The UK government has proposed plans to include India in the expanded list of 'safe states' which will escalate the process of bringing illegal Indian migrants back to their country and rule out their chances of getting asylum in the country.
India and Georgia were the countries which were proposed to be added to the list in a draft legislation tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday (Nov 8).
The UK Home Office stated that the step is being taken to strengthen the immigration system of the country and help in preventing abuse by people who make unfounded protection claims.
“We must stop people making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK from fundamentally safe countries,” stated UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
“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,” she added.
The step is in accordance with the measures being taken to meet the pledge of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “stop the boats” of migrants which are illegally reaching the shores of the country.
The Home Office stated that there has been an increase in Indian and Georgian small boat arrivals over the last year.
"Deeming these countries safe will mean that if an individual arrives illegally from either one, we will not admit their claim to the UK asylum system,” the Home Office stated.
Other nations which have been marked as safe by the UK include Switzerland and Albania, along with the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) states.
A country is added to the safe states list through a legislative measure known as Section 80AA if the home secretary feels it is eligible and there is no risk of persecution of its nationals, and sending back the nationals to that country does not go against the UK’s obligations under the Human Rights Convention.
The Home Office said it "has rigorously assessed India and Georgia and determined that both meet these criteria.”
The proposal will now pass through parliament and debates will take place on the issue in both Houses before the legislation comes into force.
The latest step of the UK government falls within the Illegal Migration Act 2023, which is aimed to "stop the boats" through a change in laws so that people who travel to the UK illegally can get detained and then go back to their home country swiftly.
(With inputs from agencies)