Report: Rwanda Asylum Deal to Cost £1.8M Per Person

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Facts

  • The UK government's Rwanda Asylum scheme will cost taxpayers £1.8M ($2.3M) for each of the first 300 people deported to the East African nation, the National Audit Office (NAO) has found.1
  • Under the policy, the UK will pay at least £370M ($467M) to Rwanda, with £150K ($189K) paid for each person sent there as part of the five-year bilateral agreement, the national watchdog said.2
  • The UK already paid £220M ($278M) into a fund to support Rwanda's economic growth, with annual payments of £50M ($63M) planned for the next three years, NAO revealed. In addition, a further £120M ($152M) will be paid once the first 300 migrants are resettled in Rwanda.3
  • In addition to the partnership's £490M ($619M), the report said that the UK will pay a further £6M ($7.6M) for individual relocation payments and £45M ($57M) for processing and operational costs over five years, bringing the total cost to £541M ($683M), or £1.8M ($2.3M) per asylum seeker.1
  • Individual payments will end if an illegal migrant decides to leave Rwanda, though the country will be paid £10K ($13K) to 'facilitate voluntary departure,' according to the Home Office. Other future costs are expected to include £11K ($14K) each for flights to Rwanda.4
  • The Rwanda bill remains blocked by legal objections and to date, no illegal immigrants have been deported to Rwanda.5

Sources: 1Guardian, 2BBC News, 3Evening Standard, 4The Telegraph and 5GB News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Mirror. The national watchdog's figures are a scandal which Sunak and his government — who tried to keep them a secret — must be held accountable for. The Rwanda bill not only violates UK law, but is also a financially unbearable burden on the taxpayer. What's more, the unworkable and inhumane asylum system is ineffective at deterring people from illegally crossing into the UK. The staggering figures are the final straw that proves the Rwanda farce must be stopped.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Conservative Home. The Rwanda bill is undoubtedly expensive, but it's a well-spent investment necessary to tackle the UK's growing migrant crisis. Those criticizing the scheme have yet to come up with a better solution, and it's only thanks to the resolute stance of the Sunak government that the number of illegal migrants crossing the channel dropped last year. Although costly, once allowed to take off the Rwanda policy will act as an effective deterrence to those who seek to illegally enter the county. National security doesn't come for free.