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£10,000 repayment plan
Britain’s government has announced that people granted asylum in the UK will be required to pay back around £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and support once they start earning, under new rules included in the upcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill.
“- Published People granted asylum in the UK will be required to pay back around £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and support once they start earning, the government has announced”
The BBC said the changes will apply to asylum seekers who have the right to work in the UK and must be paid off before they can become eligible to settle here permanently, with the Home Office not determining how much they would need to earn before making monthly instalments.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the policy would demonstrate "asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility," adding "Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so."
The BBC also reported that around £4bn of taxpayers' money was spent on supporting asylum seekers last year, and that the average cost of housing an asylum seeker for one night in publicly-owned accommodation is £23.25, while £144 is charged in a hotel.
Charities call it a tax
The Guardian reported that the means-tested scheme would order asylum seekers to pay about £10,000 to cover their state-funded living costs or be denied settled status in the UK under a new law to be considered by MPs on Tuesday.
The Guardian quoted Refugee Council director of external affairs Imran Hussain saying, "Imposing what amounts to an extra tax on refugees" is unfair and makes it "much harder for families to rebuild their lives and stand on their own feet."
The BBC said the Home Office would have the power to adjust the charge and the repayment thresholds in the future to ensure they are "both fair to the taxpayer and will not force any migrant into destitution," and that those whose claims have been rejected will also have to pay back the costs if their income matches the government threshold.
The BBC also cited the Refugee Council’s view that the plans amounted to an "extra tax on refugees" and would make it "harder for families to rebuild their lives and stand on their own feet," while Imran Hussain argued that the Home Office bans asylum seekers from working while their claims are being assessed.
Thresholds, work and costs
The Guardian said the amount of money raised will be "relatively small" because less than 15% of refugees earn more than £20,000 five years after being granted asylum, and it cited University of Oxford Migration Observatory director Madeleine Sumption saying the data suggests that unless thresholds were significantly below the minimum wage, a relatively small share would earn enough to make contributions.
“Asylum seekers will be ordered to pay about £10,000 to cover their state-funded living costs or be denied settled status in the UK under a new law to be considered by MPs on Tuesday”
The Guardian also reported that the scheme could discourage successful asylum claimants from finding work or push them towards alternative accommodation, and it quoted Sumption saying, "It is possible that the scheme could have some other impacts, such as discouraging asylum seekers from taking up accommodation".
The BBC reported that the Home Office estimates a quarter of 16 to 64-year-olds granted asylum between 2015 and 2023 were in employment within the same calendar, rising to 50% two years after refugee status was granted, and that of those in employment eight years after receiving asylum, 37% had been in full-time work with median earnings of £23,000.
The i Paper added that the plans would be introduced under the new Immigration and Asylum Bill and would require migrants to pay off the full amount before being eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), while it also said the UK spends £4bn a year across accommodation and support for asylum seekers.
