What safe and documented routes to the UK exist for refugees?
Safe and documented routes are authorised immigration arrangements which permit entry to another country. There are very few safe, documented routes available for refugees to come to the UK at present. Those that do exist are mostly nationality specific:
- Ukraine Scheme visas – for those affected by Russia’s invasion
- British National (Overseas) visas – for those living in Hong Kong
- Resettlement visas – including those resettled under the Afghan schemes
- Family reunion visas – for partners and children aged 17 or younger of settled refugees
- Community sponsorship – civil groups can apply to directly support refugees
- Mandate scheme – a global scheme admitting refugees to close family willing to accommodate them
- UK Resettlement scheme – global scheme administered by UNHCR.
The adequacy of these schemes, including the extent to which certain people are excluded from them, is challenged by Amnesty International.
Are these safe routes successful?
Yes – in the years 2021-2023 just over 500,000 people arrived safely and fully documented to the UK. 54% were admitted from Ukraine and a further 18% from Hong Kong. 5% of admissions were via resettlement routes, mostly from Afghanistan (It is important to note that these figures are the actual number of arrivals into the UK; the number of visas issued are higher than these figures as not all those issued with a visa decide to settle in the UK.)
Has the UK historically welcomed refugees and other migrants?
There have always been periods of migration into the UK, but numbers were on a very small scale compared to the size of the population until after the Second World War. These groups of immigrants included invading Roman soldiers in 55 BC, French Protestants escaping massacre in the 1570s and Jews fleeing Eastern Europe and Russia in the 19th century.
During the Second World War, hundreds of thousands of Poles were stationed in Britain and the Polish resettlement Act of 1947 offered citizenship to 200,000 Polish soldiers who did not wish to return to a Soviet dominated Poland. After World War 2, particularly in big cities, there was a labour shortage, and a recruitment campaign was set up to bring people from the Caribbean and Asia to fill the jobs. The British Nationality Act 1948 granted the subjects of the British Empire the right to live and work in the UK. Commonwealth citizens were not, therefore, subject to immigration control. From 1962 onwards however, successively tighter immigration controls were placed on immigration from the Commonwealth.
Are there safe and documented routes for asylum seekers?
There are no documented routes to enable anyone to claim asylum in the UK from overseas. A person can only claim asylum once they are physically present in the UK which forces people to take undocumented and dangerous routes to the UK.
Whilst the UK Home Office tries to make us believe that those seeking asylum should do so in the first safe country they reach (citing reasons of cultural and language similarity) international law protects each person’s right to choose. A claim for asylum can be made in any country and a person may legitimately cross multiple borders in order to reach the country where they seek asylum. These border crossings are irregular, but not illegal.
A person may have good reason, including family connections or language to wish to seek asylum in a country but they do not need to give a reason for their human right to choose to be protected.
It is also worth remembering that a country which is safe for one person, or even very many people, does not mean it is safe for all people.
What do other countries do/have in terms of safe routes?
There is a fragmented and disparate approach globally to the provision of safe routes for refugees from their country of origin. The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ecre) argues that despite the need for safe routes to Europe there is little available information on current and planned routes and their implementation. In 2018 the Global Compact on Refugees called for the development of resettlement and complementary pathways. This was hampered to some extent by the Covid 19 pandemic, and the picture remains fragmented.
However, despite an environment that can generally be viewed as hostile to refugees there are several countries in Europe that are operating some safe route schemes but, it is important to note, these tend to be on a relatively minor scale covering small numbers of refugees. Some examples are provided below (this is not an exhaustive list):
Across Europe humanitarian corridors exist in France and Italy to allow refuges safe passage, general community sponsorship schemes operate across the Netherlands, and educational schemes exist for writers and artists in Sweden and academics in Italy. Germany has a stakeholder approach where different bodies provide complementary pathways some delivered by national and others by federal organisations.
Outside Europe the USA has reduced irregular arrivals through a blend of enforcement and legal pathways – together with strong partnerships and support for capacity building and integration in neighbouring and transit countries is responsible for this significant reduction. Australia has a Refugee Visa for refugees not in Australia who meet particular requirements, and New Zealand is one of a handful of countries that takes the majority of their refugees through a quota system.
Overall there is a fragmented and individual approach addressing the issues around safe routes. There does not appear to be a straightforward solution with many different approaches adopted by different organisations and countries. There are many initiatives aimed at supporting refuges who arrive already with a visa or on a resettlement programme but here we are concerned with those who are irregular arrivals or who take unsafe routes.
Practical and economic solutions
The EU Red Cross [13] argue that creating safe routes which allow refugees to reach Europe and the UK safely and apply for international protection would help address the situation of irregular arrivals and this should extend to the UK.
In terms of practical and economic solutions forRefugees is one of a number of reputable organisations (Refugee Council, Red Cross (EU), Care4Calais, Safe Passage) that all make similar recommendations to address the issue of establishing safe routes which include:.
- The introduction of a humanitarian visa that would allow people to travel safely to the UK for their asylum status to be assessed. This would negate the need to travel across the Channel in dangerous conditions. It is strongly believed this would be effective in ‘stopping the boats’ and “smashing the gangs” as 90% of people taking dangerous small boat crossings claim asylum on arrival to the UK. It follows that at least 90% would transition over to the new safe and documented route, as it makes no sense to risk your life when there is a safe alternative.
- Allied to this in the short term would be an Emergency Protection Scheme which would allow humanitarian visas to be offered to those asylum seekers already in Europe at the current time.
- Expanding eligibility for refugee family reunion, e.g. by allowing child refugees in the UK to sponsor family members to join them. To allow people to rejoin their families if separated by country
- A clear commitment on refugee resettlement to return, at a minimum, to the levels of arrivals, pre-Covid and maximising the potential for more community sponsorship pathways[15],
- Building, particularly with the French authorities a shared approach focused on compassion, fairness and dignity
Conclusion
In 2024 at least 69 women, children and men died at the UK border. This is 69 too many and it must end. The first deaths of 2025 have already been reported.
Desperation and hope means people continue to risk their lives by paying people smugglers to take the dangerous small boat crossing across the English Channel. Between 71% and 94% of people who arrive via unsafe routes (mainly from Afghanistan Iran and Syria) are ultimately granted asylum by the UK, so it makes sense to adopt a system using humanitarian visas. This would be a win win solution that saves lives by stopping people taking unsafe routes across the Channel and would also put the criminal gangs of people smugglers out of business. If we are serious as a country about respecting human rights, continuing our history of helping those in need, and “smashing the gangs” of smugglers, then introducing safe and documented routes to the UK is the only viable option. So why does the Government avoid it?
“Refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us—except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.”
Khaled Hosseini (2016)
