--- title: "UK reopens refugee resettlement scheme prioritising Afghans and Palestinians" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/uk-reopens-refugee-resettlement-scheme-prioritising-afghans-and-palestinians" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/uk-reopens-refugee-resettlement-scheme-prioritising-afghans-and-palestinians" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/uk-reopens-refugee-resettlement-scheme-prioritising-afghans-and-palestinians.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/uk-reopens-refugee-resettlement-scheme-prioritising-afghans-and-palestinians" category: "Politics" area: "United Kingdom" published: "2026-09-28T11:45:48.301Z" source_reported: "2026-09-28T11:05:43.000Z" updated: "2026-09-28T13:45:13.065Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 57 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-28T13:30:59.098Z" --- # UK reopens refugee resettlement scheme prioritising Afghans and Palestinians *New route aims to provide safe and legal pathways for vulnerable individuals fleeing conflict and persecution.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to named body, with two independent outlets and one named source. - Craft 57 of 100, higher is better. Quotes from affected parties and named experts, with clear separation of fact and comment. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headline promises a fast-track route, but the body details a five-year path to settlement. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The UK is reopening its resettlement scheme for refugees, which had been suspended. - The scheme will prioritise Afghan women and girls, and Palestinian refugees. - Around a quarter of those admitted are expected to be Palestinians and Afghan women and girls. - Immigration experts and refugee charities have raised concerns about the scheme's limited capacity. The United Kingdom is relaunching its refugee resettlement scheme, which had been closed. The new route will prioritise Afghan women and girls, and Palestinian refugees. Approximately one in four individuals admitted under the scheme are expected to be from these groups. Most refugees will be referred through the UN refugee agency UNHCR, while Palestinians will be processed via the International Refugee Assistance Project (Irap). Those admitted will be placed on a five-year pathway to permanent settlement. ## Disagreement on scheme scale Immigration experts and refugee charities have expressed doubts about the scale of the reopened scheme. They suggest the number of places available may be too small to significantly deter asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats. The government, however, maintains that expanding legal routes should be accompanied by limits on overall admissions. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the specific figure of 'around a quarter' of those admitted being Palestinians and women and girls from Afghanistan, a detail reported by the left-rated and centre-rated outlets. The right-rated digests also do not mention the specific referral pathways through UNHCR and Irap. ## Who covered it Shares of the 14 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 14% (2) - Centre: 36% (5) - Right: 50% (7) 6 of 20 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-28T13:30:59.098Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-28T13:45:13.065Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The National and IBTimes UK reported on the reopening of the UK resettlement scheme, highlighting the prioritisation of Afghan women and girls, and Palestinian refugees. Both outlets noted that around a quarter of those admitted would be from these groups. They also included comments from immigration experts and refugee charities, such as Madeleine Sumption of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford and Jon Featonby of the Refugee Council, who questioned the scheme's scale and suggested that hundreds of places would not be enough to make a meaningful impact. The National quoted Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on fairness and compassion, while IBTimes UK quoted her on the need for routes to be 'capped and controlled'. ### Centre - The UK is restarting a refugee resettlement scheme, prioritising Afghan women and Palestinian refugees. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to announce the reopening of the programme, which has been suspended for two years. Around a quarter of those resettled will be from Afghanistan and Palestine. - The scheme aims to make it easier for refugees to gain permanent settlement rights in the UK. Mahmood is expected to state that the changes will demonstrate a fair immigration system that supports vulnerable people. - Immigration experts and refugee charities reportedly believe the number of eligible refugees is too small to deter Channel crossings. One report suggested the scheme could be criticised for being open to large families, potentially increasing reliance on state welfare. ### Right - WIN, The Daily Sceptic, Daily Express, news-pravda.com, Power Line, and GB News reported on the UK's plan to reopen its refugee resettlement scheme. These reports focused on the prioritisation of Palestinians and Afghan refugees, with some specifying Afghan women and girls. The Daily Sceptic and GB News highlighted the 'fast-track' nature of the new legal route for refugees. Power Line questioned the rationale behind the move, suggesting it would attract criticism. GB News also mentioned that the scheme would target 'most vulnerable' refugees, including those with critical medical needs and survivors of torture. