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Asylum and Immigration
Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers can be especially vulnerable to homelessness. They may lack the support networks of friends and family able to offer them a place to stay in a crisis. New arrivals may also have difficulties with language and understanding the British system, which can make it harder to access support services. There are sometimes uncertainties and limitations around entitlement to state benefit and support. This in turn may limit access to help such as hostel accommodation.
What's New?
- A new briefing on people with no recourse to public funds and homelessness - visit the NRPF pages!
- Research findings from our Survey of Needs and Provision related to migrants , with specific reference to Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Central and Eastern European migrants.
- New entitlements briefing developed by Homeless link and the Aire centre. This gives guidance on A8 and A2 nationals’ entitlements to: the labour market and unemployment benefits; statutory homelessness assistance; housing/council tax benefit; local authority accommodation; Supporting People funding; NHS services
- Our EU10s Project has produced a baseline survey of Central and Eastern European Rough Sleepers in London
- Homeless Link has provided a series of recommendations for people seeking work in the United Kingdom (Zalecenia dla osob szukajacych pracy w Wielkiej Brytanii) . These are available in English and Polish
The Issues
People come to the UK for a variety of reasons; to study, work and live under a number of different schemes and legislation. Their positions vary depending on where they are from and why they are here. European Union (EU) nationals, for example, can work and study here and, with the exception of Central and Eastern European migrants generally have similar entitlements to UK nationals. People from outside the EU may be able to come to the UK on a student or au-pair visa, as a highly skilled worker or under special labour schemes. People may also be fleeing war or political oppression and come as asylum seekers. Once accepted as genuine refugees these people are given leave to remain. