Letter from DARR to ARP-eligible individuals who remain outside the UK regarding the 2022 data incident
Updated 17 July 2025
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We are writing to inform you of a data loss incident that affects applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS) made on or before 7 January 2022. This incident occurred when a spreadsheet used for case working was sent outside of official UK Government systems in February 2022 due to a departmental error, in a clear breach of our strict data protection protocols.Â
We want to reassure you that this letter is solely to notify you of the incident and does not affect your eligibility for resettlement in the UK. To confirm whether your data was included in the incident, please use the self-checker tool at: .
The Ministry of Defence sincerely apologises for any concern this news will have caused. Everyone who applied for the ARAP and EGS schemes should have been able to do so in the knowledge that their information would be safe and secure. We want to reassure you this letter is solely to notify you of the incident, and as someone eligible to the ARP, your status is not affected, and you do not need to take action. Â
In response to this incident, the Government carefully considered any risk this compromised data posed to affected individuals and took proactive actions including relocations to the UK via the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR). We have also acted to prevent the data being shared further.Â
If you are outside the UK, please do not try to travel to a third country without a valid passport and visa. If you do so, you will be putting yourself at risk on the journey, and you may face the risk of being deported back to Afghanistan. We also cannot support you in a third country such as Pakistan unless you have already received an invitation to resettle in the UK and it has been confirmed by the UK Government that you have access to support in the third country.
If you have any questions or require support, further information is available at the Ministry of Defence’s Information Service Centre.