Operation Warm Welcome: How 20,000 Afghan refugees will be settled in the UK

31 August 2021, 15:35

The UK has pledges to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees
The UK has pledges to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees. Picture: Alamy

By Will Taylor

Afghan refugees who have fled the Taliban's takeover are settling in the UK as part of Operation Warm Welcome.

The government initiative is designed to help those who fled the group's conquest of the country to rebuild their lives in Britain.

About 5,000 Afghans are expected to be settled initially in the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, out of a pledge to re-home 20,000.

The full details of the plan are yet to be revealed, but it is known they will be able to access free English language courses and use a "central portal" to view job offers, access support and get items like clothing and toys.

Read more: Raab: 'Low hundreds of Brits still in Afghanistan but UK will live up to commitments'

Read more: British forces prepare to launch air strikes against IS in Afghanistan

Number of Brits in Afghan in the 'low hundreds' Raab says

A total of £5 million has been given to councils to provide housing support and all have been offered vaccinations, mental health help and trauma support.

The Government said Warm Welcome will "ensure that those who worked closely with the British military and UK Government in Afghanistan, and risked their lives in doing so, get the vital health, education, support into employment and accommodation they need to fully integrate into society".

There are still Brits in Afghanistan – estimated by foreign secretary Dominic Raab to be in the "low hundreds".

It is hoped they will be able to get to a neighbouring country to flee the Taliban's rule.

Afghan migrant shares experience of life under Taliban

There are fears the new regime will carry out reprisals against those who helped international and Afghan forces and severely curtail women's rights.

The Home Office described Warm Welcome as one of the most generous resettlement schemes in British history.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme gives people who move to the UK the chance to live here permanently. Priority will be given to women and girls.

Tory MP Victoria Atkins has been appointed as the Minister for Afghan Resettlement.

Officials say national security will not be compromised because those processed in the scheme will pass strict checks.

The resettlement plan is based on the Syrian refugee scheme, considered to have been a success by officials and charities.

A total of 20,080 Syrians started a new life in the UK since 2015 as the country descended into an increasingly bloody war amid the rise of Isis.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

People thought to be migrants board a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Picture date: Saturday May 31, 2025.

Starmer 'loses control' on immigration as 1,200 migrants cross Channel in a day

US prosecutors allege Miller was working with a Chinese national to illegally acquire weapons systems and other classified equipment for the Chinese government.

British businessman 'caught spying for China' faces 40 years in US prison after FBI sting

Dani captioned the post of the newly weds 'The Bowens'

Love Island's Dani Dyer and West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen tie knot in 'Bridgerton-inspired' ceremony

Paris St Germain sweep aside Inter Milan to win Champions League

Paris St-Germain thrash Inter Milan with record 5-0 win - becoming Champions of Europe for the first time

A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Picture date: Saturday May 31, 2025.

Coastguard resources 'stretched thin' by migrant rescues as fishing boats urged to help yacht in trouble

Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar was killed in an Israeli airstrike

Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar 'eliminated' in airstrike on tunnel under south Gaza hospital, IDF confirms

Brandon Moore is a rugby league player.

Rugby league star missing as wife issues desperate plea to find father of three

Thicke and his long-term partner tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

'Through Thicke and thin': Robin Thicke gets hitched to model April Love Geary in Mexico after seven-year engagement

Police officers look at the remains of a crashed plane on the terrace of a residential building in Korschenbroich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (David Young/dpa via AP)

Two people die after small plane crashes into house in Germany

Aziz Ziriat had been hiking in the Dolomites with his friend.

Body of British hiker missing in Italy since January found at foot of mountain as family praise rescuers' 'commitment'

Emergency services were called to Frith Road, Croydon, just after 9am on Saturday and treated two injured people at the scene.

Woman in her 20s stabbed to death in 'tragic' incident in Croydon as man arrested on suspicion of murder

WFP distribute flour to Palestinians struggling with hunger in Gaza.

Dozens of UN food lorries 'blocked and emptied' by desperate Palestinians

Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in response to the US' Gaza ceasefire proposals.

Hamas demands changes to US Gaza ceasefire plan - as US envoy Steve Witkoff slams 'totally unacceptable' proposal

Emergency services responded on Friday to a report of two children, a boy and a girl, who were facing difficulty in the water near the Royal Terrace Pier in Gravesend, Kent.

Body found in search for missing girl who vanished in the River Thames as rescued boy remains in stable condition

Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, at NATO headquarters

Pete Hegseth warns Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be 'imminent'

Michael Mosley died while on holiday with his wife on the Greek island of Symi last year

Michael Mosley's family set up research project in his memory after TV doctor's tragic death on Greek island