Afghan man’s fresh hope of being reunited with family

Galya Dimitrova

BBC News

1 August 2024

An Afghan man living in the UK is hoping to be reunited with his family for the first time in three years after a government resettlement scheme was opened.

Muhammad said he helped British forces and was given indefinite leave to remain after escaping the Taliban-run country in 2021 – but his wife and two young children have been living in Pakistan and were unable to join him.

He previously told the BBC he feared they could be deported after Pakistan said it wanted to return more Afghan migrants.

But he has been given fresh hope after it was announced on Tuesday that the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme would be open for applicants until October.

Muhammad, who is living in Oxfordshire, said his wife had become “really emotional” when he told her about the development over the phone.

“My kids were sitting beside her and my four-year-old son asked: ‘Mum, why are you crying?’,” said Muhammad, who described telling his boy how he hoped he would soon be joining him in the UK.

‘Enemies of the regime’

Muhammad said he still had some concerns about the process, especially as his family are in a third country – but the BBC understands the government has provided guidance that this would not have a negative impact on any application.

He said his first priority would be to “put my kids into school” and added that he would “never” be able to return to Afghanistan.

“Now, I think the UK is our country and we would be settling here for our remaining lives,” he said.

Muhammad said he assisted UK forces to source accommodation – something he believed would make him and his family “enemies” of the current regime.

He and other Afghan citizens in a similar position have been receiving support from Oxford charity Asylum Welcome, which had urged the previous government to “make good on their promise to Afghans who help British forces”.

At the time, the government said it was trying to bring more eligible Afghans to the UK.