The UK Home Office announced that India will soon be included in the government’s expanded list of safe states. They added that this would expedite the process of repatriating Indian nationals who leave the country without authorization and eliminate their opportunity to apply for asylum in the UK.
India and Georgia are among the nations to be added to the list according to draft legislation that was presented to the House of Commons on Wednesday.
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced the plan, saying, “We need to stop people from fundamentally safe countries from making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK.” By adding more names to this list, we will be able to remove illegal immigrants from this country more quickly and make it very evident that they cannot stay.”
“We remain committed to delivering the measures in our Illegal Migration Act, which will play a part in the fight against illegal migration,” she said.
This action is in keeping with efforts to fulfill British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s promise to “stop the boats” carrying migrants who have made hazardous journeys across the English Channel and are illegally arriving on the nation’s shores.
Although there is no apparent danger of persecution for citizens of India and Georgia, the Home Office reported that the number of small boat arrivals from these countries has increased over the past year.
The Home Office declared, “If an individual arrives illegally from either of these countries, we will not admit their claim to the UK asylum system.”
The European Union (EU) and its member states, as well as Albania and Switzerland, are among the other nations that the UK considers safe.
“The Home Office has rigorously assessed India and Georgia and determined that both meet these criteria,” stated the Home Office.
According to the Home Office, the government is still committed to stopping the boats and discouraging people from taking risky trips to the UK.
“This issue is being tackled on all fronts, including working upstream with international partners, clamping down on criminal gangs with stepped-up enforcement, and working with the French to prevent more crossings,” said the Home Office.
