News Comment: UK Refugee Sponsorship Announcement

UNHCR welcomes the announcement today by the Home Secretary setting out the details of new arrangements that will allow communities, universities and employers to sponsor refugees to access safety in the UK. The establishment of these routes, together with the recent reopening of referrals to the UK Resettlement Scheme, will provide additional safe and regular pathways for refugees who have fled war, violence and persecution. The United Kingdom has a long and proud tradition of offering sanctuary to people forced to flee, and today's announcement builds on that history.

Together, the UK’s resettlement and sponsorship routes will provide refugees with opportunities to access protection and build a future in the UK through safe, managed and regular routes. They demonstrate international responsibility-sharing by the UK and offer refugees alternatives to dangerous journeys. The recent deaths in the Channel and the mental and physical harm sustained by many of those arriving in the UK through that route are a stark reminder of the risks that refugees and migrants face when undertaking perilous journeys in search of safety.

Sponsorship enables and empowers local communities, universities and employers to play a direct role in welcoming refugees and supporting them on their integration journey, while resettlement remains a vital and life-saving tool providing a route to safety in a managed way for refugees who are particularly at risk in their current circumstances. Both routes complement, but do not replace, access to asylum.

UNHCR will continue working closely with the UK Government and provide expertise and support, in line with our mandate, to help ensure the effective delivery of these routes. We have also agreed to conduct verification of refugee status of those persons for whom a sponsorship application is submitted to the UK Government. UNHCR does not have a role in the identification or referral of refugees under these schemes, and decisions regarding sponsorship applications will be made by the UK Government.

At a time when people continue to flee war, violence and persecution, and the overwhelming majority of refugees are hosted by low and middle-income countries, this renewed commitment to resettlement and the opening of new safe and regular routes provide an important foundation on which to build over time.

Safe and regular routes are part of a broader approach needed to address forced displacement, irregular movements and protection needs, alongside upholding access to asylum, strengthening international cooperation along the routes travelled by refugees and migrants, supporting countries hosting refugees, and addressing the causes of displacement.

Media contacts:

• In London, James Bulman, [email protected] +44 (0) 7775566127