NEW DELHI: India is likely to be added to UK‘s expanded list of “safe states”, which means that those travelling illegally to the country won’t be able to seek asylum in Britain.
The Draft legislation presented in the House of Commons on Wednesday included India and Georgia as the countries to be added to the list, PTI reported.
The move seeks to bolster Britain’s immigration system and help prevent abuse by people making unfounded protection claims.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had made stopping of small boats of asylum seekers from landing on the country’s shores one of the five key priorities of his leadership.
“We must stop people making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK from fundamentally safe countries,” said UK home secretary Suella Braverman.
“Expanding this list will allow us to more swiftly remove people with no right to be here and sends a clear message that if you come here illegally, you cannot stay. We remain committed to delivering the measures in our Illegal Migration Act, which will play a part in the fight against illegal migration,” she said.
The UK government recently found that there was an increase in Indians and Georgians arriving on small boats after crossing the English Channel, despite individuals from these countries not being at obvious risk of persecution.
“Deeming these countries safe will mean that if an individual arrives illegally from either one, we will not admit their claim to the UK asylum system,” the Home Office said.
Other countries deemed safe by the UK include Albania and Switzerland, as well as the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) states.
A country can only be added to the UK’s safe states list – known legislatively as Section 80AA – if the home secretary is satisfied that there is, in general, no serious risk of persecution of its nationals, and; removal of nationals to that country cannot go against the UK’s obligations under the Human Rights Convention.
The proposal will now undergo parliamentary scrutiny in the usual way via debates in both Houses of Parliament before it comes into force.
(With inputs from PTI)
The Draft legislation presented in the House of Commons on Wednesday included India and Georgia as the countries to be added to the list, PTI reported.
The move seeks to bolster Britain’s immigration system and help prevent abuse by people making unfounded protection claims.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had made stopping of small boats of asylum seekers from landing on the country’s shores one of the five key priorities of his leadership.
“We must stop people making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK from fundamentally safe countries,” said UK home secretary Suella Braverman.
“Expanding this list will allow us to more swiftly remove people with no right to be here and sends a clear message that if you come here illegally, you cannot stay. We remain committed to delivering the measures in our Illegal Migration Act, which will play a part in the fight against illegal migration,” she said.
The UK government recently found that there was an increase in Indians and Georgians arriving on small boats after crossing the English Channel, despite individuals from these countries not being at obvious risk of persecution.
“Deeming these countries safe will mean that if an individual arrives illegally from either one, we will not admit their claim to the UK asylum system,” the Home Office said.
Other countries deemed safe by the UK include Albania and Switzerland, as well as the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) states.
A country can only be added to the UK’s safe states list – known legislatively as Section 80AA – if the home secretary is satisfied that there is, in general, no serious risk of persecution of its nationals, and; removal of nationals to that country cannot go against the UK’s obligations under the Human Rights Convention.
The proposal will now undergo parliamentary scrutiny in the usual way via debates in both Houses of Parliament before it comes into force.
(With inputs from PTI)