Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to deport migrants to Rwanda have taken a controversial turn as the government announced an incentive to each migrant if they made the move to the African country.
Thousands Offered to Migrants
Thousands of pounds are being offered to migrant individuals who are willing to move to Rwanda voluntarily, in an attempt to sweeten the deal and get the Prime Minister’s Rwanda scheme rolling. The UK Government has introduced a voluntary scheme offering £3,000 to failed asylum seekers willing to relocate to Rwanda. The initiative aims to reduce the high number of migrants waiting in the UK for their immigration status to be confirmed.
According to the government, there are thousands of migrants in the UK whose applications for asylum have already been rejected but are unable to return home.
Incentive to Relocate
The £3,000 offered to individuals and families is supposed to be an incentive for them to relocate to Rwanda of their own accord, despite concerns about the country’s safety. The Rwanda scheme was initially proposed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 2022, although it has received huge backlash from critics for concerns about migrant safety.
Sunak’s recent address to the nation regarding the scheme on GB News received over 500 complaints to Ofcom for his hardline immigration stance. Sunak was asked a question regarding the perceived failure of the Rwanda scheme by an audience member who said, “Public documentation shows it isn’t working and that it’s not going to work.”
Sunak responded by saying, “We need to be able to say pretty simply and unequivocally that if you come to our country illegally, you won’t get to stay.”
Lords Vote For Rwanda Block
More recently, a huge blow was delivered to Sunak’s plans to deport immigrants to Rwanda, as Lords, including many Tory peers, voted in favour of five amendments that could block the scheme.
So far, the government has failed in its bid to have the Supreme Court deem the Rwanda scheme as “lawful” due to it not being considered a “safe country.”
One of the Lords, Lord Anderson, a Tory peer, suggested that if Sunak’s scheme was indeed safe, then he had “nothing to fear” about the legislation amendments.
Barge Scheme Cause Backlash
Another scheme by Sunak that failed was to house migrants on barges, including the Bibby Stockholm barge that recently caused a wave of controversy.
Migrants were hastily moved on to the barge from their hotels, only to be evacuated due to the virus legionella being found in the barge’s water system. One migrant housed on the barge tragically lost his life, with his family now demanding further investigation into his death that was deemed as “suicide.”
A former maid of the deceased migrant during his stay at a hotel before the barge, claimed that he didn’t want to go to the barge in the first place and was “Tricked” by authorities.
Financial Assistance
Under existing voluntary return schemes, migrants can receive financial aid of up to £3,000 to return to their country of origin, with that same sum now being offered to go to Rwanda. Efforts to enable deportation flights to Rwanda will resume in Parliament shortly, with proposed amendments aiming to overcome previous setbacks.
The National Audit Office released a report that showed the government was willing to pay Rwanda a sum of £171,000 for each migrant it took from the UK.
With the UK government willing to pay substantial amounts of money for Rwanda to take migrants, it could become more costly to send them away than it would to keep them.
The post Government to Fund Migrants Incentive to Move to Rwanda Voluntarily first appeared on Pulse365.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Sean Aidan Calderbank.