(Ecofin Agency) - Rwanda has agreed to accept illegal migrants from the United Kingdom on its territory in exchange for British investment. Initiated in 2022, the project has faced criticism from human rights NGOs and encountered strong opposition in British and European courts.

The National Audit Office (NAO), a government spending watchdog in the United Kingdom, announced on Friday, March 1st, that the UK would have to pay £370 million (around $468 million) as part of the migration partnership concluded with Rwanda in 2022.

According to the briefing, the British government will have to make additional payments, including £20,000 per individual at the start of the process, and £120 million once the first 300 migrants have been relocated. Operational and processing costs estimated at £150,874 per individual will also be borne by the UK.

These payments will be made through the Economic Transformation and Integration Fund (ETIF), where funds will be directly transferred to the Rwandan government to cover asylum and migrant management expenses in the country.

The announcement follows the approval on January 17th by the House of Commons of the British Parliament of the bill to welcome migrants from the UK to Rwanda. The project, which falls under a new treaty, ensures that asylum seekers will have their cases reviewed in Rwanda (considered a safe third country), and they will not be repatriated to the UK. Asylum can only be obtained in Rwanda.

Since 2022, this migration project has faced consistent opposition from international human rights NGOs, and several British parliamentarians have questioned Rwanda's reliability in respecting human rights.

Although the bill has been approved, it still needs to be amended by the unelected members of the House of Lords (the upper house of Parliament) before being fully implemented.