United Kingdom plan to send asylum seekers for di kontri go Rwanda dey unlawful, one Court of Appeal don rule.
Two judges – di Master of di Rolls and Lord Justice Underhill – don decide say di policy dey against di law.
Dem rule say di removal of asylum seekers go Rwanda dey unlawful until dem make changes to di asylum system for dia.
Dis judgement don reverse di decision one High Court ruling for December 2022 wey tok say dia removal dey lawful.
Dis one mean say UK goment don lose di latest round for di legal battle over dia controversial Rwanda deportation policy.
However, goment still fit challenge dis Appeal court ruling for di Supreme court
Wetin be di Rwanda Asylum Plan
Di five-year trial wey di UK goment announce for April 2022 – go see say dem send some asylum seekers go Rwanda wit one-way ticket plane to claim asylum for dia.
Dem fit grant these asylum seekers refugee status to stay for Rwanda. If not, dem fit apply to settle dia on oda grounds, or seek asylum for anoda “safe third kontri”.
Goment say dis go stop pipo to dey enta UK through “illegal, dangerous or unnecessary methods”, like to dey use small boats wey dey cross di English Channel enta di kontri.
More dan 45,700 pipo bin use dis route land UK for 2022, di highest figure since dem begin record am.
Small-boat crossings bin reduce small for di first few months for 2023 but di numbers fit rise again for di summer.
How di mata take waka
- April 2022: UK goment bin announce di plan to send some asylum seekers go Rwanda, to stop pipo wey dey cross enta di kontri wit small boats from France
- June 2022: Dem cancel di first flight wey dey carry asylum seekers from UK to Rwanda few minutes before take-off afta one intervention from di European Court of Human Rights (a non-EU body)
- December 2022: Di High Court rule say di scheme dey lawful – but e tok say di cases of eight asylum seekers wey dey on board di June flight no dey “properly considered”
- January 2023: Migrants wey dey face potential removal to Rwanda win permission to challenge di policy for di Court of Appeal
- April 2023: Appeal hearing take place
Wetin di Court of Appeal ruling tok?
Campaigners and asylum seekers don win one Court of Appeal challenge against di UK goment planned Rwanda deportation scheme
Di Court of Appeal reverse one High Court ruling for December wey tok say dem fit consider di east African nation a “safe third country”
Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett announce di decision during one short hearing for London
Di decision of most of di judges na say sake of di “deficiencies” for di Rwandan asylum system, substantial grounds dey to believe say real risk dey, say pipo dem send go Rwanda go go back di home kontris dem bin dey run from.
Until dem correct those things wey dey lacking, removal of asylum seekers go Rwanda dey unlawful, di court rule.
Di pipo wey appeal di case, charity Asylum Aid and ten asylum seekers, argue say substantial grounds dey to believe say real risk dey say dem go remove pipo wey dem send go Rwanda go back dia home kontri.
How many pipo di UK wan send go Rwanda?
UK bin tok say dem fit send “anyone wey enta UK illegally” afta 1 January 2022, dem no put limit on numbers.
Rwanda during di trial tok say dem fit process 1,000 asylum seekers but dem get capacity for more.
Under di deal, Rwanda fit also ask UK to take in some of dia most vulnerable refugees.
But for October 2022, Privilege Style – di airline wey dem schedule to take asylum seekers go Rwanda – withdraw from dia Home Office contract, afta one campaign by refugee charities.
Dat time, Guardian bin report say oda airlines wey don carry out deportation flights before, Titan Airways and AirTanker, also back out from di Rwanda scheme.
How much di plan dey cost?
So far di UK don pay Rwandan goment £140m for di scheme but dem no provide di overall cost.
One economic-impact assessment for di iIllegal Migration Bill estimate say to comot each individual to a third kontri, like Rwanda, go cost di goment £169,000.
But di assessment – dem publish for June 2023 – add say di new measures fit save between £106,000 and £165,000 per individual dem send go abroad as dem go avoid di housing cost for UK.
Oda cost go include flights to Rwanda, food, accommodation, access to translators and legal advice.
To remove pipo from UK by charter flight go cost more dan £13,000 per pesin for 2020.
Wen dem first announce di policy, di den Home Office Minister Tom Pursglove, tok say di cost go dey “similar to di amount of money we dey spend on dis currently”. E tok say “longer term by getting dis under control, suppose help us save money”.
Di UK asylum system cost £3bn a year. Dem dey spend almost £7m per day on hotel accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers.
Critics say di daily cost too much because of di time dem dey take to decide on applications, plus ban on asylum seekers wey dey work as dem dey wait for di confirmation of dia status.
Wetin be asylum seeker?
Di UN Refugee Agency don define pesin wey dey seek asylum as pesin wey don apply for shelter and protection for anoda kontri.
Refugee na pesin wey don run comot im own kontri sake of conflict or persecution.
Di legal rights of refugees dey protected by international law. However, e dey up to host kontris to decide weda dem go grant asylum seeker refugee status.
For 2022, di UK receive more dan 89,000 asylum applications, di highest number for 20 years. Out of these numbers, di UK grant more than 23,800 pipo plus dia dependants a form of protection.
