Liz Barratt

The war in Gaza rages on with no end in sight. After more than a year of relentless bombing, civilians face their second winter trapped in a dire humanitarian crisis. For people in the UK hoping for their family members in Gaza to be evacuated here, hope is waning. From the very beginning of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, there has been almost no safe route to the UK for Gazans seeking respite with their family here.

On 30 July 2024, the Government announced in a written statement that the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 1 Stage 2: Separated Families had opened that day. The scheme allows Afghans who were resettled under Pathway 1 of the scheme to be reunited with family members who were separated during the evacuation from Kabul in August 2021. The window to submit an expression of interest will only remain open for 3 months, ending on 30 October 2024.

On 25 April 2024, the much-heralded Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act came into force. The preamble states that it is 'An Act to make provisions about the removal of certain migrants to the Republic of Rwanda'. In April 2022, the government announced its intention to remove some asylum seekers to Rwanda for their refugee claims to be decided there, irrespective of the fact that they have no connection to Rwanda.