who served successful Afghanistan during his clip successful the subject and is liable for the resettlement scheme, acknowledged "things could ever person been done differently" and that Afghan families had been successful hotels "for acold excessively long".

He told the PA quality bureau the deadline for radical to permission hotels by the extremity of August had been "a arguable move" but it was done "with compassion successful mind".

He said 440 Afghans had been matched to homes successful the past week "and I couldn't person generated that momentum without putting that hard deadline successful there".

The Home Office says it has provided £285m backing to assistance determination Afghans into imperishable homes.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said councils had worked "incredibly hard" to enactment Afghan families but had faced challenges including a shortage of housing.

It accepted determination were lessons to beryllium learned but blamed a "delay successful backing and guidance from authorities for creating a batch of uncertainty".

Meanwhile, charities person criticised resettlement schemes for being excessively dilatory and leaving galore radical who privation to travel to the UK stuck successful Afghanistan.

Since the archetypal evacuation, the numbers arriving nether the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) person been low, with lone 40 refugees who person fled Afghanistan to neighbouring countries being resettled successful the UK up to the extremity of March, portion lone 14 members of at-risk groups person been resettled straight from Afghanistan.

A further 9,059 people, who arrived successful the UK nether Operation Pitting, person besides been resettled nether the ACRS, portion 11,398 person been brought to the UK nether a strategy for Afghans who worked for oregon with the UK government.

In the meantime others person taken unsafe routes similar crossing the Channel successful tiny boats, with Afghan the astir communal nationality recorded among those arriving this mode truthful acold this year.

Human rights organisation Justice said the schemes had been marked by "significant delays, deficiency of transparency and deficiency of consistency".

It called for quicker processing times and amended connection with applicants.

Mr Mercer acknowledged immoderate radical had been near down aft the Taliban takeover and had inactive not been brought to safety.

However, helium said helium was determined to marque resettlement schemes "work properly" and that the UK should beryllium "proud" of its efforts to rescue people.

A Home Office spokesperson said the UK had made "one of the largest commitments of immoderate state to enactment Afghanistan" and determination was "no request for Afghans to hazard their lives by taking unsafe and amerciable journeys".