Latest modern slavery fight updates - FreedomUnited.org

Lift The Ban: U.K. government could raise £98 million per year

  • Published on
    July 31, 2020
  • News Source Image
  • Category:
    Law & Policy, Prevention
Hero Banner

Lift The Ban’s new report released this week calls for the U.K. to use common sense and grant all people seeking asylum the right to work – a policy change that could see the government receive almost £100 million ($131 million) per year through increased tax contributions and a reduction in government subsistence payments.

Freedom United joins over 200 organizations in the Lift The Ban coalition urging the U.K. to allow all people seeking asylum, some of whom are modern slavery survivors, the legal right to work after they’ve waited six months on a decision so that they can sustainably support themselves and live in dignity.

Instead, people seeking asylum currently have no other option but to survive on government subsistence payments that amount to just £5.66 ($7) a day.

A reported 32,000 people had been waiting longer than six months for an outcome on their initial asylum claim at the end of March 2020, 68 per cent higher than the previous year.

During this period of time, people seeking asylum are at increased risk of destitution and as a result, may be forced to seek out exploitative work in order to survive. In the worst cases, this can amount to modern slavery.

The U.K. is lagging behind countries like the U.S., Canada and other European countries who have less restrictive conditions on allowing people seeking asylum to find work.

In the U.K. today, individuals must have been waiting 12 months for an initial decision on their asylum claim before being allowed to find work from an extremely limited pool of jobs on the government’s Shortage Occupation List.

Waiting time for work Twitter
Graphic from Lift The Ban’s July 2020 report

 

Mariam Kemple-Hardy, Head of Campaigns at our partner organization Refugee Action, told The Independent:

“Giving people seeking asylum the right to work is just common sense. It will strengthen our economy, save this government tens of millions of pounds, improve integration, and benefit the lives of thousands of people who have come to the UK to find sanctuary.

The previous government spent years dithering over a review. This new Government must get a grip and stop kicking the can down the road while people seeking asylum suffer in poverty.”

Mary Brandon, campaigns manager at Asylum Matters, said: “It makes no sense for the Government to deny the right to work to skilled, talented people who could contribute to the Covid-19 response and the wider economic recovery. Instead, the current rules keep people in poverty and undermine integration.”

There is no good reason for the U.K. government to prevent people seeking asylum from working to support themselves and contribute to the economy. Almost 100,000 people around the world are calling on the U.K. to act – add your name today.

Subscribe

Freedom United is interested in hearing from our community and welcomes relevant, informed comments, advice, and insights that advance the conversation around our campaigns and advocacy. We value inclusivity and respect within our community. To be approved, your comments should be civil.

stop icon A few things we do not tolerate: comments that promote discrimination, prejudice, racism, or xenophobia, as well as personal attacks or profanity. We screen submissions in order to create a space where the entire Freedom United community feels safe to express and exchange thoughtful opinions.

Notify of
guest
1 Comment
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Clive Sawers
Clive Sawers
3 years ago

Waiting 12 months represents a considerable waste of a valuable human resource.
This all makes sense.

This week

S.O.S at sea: forced labor, abuse, and murder in global fishing industry

One in every five fish is caught through illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, often in conditions rife with worker abuse. The United Nations estimates that approximately 128,000 workers are currently ensnared in forced labor on remote fishing vessels worldwide. According to the US Department of Labor, child labor or forced labor has been observed in the production of various seafood items in at least 20 countries, underscoring the global scale

| Wednesday March 13, 2024

Read more