Under a joint memorandum of understanding signed on Thursday, the two countries agreed that those deemed “illegal” arrivals in the UK will be eligible for relocation to Rwanda.

Ms Patel said the “vast majority” of those who arrive in the UK through “illegal” means, such as on small boats or stowed away in lorries, will be considered for relocation. Only illegal migrants who passed through safe countries, such as France, will be eligible for removal to Rwanda.

Once migrants are brought ashore in Dover by Navy and Border Force officers, they will get medical assessments before being taken to new processing facilities at Western Jet Foil and Manston airfield, where they will be screened.

Those with relevant vulnerabilities or safeguarding risks will be exempted, but Rwanda has to approve any requests and has made clear it will reject any individuals with criminal records.

Those deemed eligible for relocation to Rwanda will have five days notice to appeal, during which time they will be detained. 

Those seeking asylum from Rwanda will not be sent back, regardless of how they entered the UK. Britain has also agreed to resettle “a portion of Rwanda’s most vulnerable refugees” in the UK.

Those passed for relocation will be flown on chartered flights paid for by the UK Government and offered the chance to apply for asylum in Rwanda. They will not be able to claim asylum in the UK.

Only adults will be eligible for removal and families will not be split up, so they will stay in the UK where they will enter the asylum system. Given 70 per cent of those crossing the Channel are male, almost all those sent to Rwanda will be men.

The migrants will be housed in temporary accommodation in Rwanda, not detained, and have their asylum claims assessed. If successful, they will be allowed to stay in Rwanda for at least five years and will be given training and financial support for the duration.

If they are not granted refugee status, they will be offered other opportunities to stay in Rwanda through other visa routes. However, if they do not qualify for any of them, they will be removed to their country of origin. They will be subject to Rwandan law as soon as they land.

The Government does not need to pass new laws, as the removal of migrants to “safe” third countries is enabled through “inadmissibility” rules introduced in January 2021. The Home Office says nothing in the UN refugee convention precludes the transfer of people to third countries.