Britain’s asylum support system fails the most vulnerable, finds a June 2017 report from Refugee Action.
Slipping Through the Cracks (pdf) explores the delays experienced by asylum-seekers, and the impact these have on people already forced to flee conflict, violence and persecution.
The report finds that most issues are caused by:
- Incorrect refusals of emergency support
- Poor application of the destitution test
- Extended periods spent in Initial Accommodation
- Delays in receiving section 95 support
- Onerous requests for further information
And suggests changes needed to make the asylum system fair:
- The Government must urgently recommit to applying existing policy and guidance consistently in all cases
- Within three months, the Home Office should put into practice a transparent approach to decision making on asylum support so that the future treatment of asylum seekers is apparent to the public and all stakeholders
- The Government should give asylum seekers the right to work, unconstrained by the shortage occupation list. In addition to bringing the UK in line with most European countries, this would mean that asylum seekers would no longer be forced to solely rely on state support to survive.