BRITAIN will welcome 20,000 Afghans fleeing the Taliban from next year.
Operation Warm Welcome will open in January, six months after Afghanistan was seized by the extremists.
The Government will open a safe and legal route to the UK, focusing on women, children, ethnic minorities and freedom fighters.
They will still be subject to strict security checks like others resettled through schemes.
Minister for Resettlement Victoria Atkins said: “We are committed to supporting everyone we have evacuated from Afghanistan to make a success of their new life.”
All those resettled in the scheme will be granted indefinite leave to remain here, and be allowed to work or study.
The UK helped bring 15,000 people to safety after the fall of Afghanistan last summer – including womens’ rights activists, journalists and prosecutors.
