India to be added to U.K. safe states list, ruling out asylum rights for illegal migrants from the country

UK govt plans to add India, Georgia to safe states list to speed up return of illegal travelers & prevent asylum claims. Move part of PM Sunak's pledge to "stop the boats" & prevent exploitation by gangs. Draft legislation to be scrutinized by Parliament before coming into force.

The UK government has tabled plans to add India to an expanded list of safe states, which would speed up the process of returning Indians who travel from the country illegally and rule out their chance of seeking asylum in Britain.

Draft legislation laid in the House of Commons on November 8 includes India and Georgia as the countries to be added to the list. The UK Home Office said the move is aimed at strengthening the country's immigration system and help prevent abuse by people making unfounded protection claims.

“We must stop people making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK from fundamentally safe countries,” said U.K. 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 said.

The move is in line with measures to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” of migrants landing on the country's shores illegally after making precarious journeys across the English Channel. The Home Office said that Indian and Georgian small boat arrivals have increased over the last year, despite individuals from these countries not being at obvious risk of persecution.

"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 said.

Other countries deemed safe by the UK include Albania and Switzerland, as well as the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) states. A country can only be added to the UK's safe states list – known legislatively as Section 80AA – if the Home Secretary is satisfied that there is, in general, no serious risk of persecution of its nationals, and; removal of nationals to that country cannot go against the UK’s obligations under the Human Rights Convention.