Thread by @SqueakinglyJen

If you want to claim asylum then the *ONLY* way to do that is from within the UK. gov.uk/claim-asylum. That is why people are arriving in boats.

For Ukrainians - and only for Ukrainians and their family members - the UK has introduced an international humanitarian pathway to allow them to get to the UK. It gives them temporary protection on arrival and they can claim asylum once here if they wish. gov.uk/guidance/suppo…

The only ways for at-risk people to apply to come to the UK are fee-paid visa routes (such as work visas) which are expensive and have detailed eligibility criteria it’s not realistic for people fleeing a warzone to meet (particularly the most vulnerable people).

For a small number of at-risk people tailor-made schemes have been offered. But it’s a really tiny number of very specific situations and nationalities this is offered to, such as Afghan interpreters. gov.uk/government/new…

With Afghanistan there was some brief effort made to evacuate people and then there are some ongoing efforts (half-hearted - the numbers are so small). E.g. gov.uk/guidance/afgha…

The UK also offers some refugee resettlement. This is not a humanitarian visa pathway. In general people cannot apply and there is no queue and instead an organisation handpicks a few particularly vulnerable families to relocate. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…

When the government and far right supporters talk about ‘legal’ versus ‘illegal’ refugees this is nonsense. People only really receive refugee status in the UK after they arrive here. Only Ukrainians have been offered an accessible safe and legal humanitarian visa pathway.

The Refugee Convention does not discriminate by means of arrival. Some arrive by air and others overland. For some countries only affluent refugees usually arrive by air (people who can afford a visit or other fee-paid visa). This doesn’t make their asylum claims stronger.

If people talk about legal versus illegal asylum seekers - ask them which visa route a person is supposed to apply for to enter the UK as a ‘legal’ asylum seeker: gov.uk/browse/visas-i… (Answer: there is none)