Afghan Resettlement Programme
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-23)

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) brings together existing Afghan resettlement schemes.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) brings together existing Afghan resettlement schemes into a single, efficient pipeline. A single pipeline will improve efficiency, value for money and outcomes across Afghan Resettlement.

The schemes brought under the ARP include:

1. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy). This was for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan in exposed or meaningful roles and may include an offer of relocation to the UK for those deemed eligible by the Ministry of Defence and who are deemed suitable for relocation by the Home Office. Closure: As of 1 July 2025, the ARAP scheme is closed to new applications. Existing applications submitted before this date will continue to be processed. 2. The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme). This was a referral-based resettlement scheme which prioritised vulnerable people and those who assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan. Closure: On 1 July 2025, the Government confirmed there will be no further ACRS pathways or referrals. 3. Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghanistan-response-route). The ARR was established in April 2024 in response to a data incident in February 2022. It provided for certain individuals impacted by the data incident to be considered for relocation to the UK. Closure: The ARR was discontinued on 4 July 2025. Individuals who received an invitation letter to relocate to the UK under the ARR will continue to be processed, but no new invitation letters will be issued.

The ARP also includes any relevant instances where leave outside the rules has been granted.

Further information

Applications

ARAP Applications
- All ARAP applications received before the scheme closed will be processed, but we will not be accepting new principal applications after this point. Those who are found eligible will still have their immediate family members – such as one spouse and children under 18 – automatically considered for relocation. They will also have thirty days from accepting their ARAP offer to make an application to relocate any additional family members to the UK.
- Those who have already applied for resettlement in the UK do not need to do anything and should wait to hear from their caseworker. Contacting the UK Government will not speed up the process.
- Some applications are incredibly complex and it may take some time to ensure that those who are eligible are identified and relocated quickly once eligibility is confirmed. We are committed to making and communicating eligibility decisions as quickly as possible.
ARR Eligibility

The ARR had a two-stage process:
- Eligibility Stage: Conducted by the MOD.
- Entry Clearance Stage: Conducted by the Home Office.
Although the ARR is now discontinued, the eligibility stage for family members and the entry clearance stage for all will remain open for individuals who received an invitation letter before 4 July 2025.

All individuals relocated under the ARR undergo strict security checks, including national security checks, before entering the UK.

Transitional accommodation
- All arrivals on the Afghan Resettlement Programme are offered transitional accommodation for up to 9 months. This is intended to provide time for families to acclimatise to life in the UK, fostering a culture of independent living, without dependency or incurring excessive costs.
- Transitional accommodation is a vital part of our support offer to Afghan arrivals, allowing them to orient themselves and set themselves up for success for their new lives in the UK.
- Transitional accommodation will continue to be a mixture of serviced accommodation and hotels alongside reduced use of the Defence Estate. This will be spread across the country.
- Sites on the Defence estate used as transitional accommodation will be returned to their previous use in due course, and we are working to minimise the impact of resettlement work on Service personnel, Service families and key Defence outputs.
Settled accommodation
- All Afghan arrivals will be encouraged to source their own settled accommodation through the Find Your Own pathway. Further details below.
- In recognition of the pressures on housing supply and the unique challenges facing this cohort, the Government commits to continuing to fund and support a pipeline of settled housing to support around half of these arrivals, who are the hardest to house.
- This will be through additional capital funding, community sponsorship and some Service Family Accommodation. This will ensure that there is a pipeline of settled accommodation to support delivery of the Afghan Resettlement Programme.
- Those Afghan families who have moved into settled accommodation are unaffected by these changes and will be free to stay there for the duration of their tenancies.
Find Your Own Accommodation guide

The Find Your Own Accommodation pathway helps resettled Afghans to move out of transitional accommodation into the Private Rented Sector. This guide explains how to search for suitable housing with support from the council.
- Find Your Own Accommodation Pathway (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67f63f36b7e44efc70acc3b7/FYO_Guide__A5__V3_English_with_QR.pdf) (PDF, 1.34 MB, 12 pages)
- Find Your Own Accommodation Pathway – Dari (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68010e2cea3dd40f93681fde/FYO_Guide__A5__DARI.pdf) (PDF, 1.46 MB, 12 pages)
- Find Your Own Accommodation Pathway – Pashto (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68010e79da5bb2fc4a681fd4/FYO_Guide__A5__PASHTO.pdf) (PDF, 1.46 MB, 12 pages)
Funding
- We are moving to a single streamlined integration tariff amounting to £24,110 over three years. In the first year this will be split. The first of these payments will be a £5,400 lump sum, which local authorities can claim following an individual’s arrival into transitional accommodation in their area recognising the up-front cost to councils.
- Two further payments of £3,600 and £3,410 will be available in months 4 and 10 respectively, to help meet the ongoing costs of housing and integration support during an arrival’s first year. These will be paid to either the transitional local authority or the settled, depending on who is providing support at the time the claim is made.
- Further tariff payments of £6,550 and £5,150 will be available in years two and three respectively.
- The Funding Instructions providing more detail on the funding in support of this programme will be published in due course.
Policy guidance

For more details, read the Afghan Resettlement Programme policy guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-resettlement-programme-policy-guidance).

Dari and Pashto translations

Afghan Resettlement Programme (Dari and Pashto) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68921d9ba34b939141463f79/Afghan_Resettlement_Programme__Dari_and_Pashto_.docx) (MS Word Document, 46.1 KB)

Afghan Resettlement Programme (Dari and Pashto) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68921da9f15b237bf66109a6/Afghan_Resettlement_Programme__Dari_and_Pashto_.odt) (ODT, 39 KB)