We stand in solidarity with everyone affected by the Safety of Rwanda Act.
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act was passed on the 25th of April 2024. The Act declares Rwanda a safe country and enables the Home Office to consider removing individuals seeking asylum in the UK to Rwanda. Since this law is new, we don’t yet know how it will work in practice.
We have put together advice and information for people who may be concerned. We will continue to update this as the situation becomes clearer.
If you are worried, please contact your solicitor as soon as possible. If you do not have legal representation, please call our free helpline on 0808 196 7274.
Who is at risk?
Not everyone is at risk of removal to Rwanda. You may be at risk of removal if:
- you claimed asylum in the UK on or after 1 January 2022
- you are over 18 years old
- you don’t have any children under the age of 18 with you
- your journey is considered as “dangerous”, for example in a lorry or a small boat and you passed through another safe country where you could claim asylum
Find out more about who from the Right to Remain blog: What we know about Rwanda Act and Treaty so far.
If you receive a letter from the Home Office about Rwanda or about considering your asylum claim as ‘inadmissible’:
- speak to your solicitor about the letter as soon as you can
- if you do not have legal representation, please call our free helpline on 0808 196 7274 if you have questions or need help finding support. Ask for an interpreter if you need one
If you have a Home Office reporting event coming up or are worried about being detained:
- write down important phone numbers on a piece of paper. These could include your key friends and family, your solicitor and detention support organisations. You can contact Bail for Immigration Detainees on 020 7456 9750. If you are detained your phone may be taken away
- ask to speak to your solicitor first before signing any documents
- tell a friend the time and place of your reporting appointment. When you leave the appointment, contact your friend to let them know you are okay
- give your friend your solicitor‘s phone number. If your friend has not heard from you 2 hours after your reporting appointment time, they should call your solicitor and tell them you may have been detained
- take your medications with you if you are taking any
- check out Right to Remain information on immigration bail reporting: the basics and be prepared in case you are detained
If you received calls from the Home Office offering you voluntary departure to Rwanda
- speak to your solicitor first before you respond
- find out more about voluntary departures from the Right to Remain blog on voluntary departures to Rwanda
If an immigration enforcement team comes to your home or work
- try to speak to your solicitor as soon as you can
- tell your friends what is happening as soon as possible. The side of the van will have the words “Home Office” and “Immigration Enforcement”
- call No Evictions Campaign on 07438 318003 or ask a friend to call them for you
You can read more about the asylum Inadmissibility Rules in Right to Remain Toolkit page. You can click the “Select Language” box at the top of any page on the Right to Remain website to automatically translate the text into your own language.
We stand in solidarity with anyone affected by the Rwanda Act. You can read our response here.
