Asylum seekers should be granted the right to work in the UK after six months to give them the chance to escape poverty and destitution, a cross-party group of MPs has recommended.
A joint report from the all-party parliamentary groups on poverty and migration found that the UK’s asylum, immigration and refugee systems are creating “destitution by design” and claimed that policies are intended to push new arrivals into poverty in the hope that others will be deterred from travelling to the UK.
Baroness Ruth Lister, co-chair of the all-parliamentary group on poverty, said: “This report shows that all too often government policy is creating hidden poverty and destitution for people in the immigration system.
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“By creating a hostile environment for many in vulnerable circumstances, it is not only pushing people into extreme poverty and destitution but is leaving local communities – local government and civil society groups – to pick up the pieces
“The report demonstrates the urgent need for an inclusive immigration system that respects the human rights of all asylum seekers, refugees and migrants and serves the social and economic needs of the country.”
The effects of UK immigration, asylum and refugee policy on poverty report notes that most people awaiting the outcome of an asylum claim have no right to work – unless they are qualified to work in jobs on the immigration salary list, which recently replaced the shortage occupation list. In this case, they may be able to work after 12 months of arriving in the UK.
With many asylum applicants facing long delays for an initial decision, they may be unable to work for many months or even years, pushing them further into poverty, the report suggests.
Migrants with irregular immigration status similarly have no right to work, and even those who may in due course be entitled to remain in the UK – for example due to long residence – can face long periods without the ability to access regular employment.
The barriers to regular employment may force some people to accept low-paid or exploitative work in order to get by, the report says.
The inability to access employment may also have long-term consequences for the migrants’ professional skills and qualifications, confidence and employability, exacerbating the risk of unemployment once they gain the right to work. They may also be unable to access training, including English language courses.
The report adds that visa restrictions that limit the ability of some migrants to change their employer can reduce opportunities to negotiate better terms and conditions and may leave some people vulnerable to exploitation.
Other barriers to refugees and asylum seekers’ participation in the UK labour market include:
- discrimination on grounds of race, nationality or migration status from employers
- the complexity of having educational and professional qualifications gained overseas recognised in the UK, which may prevent migrants from accessing high-skilled jobs
- lack of access to social security and welfare support, which can leave some unable to afford to commute or afford essentials they need to work.
The MPs heard evidence from organisations that work in the poverty and migration sectors, academics and local government representatives, as well as people with lived experience of migrating to the UK.
One migrant told MPs: “Putting this kind of restriction on people leads to homelessness and destitution. And that is … violating a human right. You have to have some sort of income to live. But some people such as myself, I don’t have any of these benefits. So that’s why people lead into homelessness.”
Another said a friend was unable to return to work he was qualified to do even when he was granted the right to work because he had been out of the profession for too long.
The report also recommends reducing the length of time people spend subject to immigration control, including shortening routes to settlement and tackling backlogs.
It also says fees such as the immigration health surcharge should be reviewed with the aim of reducing costs for lower-income households who are already UK residents.
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