Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)

Afghan citizens who are eligible for relocation to the UK under the ARAP scheme may relocate with a partner, dependent children and additional family members who are also deemed eligible for relocation under the ARAP by the Ministry of Defence and suitable for relocation by the Home Office. 

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

As the ARAP has been set up to assist those who have been employed by or served alongside the British government in Afghanistan, security checks will have already been conducted at time of employment. As mentioned above, ARAP requires an application, during which time eligibility checks and decisions are carried out by the Defence Afghan Relocations and Resettlement (DADR) team, and these will include a background check on the principal applicant and their family, who form part of the application. 

Applicants have the right to review if they're deemed ineligible for the scheme. Find out more about the review process from the Gov.UK website.

Accommodation

Eligible ARAP families are placed in transitional accommodation whilst awaiting formal resettlement offers to accommodation nationally. Historically, this was through ‘bridging hotels’ which were spread out across the UK, mainly in the main metropolitan areas. Those hotels are now closed, so recently arrived ARAP families either travel directly to their new settled accommodation when they arrive in the UK (provided this is ready for them), move into temporary service family accommodation on MoD sites, or move to transitional accommodation such as hotels or bed and breakfasts. 

ARAP families may also benefit from a 'find your own accommodation (FYO) pathway. This allows them to source their own property but still receive the same support from the local authority when they arrive. This would be the same process of renting a property as for any other resident in the UK. 

Indefinite leave to remain

The ARAP scheme offers families 'indefinite leave to remain' status from the point of arrival into the UK, so there's no need to apply for this at a later date. Families may wish to apply for UK citizenship, in which case they'd follow the same process as anyone else applying for this. Families under the ARAP scheme must reside in the UK for five years before they're entitled to this.