CHARITIES, opposition parties, and people who have lived through the Home Office system have urged the UK Government to act on proposals from an ally think tank and give asylum seekers the right to work.
Labour Together – which is backed by top UK Government ministers including Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting – floated the idea of giving asylum seekers temporary refugee status, and so the right to work, while their claims are processed.
In a paper on “contribution” published earlier this month – which The Times reported had been circulating around Whitehall and “has influential supporters in Downing Street, the Treasury, and beyond” – the Labour think tank outlined an imagined case of a refugee called Isak.
It said: “Isak flees to Britain from Eritrea. If he arrived recently, he would have spent his time in an asylum hotel, getting three meals a day but forbidden from contributing. This will be bad for Isak, because his skills are wasted and his mental health deteriorates. It will be bad for society, because we pay for his inactivity and his care, wasting society’s scarce resources.
“But in a world where Britain’s asylum system is more orderly, he is granted temporary refugee status. With a translator’s help, he meets his resettlement officer to draft a new contribution contract. This contract sets expectations for him. He must learn English and find work quickly. He can claim Universal Credit – with the same rules as any claimant. His temporary accommodation will continue for now, but he must find private sector accommodation soon. He is obliged to contribute to the society that has given him refuge.”
The paper suggested that the UK Government should use “carrots and sticks to encourage contribution”.
The Times reported that senior Labour ministers support the plans, adding that the Home Secretary “is known to be supportive of introducing a stronger contributory element to the migration system”.
While experts told the Sunday National that the proposals were broadly welcome, concerns were raised around the punitive elements of the system – and how long it would take for any changes to get off the ground.
Sadia Sikandar, an artist and activist who went through the UK asylum system herself, said giving people a temporary refugee status to allow them to work would be a “great initiative”.
She went on: “One thing that’s important to mention is to go through the asylum [system], it took one year for some and 20 years for others. It’s always unpredictable.
“If they have the right to work, they can afford to go through this difficult phase by themselves, rather than rely on different charity organisations.”
Sikandar quoted a Scottish Government report from December 2023, which said that “granting the right to work to people seeking asylum in Scotland would add £30 million per year on average to the Scottish economy if granted immediately on arrival”.
“We really need to work on making our economy better and stronger collectively,” she said.
Nathan Phillips, the head of campaigns at Asylum Matters – which co-leads the Lift The Ban campaign calling for people seeking asylum to be allowed to work – said: "Labour Together are absolutely right to understand that most people want to work; to build a life with dignity and independence; to pay taxes; to share their skills with their new communities and forge friendships.
“But this gleeful talk of 'carrots and sticks' and forcing people to 'live on probation' misses the point and revels in punishing people seeking protection. Sanctuary isn’t something people should be forced to earn. It’s our basic duty as a decent society."
He added: “There’s no need to attach these punitive, convoluted and no doubt expensive strings to working rights. People seeking safety are desperate to work, so let’s shelve the gimmicks, lift the ban and let them."
Tim Naor Hilton, the chief executive of Refugee Action, said that giving asylum seekers the right to work would be “an absolute game changer for the country”.
“It would allow people to use their skills, experience and education and rebuild their lives, allow businesses to fill skills gaps and pump billions into the UK economy,” he added.
However, Naor Hilton said that lifting the ban on work would “not require a back-to-front process involving temporary status”, and should be handled more simply.
A Scottish Refugee Council spokesperson said: “People seeking safety want to contribute to their communities and support themselves and their families. We welcome proposals that would allow people awaiting decisions the right to work and therefore begin to rebuild their lives.
“Refugees and people seeking asylum should have the same rights and access to support as any other workers in the UK. We look forward to seeing the policy in full.”
Pete Wishart, the SNP’s depute leader at Westminster, said asylum seekers should have the right to work, adding: “It is of absolutely no benefit to anyone, be that asylum seekers or wider society, if people are left in the lurch for years with no ability to earn money and contribute.
“The fact that the Labour Party are in a downwards spiral with Nigel Farage means this proposal won’t make it past the first hurdle of Number 10 – people are angry because Britain has been stuck in a doom loop for decades, and the Westminster establishment has offered up those fleeing war and oppression as the latest people to blame.
“Westminster is determined to make the debate about asylum and immigration one steeped in toxic language, and that speaks volumes about just how far beyond repair broken, Brexit Britain has become.
“Scotland needs a fair immigration system that works for our country – that means working with our European partners, something which the Westminster establishment simply won’t entertain.”
The Scottish Greens also backed the right to work for asylum seekers, with MSP Maggie Chapman saying: “Everyone should be given the right to work, instead of being forced by the state to live in poverty and destitution while their asylum claim is considered.
“Labour has had umpteen chances to fix this. Giving asylum seekers the right to work would help shift society away from the anti-migrant agenda that is currently being pushed by the UK Government, other political parties and right-wing commentators.
“We must remember, too, that people fleeing war zones or persecution deserve our support to rebuild their lives – we are morally and legally obliged to provide sanctuary to refugees and asylum seekers.
“It is crucial to remember that our intrinsic worth as human beings is not tied to our ability to contribute, and the safety and security that is offered cannot be conditional.”
The Home Office was approached for comment.
