UK to pay Afghan asylum seekers to go home

The Refugee Council has welcomed the government programme but insisted it should remain voluntary

LONDON, United Kingdom -- The UK government has announced it will pay Afghan asylum seekers to return home voluntarily.

The UK Home Office has stated plans to trial a payment of between £600 (US$917) for individuals and up to £2,500 (US$3820) for families who volunteer to return to Afghanistan.

In addition, the claimants will also be provided with the air fare to Afghanistan.

"In response to the considerable improvement in the conditions in Afghanistan ... we are to start the process of returning failed Afghan asylum seekers by ending the routine granting of exceptional leave to remain," said Home Office Minister Beverley Hughes.

The voluntary assistance scheme will be trialled for six months and aims to help asylum seekers re-establish themselves in Afghanistan, according to a statement issued by the minister.

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The identity of recipients will be closely monitored in an attempt to stop false claims.

Hughes expressed the government's desire to take in "those genuinely fleeing persecution" but ensure "those with unfounded claims are removed from the country quickly and efficiently."

Cheap alternative

"Helping people to return voluntarily is significantly cheaper than supporting them while their asylum claim is considered and then enforcing their return if their asylum claim is rejected," she said.

The Refugee Council has welcomed the government programme but insisted it should remain voluntary.

"Our experience shows that programmes limited to short periods can place undue pressure on refugees to go home before they are ready and when the situation in their home country, as is the case with Afghanistan, is very unstable and insecure," said the Deputy Chief Executive of the Refugee Council Margaret Lally in response to the government proposal.

"We strongly believe that the real way to help refugees to return to their own countries is by giving them time to weigh up their options and prepare themselves for going home," Lally said in a statement.

Failed asylum seekers against whom enforced return action is taken are not entitled to receive the payment.