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 3 - low: 1 - mixed: 5 - high: 3 - unknown: 6 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [BBC News](https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5vgyj8k3dzgo) — Shabana Mahmood to reopen scheme to resettle refugees in the UK - [Nation.Cymru](https://nation.cymru/news/uk-to-restart-asylum-resettlement-scheme-mahmood-to-say) — UK to restart asylum resettlement scheme, Mahmood to say - [Live Mint](https://livemint.com/news/world/uk-to-open-legal-routes-for-refugees-prioritising-afghan-women-palestinians-fairness-is-what-unites-us-11790598513774.html) — UK to open 'legal routes' for refugees, prioritising Afghan women, Palestinians: 'Fairness is what unites us' - [dailymail.com](https://dailymail.com/news/article-16166329/Home-Secretary-Shabana-Mahmood-accused-opening-borders-large-Afghan-Palestinian-families-restarts-refugee-resettlement-scheme.html) — Home Secretary 'opening borders to Afghan and Palestinian families' - [newscentraltv.com](https://newscentraltv.com/uk-to-reopen-refugee-resettlement-scheme) — UK to Reopen Refugee Resettlement Scheme - [روزنامه اطلاعات روز](https://etilaatroz.com/261841/new-resettlement-pathways) — Britain Opens New Resettlement Routes for Afghan and Palestinian Women - [WIN](https://worldisraelnews.com/britain-to-open-its-doors-to-palestinian-asylum-seekers-report) — Britain to open its doors to Palestinian asylum seekers - [The Daily Sceptic](https://dailysceptic.org/2026/09/28/mahmood-to-open-new-fast-track-legal-route-for-refugees) — Mahmood to Open New Fast-Track Legal Route for Refugees - [The National](https://thenational.scot/news/26585821.afghan-women-palestinians-prioritised-uk-refugee-scheme) — Afghan women and Palestinians to be prioritised as UK restarts refugee scheme - [Daily Express](https://express.co.uk/news/world/2252344/uk-reopen-refugee-route-priority-afghan-palenstine) — UK to reopen refugee route with priority for Afghan women and Palestinians - [IBTimes UK](https://ibtimes.co.uk/uk-reopen-refugee-resettlement-scheme-afghans-palestinians-1822246) — Shabana Mahmood Insists Refugee Routes 'Must Be Capped and Controlled' as UK Welcomes Afghan Women and Palestinians - [Khaama Press](https://khaama.com/uk-to-launch-refugee-route-prioritizing-afghan-women-and-palestinian-refugees) — UK to Launch Refugee Route Prioritizing Afghan Women and Palestinian Refugees - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/russia/2026/09/28/2625233.html) — Sergey Kolyasnikov: British Interior Minister Shabana Mahmoud (pictured) said that Britain is resuming an immigration program designed specifically for Afghan women and Palestinians in order to provide them with permanent.. - [Document](https://document.no/2026/09/28/ga-hamas-leders-livvakt-statsborgerskap-na-apner-storbritannia-egen-asylrute-for-palestinere) — Gave Citizenship to Hamas Leader's Bodyguard - Now Britain Opens Its Own Asylum Route for Palestinians - [Jerusalem Post](https://jpost.com/international/article-909908) — UK home secretary to restart resettlement program prioritizing Palestinian refugees - [Power Line](https://powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/09/more-refugees-to-britain.php) — More refugees to Britain - [GB News](https://gbnews.com/politics/shabana-mahmood-fast-track-legal-route-refugees) — Shabana Mahmood to unveil fast-track legal route for 'most vulnerable' refugees - [PressNewsAgency](https://pressnewsagency.org/shabana-mahmood-to-unveil-fast-track-new-refugee-route-for-afghans-and-palestinians) — Shabana Mahmood to unveil ‘fast-track’ new refugee route for Afghans and Palestinians - [online-listing.com](https://online-listing.com/news/blogger/2026/09/27/uk-to-open-new-refugee-resettlement-routes-for-afghan-women-and-palestinians/happenings) — UK to open new refugee resettlement routes for Afghan women and Palestinians - [The Telegraph](https://telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/09/27/mahmood-fast-track-legal-route-refugees-migrants) — Mahmood to open new fast-track legal route for refugees ## Questions **What is the UK reopening?** The UK is reopening its refugee resettlement scheme. This scheme had been suspended and will now provide a legal pathway for refugees to come to the UK. **Who will be prioritised under the new scheme?** The scheme will prioritise Afghan women and girls, and Palestinian refugees. Around a quarter of those admitted are expected to be from these groups. **How will refugees be referred?** Most refugees will be referred through the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Palestinian refugees will be processed through the International Refugee Assistance Project (Irap). **What are the concerns about the scheme?** Immigration experts and refugee charities have questioned the scale of the scheme, suggesting that the number of places may be too small to deter asylum seekers crossing the English Channel. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/uk-reopens-refugee-resettlement-scheme-prioritising-afghans-and-palestinians. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "UK reopens refugee resettlement scheme prioritising Afghans and Palestinians", https://mediabias.news/politics/uk-reopens-refugee-resettlement-scheme-prioritising-afghans-and-palestinians