How much will it cost the British treasury to deport refugees to Rwanda? Here are the numbers

LONDON

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is showing unparalleled determination in defending his plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, despite strong human rights and political opposition to this plan.

Boris Johnson justifies his plan by cutting off the road to "human trafficking gangs", and the desire to end the refugee crisis that is debilitating the state treasury.

The refugee crisis in Britain is often exaggerated, although the numbers show a different reality compared to other European countries such as Germany, France and even Sweden, and the cost of the deportation scheme to Rwanda will be more expensive than receiving asylum seekers, broadcasting their applications, allowing them to work and providing a source of income for themselves , according to observers.

Expensive

The British government announced that the cost of the plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is 120 million pounds, which will be received by the Irish government, but economic estimates of the British Refugee Council showed that this plan will cost taxpayers more than 1.4 billion pounds a year (the British pound is equivalent to 1.23 dollars). .

This huge amount would have been more profitable to invest in human and technical resources to quickly broadcast asylum applications, and allow asylum seekers to work until the final decision is taken in their applications, according to British observers.

Research by the International Rescue Committee, which works in refugee relief, showed that allowing refugees to work and filling the huge wage gap - which they receive, whether in countries such as Germany, the United States, Lebanon, Jordan and Britain - is able to give the global gross domestic product a boost of about $53 billion.

ban from work

One of the procedures that makes asylum seekers appear as a burden on the British state treasury is that the latter prevents them from working throughout the period of broadcasting in their files, and in some cases it may take more than a year to consider an asylum application file, which means that the person concerned will not be able to work Unless his asylum application is accepted, he will live on government aid, which provides him with about $10 per day.

For example, during the past year, the British government was forced to provide financial aid and provide housing for about 68,000 asylum seekers who are still waiting for the broadcast of their applications, and according to data from the British Home Office, the costs of housing each asylum seeker in asylum centers or hotels amount to 4.7 million dollars per day. , and in a year it reaches 1.5 billion dollars.

On the other hand, the calculations of the British "Lift the ban" Foundation - which advocates the right of asylum seekers to work - show that the British state treasury could earn about 181 million pounds annually if it allowed asylum seekers to work.

According to the same institution, its opinion polls showed that 50% of asylum seekers are able to find work with an average income of 30 thousand pounds annually, which will save the state treasury 650 million pounds annually, i.e. reducing the cost of refugees by about half annually. 92% of asylum seekers would be willing to work if they were allowed to do so.

The most expensive trip in the world

According to the British newspaper, The Guardian, the cost of the first flight from Britain to Rwanda to repatriate refugees, which was canceled at the last minute, cost the state treasury 500,000 pounds, making this trip one of the most expensive trips in the world.

As for another report by the British newspaper "Times", it showed that the annual rate of deportation of asylum seekers will be about 300 people per year, due to the number of cases that these people will file to prevent their deportation, and this means that the British government needs 34 years to deport 10,000 students Asylum and the government set them a target for expulsion from Britain.

The cost of deporting one asylum seeker will be - according to the same newspaper - between 20 and 30 thousand pounds, which includes his deportation until he reaches Rwanda and the broadcast of his application.

Find out about politics

From an economic point of view, it appears that deporting asylum seekers may be more costly than receiving refugees, but there are political details that push the Johnson government to stick to this controversial plan.

British Border Guard data show that the number of people who crossed into the country via boats during the past year amounted to 28,500 people, recording a record increase compared to the year 2020, when this number reached about 8,400 people, and it is expected that the number of people who will cross to Britain via boats will exceed More than 30 thousand during the current year.

These figures then the British government says that they are worrying figures and need a firm stand, which made it provide about 50 million pounds sterling for the Royal Navy to monitor the maritime borders.

There is another factor that pushes the government to defend this plan, which is the popular mood in support of it. An opinion poll by the YouGov Foundation showed a split among the British people regarding this plan between 35% of those in support and 37% of those who oppose it, which are close to two percentages. It can give the government a strong electoral card that appears to be making good on the promise of reducing the number of immigrants and refugees.