The UK Afghan resettlement programme still lacks key elements of control and coordination, with weaknesses in data, housing provision and programme management risking its successful completion, according to a National Audit Office report.
The audit identifies what it describes as urgent gaps in programme management, including limited cross-government data and weak oversight of delivery, despite the consolidation of schemes into a single Afghan Resettlement Programme in 2024.
While acknowledging progress, the NAO warns that structural issues remain unresolved. Poor data on individuals and their needs continues to hinder planning, while a shortage of suitable housing has emerged as a critical constraint, contributing to higher-than-expected levels of homelessness among those resettled.
Between April 2021 and December 2025, 37,950 people arrived in the UK under Afghan resettlement schemes. Thousands remain in the system, with 29,655 people still awaiting eligibility decisions as of November 2025.
The government expects the programme to cost £5.7 billion through to 2032-33, of which £3.1 billion has already been spent. A further £2.6 billion remains, meaning the majority of long-term delivery and integration activity is still ahead.
The NAO found that the schemes were established rapidly under pressure following the Taliban takeover in 2021, but said the resulting structure became fragmented across departments and stages of resettlement. This complexity, it noted, persisted longer than necessary and contributed to inefficiencies and poorer outcomes.
Although the transition to a unified Afghan Resettlement Programme has improved coordination in some areas, the report concludes that it has not yet resolved fundamental delivery risks. These include uncertainty over future demand, limited understanding of integration outcomes, and ongoing reliance on transitional accommodation.
The watchdog said the government must now complete the core components of effective programme management, including better data, clearer oversight and stronger coordination across departments.
“Government departments have worked together in challenging conditions to resettle thousands of Afghan citizens who were at risk of reprisals from the Taliban,” said Gareth Davies, head of the NAO.
“Although progress has been made under the new Afghan Resettlement Programme, the government has more to do to successfully resettle the affected people in the UK.”
The NAO also called for scenario planning to assess barriers to completing the programme, closer monitoring of recent policy changes such as limits on time in temporary accommodation, and clearer measures of successful integration.
A mere £5.7 billion
yeah steep, that is £150k per person, or £600k for a family of 4.
granting asylum is fine, paying them not so much esp when they were already paid while in Afghanistan for services given.
my 2 cents