UK Expands Safe States List to Include India and Georgia

Safe States  : India and Georgia are expected to be included in the United Kingdom‘s expanded list of “safe states.” This addition would prevent individuals travelling illegally to the UK from seeking asylum in the country, reinforcing the nation’s immigration system and discouraging unwarranted protection claims.

Safe States – India and Georgia

The draft legislation, presented in the House of Commons, includes India and Georgia as countries slated for inclusion in this list. This move comes as part of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s commitment to making the prevention of small boats carrying asylum seekers from landing on the country’s shores one of his top priorities.

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman emphasized the importance of this expansion, stating, “We must stop people making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK from fundamentally safe countries.” She added, “Expanding this list will allow us to more swiftly remove people with no right to be here and sends a clear message that if you come here illegally, you 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.”

The decision to include India and Georgia in the “safe states” list comes as the UK government observed an increase in the number of individuals from these countries arriving on small boats after crossing the English Channel, despite these individuals not being at obvious risk of persecution.

In the UK, countries are deemed “safe” based on Section 80AA of the legislation. The home secretary must be satisfied that there is, in general, no serious risk of persecution of its nationals in a country to be added to this list. Additionally, the removal of nationals to that country must not go against the UK’s obligations under the Human Rights Convention.

Notably, India and Georgia will join other nations like Albania and Switzerland, as well as the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA), already deemed safe states by the UK. The inclusion of a country in the UK’s “safe states” list is a critical step in the nation’s immigration policy, ensuring that individuals arriving illegally from these countries will not be admitted to the UK asylum system.The proposed expansion will now undergo parliamentary scrutiny in the usual manner, including debates in both Houses of Parliament, before it can be officially implemented.

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