UK to pay asylum seekers £3,000 to move to Rwanda

Migrants whose asylum claims are rejected by the United Kingdom will be given £3,000 ($3,800) to move to Rwanda.

The UK has already has a plan in place which pays failed asylum seekers to return to their home countries.

But the new measure targets those who cannot return to their countries of origin, local press reported Tuesday.

The cash in exchange for moving to Rwanda is just another scheme in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's ambitious plan to stop irregular migration. 

It does not replace the plan to deport illegal arrivals to Rwanda, which has been blocked by courts over concerns about the east African country's safety.

To side step the court's concerns, the government introduced a bill which seeks to label Rwanda a safe country.

Last week, the proposed legislation suffered a major setback after the House of Lords passed five amendments, which if ratified, would make it harder for the House of Commons to declare Rwanda "safe" and would require the government to comply with domestic and international law.

The bill compels judges to regard Rwanda as a safe country and gives ministers the power to disregard parts of the Human Rights Act.

For accepting to receive deportees, Kigali has so far pocketed $300 million from London.

After numerous court cases and international outcry, no deportation flights have taken off under the deal struck in April 2022.

Prime Minister Sunak has vowed to press ahead with the plan.