Individuals seeking asylum should be allowed to work

An individual seeking asylum should be allowed to work while their application is being processed. Countries like Canada, Sweden, and Portugal have this policy, why don’t we?

Currently, the UK does not grant the right to work to those seeking asylum. This right only comes once the asylum claim has been granted and the individual is given refugee status. We should and would give the right to work to those waiting for their asylum applications to be processed, as there is absolutely no reason to deny this. The ban harms not only the individuals impacted but also local communities and businesses. The only reason the ban exists is political: despite little to no evidence that policies such as employment bans have any significant impact on the number of arrivals, the government – both under the Conservatives and Labour – have insisted on this ban.

Even if these types of policies did prevent arrivals (which, again, is not backed up by any study),  we fundamentally disagree with the very concept of preventative policies against those who seek asylum. Put simply, people who seek asylum in the UK or any other country do so for personal reasons, not because they are seeking employment, and we should fulfill our obligations to them.

Countries such as Canada, Sweden, and Portugal allow people seeking asylum to work and so should we. Anybody who has been unemployed for a significant period of time knows the impact this can take on mental health. By denying people the right to contribute their skills to society, we only further a mental health crisis which will then make employment and integration more difficult in the future. And, of course, our economy needs workers and our systems need taxpayers. The majority of those seeking asylum are of working age, nearly all are healthy, and they can and want to contribute to the economy. By refusing to give them this right, the government costs the taxpayer millions while losing out on new taxes and a labour force. This really is a no-brainer.

Crucially, the vast majority of asylum applicants (76% of applications processed in 2022) are eventually granted refugee status.  Thus, all this ban does is prevent future workers, who want to work and contribute, from working and contributing.

The ban on work is even worse when we bear in mind just how little support those seeking asylum are given. For those in government-provided housing (which is often in very poor condition), each adult receives £7.03 a day to buy essential items (anything non-essential is out of the question). They are forced into poverty while being prevented by the government from integrating, which is harmful to not only the individuals involved but to society as a whole.

To make matters even worse, in August 2023 the Home Office began to force people whose asylum claims had finally been granted – often after years in the system – to leave their accommodations within one week rather than four weeks of the grant of refuge. Charities in both the asylum and homeless sectors immediately raised alarm bells (the Red Cross estimated that by 31 December 2023, there would be an additional 50,000 homeless people due to this policy). The government quietly backtracked this policy after several weeks, but it should never have been implemented in the first place and is yet another sign of the ineptitude of the current system.

Indeed, the current timeline of four weeks is already quite difficult for people to suddenly have to start their lives over – how does the government expect people to support themselves when they have not been allowed to earn an income for months or even years on end? This does not even take into consideration the mental health impact of the forced displacement and asylum process, along with the trauma of the isolation which accompanies the employment ban. As we all remember from lockdowns, this is not a healthy way to live and yet the government is forcing it upon those who came seeking our help. It is unsurprising and entirely preventable that many individuals granted refugee status end up on the streets.

It cannot be stated enough: the current ban on work is actively contributing to rising homelessness numbers. This is terrible for individuals and society, and must be ended.

It is important to acknowledge that ‘pull factors’ are not why people seek asylum in any given country. Instead, they are seeking safety from circumstances beyond their control, and we do not believe in policies which deter those in need. Studies have found that people seeking asylum tend to have very little knowledge of what their rights will be once they arrive in a new country. They come because they need to and we should not be actively putting up barriers to their integration that ultimately harms not only them but society as a whole. Those seeking asylum should be allowed to work and contribute to the UK, their new home.