UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will personally consider claims by Afghan interpreters who want to settle in Britain after helping its troops fight the Taliban.
Mr Wallace sought to reassure civilians in Afghanistan amid mounting pressure on Nato members to protect their staff in the country from reprisals.
He said the admissions process had been streamlined to help as many people as possible but that checks were needed to confirm identities.
Afghans who quit their roles with the British military or were dismissed for minor offences may still apply.
“Our scheme is open-ended and will not end when we leave. I will personally review contentious claims as Defence Secretary,” Mr Wallace said.
“Decisions are based on the threat to the civilians’ life, their eligibility and the security of UK citizens.”
About 3,000 interpreters and their families are being resettled in the UK but critics say thousands more should be eligible for the initiative.
A group of former British officers wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that only those who constituted a national security threat should be excluded.
Last week, the US took in its first batch of Afghan citizens at a base in Virginia, and Germany said it would offer more financial help to stranded civilians.
Britain is following Washington’s lead by withdrawing the last of its troops from Afghanistan this year after a 20-year campaign.
One Afghan interpreter who spoke to the BBC's Today programme on Tuesday said he had changed address three times as the Taliban had gained ground.
“My own house, which I left yesterday, it has been captured by the Taliban and they are living there, and they were asking for me,” he said.
“They are looking house to house to find the people who worked for Nato.”
The Nato withdrawal has raised fears that the Taliban will swiftly retake power in Afghanistan, triggering a humanitarian crisis.
British military chiefs who spoke to The National raised concerns that terrorist groups could flourish in Afghanistan as Al Qaeda did before 9/11.
The UK sent more than 150,000 military personnel to Afghanistan, of whom 454 were killed.
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
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Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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