News Comment: UK safe and regular routes for refugees

The following can be attributed to UNHCR’s Representative to the United Kingdom, Vicky Tennant.

London, 28 September 2026

UNHCR welcomes the reopening of referrals to the UK Resettlement Scheme and the opening of 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, resettlement and complementary pathways provide refugees with opportunities to access protection and build a future through safe, managed and regular routes, demonstrate international responsibility-sharing, and offer alternatives to dangerous journeys.

Resettlement is 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. It is also an important demonstration of international responsibility-sharing, providing a safe and durable solution for refugees to find protection and rebuild their lives while helping to ease pressure on countries hosting large refugee populations. It can help reduce dangerous onward journeys and complements, but does not replace, access to asylum. Complementary pathways, including community sponsorship, provide refugees with access to safety through safe and regular routes, while enabling and empowering local communities to play a direct role in welcoming refugees and supporting them in their integration journey.

At a time when people continue to flee war, violence and persecution, global resettlement needs continue to outstrip available places and most 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. Recent deaths in the Channel – including today’s tragic reports - are a stark reminder of the risks that refugees and migrants face when undertaking dangerous journeys in search of safety, and of the importance of safe and regular pathways.

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.

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 and protection and solutions for refugees in the UK and around the world.

Media contacts:

• In London, Maeve Patterson, [email protected]; +44 (0) 7880 230985