The Safety of Rwanda Act (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 (‘the Safety of Rwanda Act’) was introduced following the Supreme Court judgment in R (on the application of) AAA and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] UKSC 42 on 15 November 2023. That judgement concluded that the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) into which the previous government had entered with the Republic of Rwanda and under which individuals who entered the UK via dangerous, illegal or unnecessary means would be relocated to Rwanda for asylum processing, was unlawful.
	In response to this judgement, the previous government agreed the UK-Rwanda Treaty, which replaced the commitments agreed under the previous Memorandum of Understanding that had been considered by the Courts. The Treaty was laid in Parliament on 6 December 2023. The Safety of Rwanda Act received Royal Assent and came into force when the Treaty came into force on 25 April 2024.
	The Safety of Rwanda Act:
Confirms that the Republic of Rwanda is a safe third country for the purposes of removal;
Confirms that the Government of the Republic of Rwanda will fulfil its obligations under the Treaty with the UK;
Ensures that any court or tribunal conclusively treats Rwanda as a safe for the purposes of asylum and removal.
	No enforced removals to Rwanda ever took place under the terms of the UK-Rwanda Treaty. As the government does not intend to proceed with the MEDP, the Safety of Rwanda Act will serve no practical purpose. The Government intends to formally bring an end to the Treaty with Rwanda. This will deliver on the Government’s manifesto commitment to end the MEDP.
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024