UK Returns First Failed Asylum Seeker to Rwanda under Voluntary Scheme: £3,000 Payment
The UK has sent its first failed asylum seeker to Rwanda under a voluntary removals program.
The scheme, which offers migrants up to £3,000 to move to Rwanda if their claims are rejected, is separate from the government's forced returns scheme, which has faced delays.
The man, whose identity was not disclosed, was flown out of the UK on a commercial flight after exhausting all rights to remain in the country.
The UK's Labour party criticized the government for trying to send a charter flight to Rwanda for failed asylum seekers before local elections, claiming it was a desperate move.
The scheme, which is a variation of an existing voluntary returns program, will also apply to people with no right to remain in the UK and foreign criminals.
The Home Office pays for temporary accommodation, education costs, or business setup in the destination country under the current scheme.
Last year, 19,253 people were voluntarily removed from the UK with no right to stay.
The Home Office paid for the voluntary return of 3,319 asylum seekers to Rwanda before local elections.
Shadow foreign secretary Yvette Cooper criticized this as a "pre-election gimmick," arguing that taxpayers were spending £3,000 per person for voluntary flights.
The Home Office had previously confirmed an agreement with Rwanda to accept 5,700 asylum seekers under a forced returns scheme.