UK tells Afghans seeking to emigrate 'bring permission from Taliban'

London: Despite assurances earlier this month that such demands would stop, an Afghan who worked with the British Council in Afghanistan and is now seeking to immigrate to the UK has been told to get permission from the Taliban or risk being rejected. As per reports, on March 18 the Ministry of Defence had to issue a public apology after being exposed for asking applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for birth and marriage certificates in English and bearing stamps from Afghan government agencies But ten days later, the government is requesting documents signed by the Taliban-led government from applicants to another government programme for Afghans who had cooperated with UK law enforcement or military troops. In order to be eligible to immigrate to the UK under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), a claimant who was compelled to flee Afghanistan out of fear of retaliation was informed that they needed to obtain passports, birth certificates, and marriage certificates that had been attested to by “local authorities.” In an email to a potential applicant, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) states that the marriage certificate “should clearly be stamped by the local authorities.” Insisting that the email does not reflect its policies, the FCDO intends to get in touch with the recipient to “clarify the process.” It comes amid growing worries that Rishi Sunak’s administration has broken pledges made by Boris Johnson to aid Afghans who cooperated with the UK in Afghanistan. The government stated on Tuesday that starting in April, Afghans who have been confined to crowded hotels may be given three months’ notice and may be compelled to register as homeless. The matter came to light after it was brought up by an ACRS applicant who worked as a contractor for the British Council in Afghanistan with a Liberal Democrat MP. Their initial application for entry into the UK under the Arap programme was denied until August 2021, when western countries withdrew from Afghanistan and left Kabul to the Taliban. They were told they must apply under the ACRS scheme after several months of waiting, and they have since gotten initial approval. They have been asked to provide a marriage certificate that has been attested by the Taliban, the local authorities, as part of the verification procedure. “These are incredibly brave individuals who took a huge danger to assist us. Due to legislative ignorance and departmental ineptitude, we are currently abandoning them,” said Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse. The government established the Arap scheme in April 2021, just before the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, and ACRS in January 2022, both of which it claims will enable up to 20,000 refugees to settle in the UK. According to the government, as of December 2022, more than 24,000 Afghans had landed in the UK. More than 21,000 of them have been relocated through resettlement programmes. After the UK and the US withdrew from Kabul, Operation Warm Welcome was established in August 2021 to support the complete integration of Afghans into British society. “We will never forget the brave sacrifice made by Afghans who chose to work with us at great risk to themselves,” said Johnson, the prime minister at the time. According to a spokesperson for the UK government, this statement does not represent departmental policy. We only ask that Afghans who are qualified for resettlement under the ACRS provide the documentation that they are able to; we don’t expect them to provide all of it. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.