Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)

Afghan citizens who are eligible are assessed against certain criteria and are assisted to relocate to the UK, along with their immediate family. We've resettled families under this scheme since commencement. The UK government has pledged to resettle up to 20,000 individuals over the coming years. This is in addition to those settled under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which is a separate scheme.

Eligibility under the ACRS

The ACRS scheme prioritises:

  • Those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech, and rule of law
  • Vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT+)

The scheme isn't application based. Instead, eligible people will be prioritised and referred for resettlement under one of three pathways.

Pathway 1

Vulnerable and at-risk individuals who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme have been first to be settled under ACRS. Eligible people who were identified by the UK government with assurance of evacuation, but were not able to board safe flights, and currently reside in a country considered safe by the UK, are also eligible under pathway 1.

Pathway 2

The UK government is able to receive referrals from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for vulnerable refugee families who have fled Afghanistan for resettlement in the UK. This process runs similar to that of the United Kingdom Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) with regard to security and eligibility checks. Pathway 2 families may include Afghan nationals who left Afghanistan for neighbouring countries earlier.

Pathway 3

This pathway has been designed to offer a route to resettlement for those at risk who supported the UK and international community effort in Afghanistan, as well as those particularly vulnerable.

Who provides the funding and for how long

The Home Office provides funds directly to the Cumberland Global Resettlement Service (CGRS). Funding is in place for the duration of the scheme, which is three years.

Checks that are carried out under the scheme

Checks vary depending on the pathway for ACRS.

For pathway 1, individuals and their families were already identified by the UK government as being eligible, and were offered assurance of evacuation from Afghanistan. Pathway 2 families are assessed by UNHCR in the same way as those arriving under the United Kingdom Resettlement Scheme. Under Pathway 3, the first stage focused on considering eligible, at-risk people for resettlement from three groups:

  • British Council contractors
  • GardaWorld contractors
  • Chevening alumni

These three groups had to complete an expressions of interest online, with confirmation of resettlement coming from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. This initial stage has now closed to these three groups. The current focus is on those who remain in Afghanistan or the region. Any offer of resettlement will be contingent on security screening, including checks against security and databases, and provision of biometric information.

Indefinite leave to remain

As with the ARAP, those arriving under ACRS will be granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) with the right to apply for UK citizenship following five years of being in the country.