The Uganda Resettlement Initiative

Due to increased attention from the media and advocacy groups, UK's Home Secretary, Robert Carr, declared the creation of a committee to plan for the organized arrival of individuals expelled from Uganda. As a result, in August 1972, under the Heath administration, the Uganda Resettlement Initiative was established. This was to assist the Ugandan Asians, who were about to make the UK their home, a place that might seem foreign to them. Out of the roughly 55,000 South Asians who left Uganda in that tense 90-day window, about 28,500 settled in Britain. For those who arrived between September and November, arrangements were made for airport receptions, initial guidance, housing, and short-term financial aid.

On September 18, 1972, Stansted Airport in London welcomed the inaugural flight of evacuees.

The nation saw the rise of 16 interim resettlement zones, with 60 nonprofit groups stepping up to help the newcomers. A vast number of UK citizens also contributed, offering clothing, children's activities, English lessons, and more. The Home Office set up the Uganda Resettlement Initiative specifically to oversee these operations.

The Ugandan Asians, many of whom were professionals in fields like banking, teaching, and engineering, expressed their eagerness to integrate swiftly, wishing to be assets rather than liabilities to their new home.