By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Facts have emerged that the plan by the United Kingdom to send asylum seekers to Rwanda or other third world countries could cost as much as £169,000 ($210,000) per person.
According to an impact assessment report published on Tuesday, this amount would include a £105,000 payment to the host country, along with flight tickets and administration costs.
The government is however unperturbed as it says it would recoup most of the costs from amount spent on asylum support annually.
The interior ministry assessment predicts an estimated saving in costs over four years of £106,000 for each asylum seeker sent out of Rwanda or any other third country.
The assessment also says this could rise to £165,000, if accommodation costs in UK grow at the trend rate since 2019.
Following BREXIT since seven years ago, UK initiated this policy as a means to tackle irregular migration into the country.
The UK’s Conservative government made tackling immigration a priority and wants to outlaw asylum claims by all irregular arrivals and transfer them to “safe” third countries, including Rwanda as a means to stop thousands of migrants from crossing the Channel on small boats.
London also expresses optimism that this programme will act as a deterrent to candidates intending to illegally migrate to UK.
The government says it spends a huge cost in housing asylum seekers while their claims are being processed.
The assessment warned that the figures were “highly uncertain”, and said the plan would need to deter around 37 per cent of small boat crossings for the costs to be recouped.
Over 45,000 migrants arrived on the shores of southeast England on small boats in 2022 — a 60-per cent annual increase on a perilous route that has been used by more people every year since 2018.
Beyond the cost, the proposed law — which is currently being debated in parliament — has come under fire over the potential treatment of asylum seekers in Rwanda.
“If enacted in its current form, the bill would leave tens of thousands of refugees unable to access the protection they are entitled to under international law,” said Enver Solomon, head of the Refugee Council.
“It would cause hardship, cost billions of pounds, and do nothing to alleviate the current crisis and pressures within the asylum system.”
The Rwanda plan, announced by then-prime minister Boris Johnson last year, was blocked at the last minute by the European Court of Human Rights.
