Newly released government documents justifying the refugees-to-Rwanda policy will be independently scrutinised, the immigration inspector has announced.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) is inviting tenders for a country expert to review four detailed publications on the asylum and human rights situation in the East African country.

The documents, published on 9 May, are broadly intended to prove that “a functioning asylum process is in operation in Rwanda” and that it would not be a breach of refugees’ human rights for the UK government to send them there.

But they also reveal serious deficiencies in the Rwandan asylum process, while a separate equality impact assessment points to “ill treatment” of LGBTQI+ people.

One expert told Free Movement: “if this is the best they can come up with they are f***ed”.

The ICIBI-commissioned review will involve “assessing the extent to which information from source documents has been appropriately and accurately reflected in the… reports” and “noting and correcting any specific errors or omissions of fact”, among other things. The deadline for applications is 30 May and the review is due by 8 July.

This should be VERY interesting.
It is difficult to see how a genuinely independent review of the UK Home Office information products on Rwanda, which are evidently intended to justify & support the refugee deportation deal, will give them a clean bill of health. https://t.co/Lqq4fz6P0U

— Jeff Crisp (@JFCrisp) May 10, 2022