Guidance

Gateway Protection Programme

Published 11 January 2010

This guidance was withdrawn on

This guidance is out of date and has not been replaced.

© Crown copyright 2010

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gateway-protection-programme-information-for-organisations/gateway-protection-programme

This guidance was archived on 1 April 2020.

The Gateway Protection Programme is operated by UK Visas and Immigration in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The programme offers a legal route for up to 750 refugees to settle in the UK each year, and is completely separate from the standard procedure for claiming asylum in the UK.

Applications for resettlement under this programme are made to the UNHCR, which refers them to us. Applications cannot be made directly to us, to British diplomatic posts abroad or through other international organisations. All applications are assessed individually on their merits.

Once applicants have been referred to us, we carry out checks to assess:

  • their refugee status
  • their need for resettlement (including whether their human rights are at risk in the country where they sought refuge, and whether they have long-term security in the country where they currently live)
  • security risks (whether the applicant has committed a serious crime or represents a threat to national security, for example)
  • their family status (including dependants and their relationship to the applicant)
  • their health and the health of their dependants

We may refuse an application if we have good reasons to believe that resettlement in the UK would not be for the public good.

To find out more about our caseworkers assess applications for resettlement under the Gateway Protection Programme, you should read our asylum policy instruction.

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