Rwanda has put in place all necessary requirements to ensure that migrants who will arrive next week from the UK, have safety, live in dignified designated shelters and all their cases observed, The New Times has reliably established.  

On April 14, Rwanda and the United Kingdom announced a major partnership under which the former will receive migrants and asylum seekers from the UK.

It is scheduled that the first group will arrive next week. Upon arrival, they will be accommodated at Hope Hostels. At the hostel, they will be registered and their asylum claims will be received and recorded.

The claims, according to sources, will be assessed based on Rwandan refugee laws and international conventions. The assessment will determine whether they get refugee status. Those granted refugees status will be given due papers. For those who won't be willing to take the refugee status will also be offered an opportunity to stay in Rwanda, and if they stay, they will be granted a residence permit.

The New Times also established that both, those who are granted the refugee status and those who are granted the option to stay, will be given packages to facilitate them to stay in the country, integrate and acquire some skills for the long term plan so that in future they are able to sustain themselves.

Judge gives UK-Rwanda migration deal a clean bill of health

Meanwhile, when Rwanda and the United Kingdom inked a Migration and Economic Development Partnership, back in April, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that there are politically motivated lawyers that may attempt to challenge the deal of transferring migrants and asylum seekers who are illegally in the UK to Rwanda.

Although he expressed confidence that the policy was fully compliant with international legal obligations, what he anticipated eventually happened. Some lawyers ran to court trying to block the first flight to Kigali that is scheduled for next week.

Kigali had also announced that they had been working on the deal with the UK for nine months to ensure it abides by all international obligations.

On Friday this week, British judge Jonathan Swift rejected bid to block the transfer of illegal entrants in the UK to Rwanda, saying that the deal with Rwanda "is in public interest.”

In fact, Swift noted that; "there is a material public interest in the Home Secretary (Priti Patel) being able to implement immigration decisions.” He added that some of the risks facing the transfer of asylum seekers outlined by the charities were small and "in the realms of speculation."

He said he did not consider there was any evidence that there would be "ill-treatment, refoulement" or anything that violated their rights under article three of the UK's Human Rights Act.

Article three protects people from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and deportation or extradition to a country where there is a real risk they will face torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.

Reactions

Reacting to the ruling, UK Home Office Secretary, Priti Patel tweeted that, "I welcome the court’s decision in our favour and will now continue to deliver on progressing our world-leading Migration Partnership.  People will continue to try and prevent their relocation through legal challenges and last-minute claims but we will not be deterred in breaking the deadly people smuggling trade and ultimately save lives.”

She went on to note that, "Rwanda is a safe country and has previously been recognised for providing a safe haven for refugees – we will continue preparations for the first flight to Rwanda, alongside the range of other measures intended to reduce small boat crossings."

 The UK Prime Minister also expressed his appreciation of the court ruling saying that; "Welcome news from the High Court today. We cannot allow people traffickers to put lives at risk and our world leading partnership will help break the business model of these ruthless criminals.”

The deal

The Rwanda-UK Migration and Economic Development Partnership intends to disrupt the business model of organised crime gangs that make a fortune from illegally shipping migrants to the UK; will also intend to deter migrants from putting their lives at risk.

The partnership was shaped in a manner that prioritises the dignity and rights of migrants, empowering them with a range of opportunities for building a better life in a country which has been consistently ranked as one of the world’s safest.

The partnership is the first of its kind, and has been referred to as an innovative solution to a broken global immigration system.