Rwanda asylum plan

2022–24 British immigration policy

The UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership, also known as the Rwanda Asylum Deal, was an immigration policy proposed by the governments of Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak in which people whom the United Kingdom saw as illegal immigrants or asylum seekers would have been relocated to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettlement.

British home secretary Priti Patel (left) and Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta (right) sign the policy on 14 April 2022

A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights led to the plan being stopped until the end of the legal action in the UK. At the end of 2022, the High Court ruled that the plan was lawful.[1] The Court of Appeal ruled on 29 June 2023 that the plan was unlawful.[2] The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 overruled the courts' judgments and declared Rwanda a safe country.

After Keir Starmer and the Labour Party won the 2024 general election, Starmer announced that the Rwanda plan would be cancelled.

References

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  1. Doherty, Caitlin; Crowther, Zoe (19 Dec 2022). "Home Office Rwanda deportation policy is legal, court rules". Civil Service World. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  2. "Supreme Court rules Rwanda asylum policy unlawful". BBC News. 2023-11-15. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-15.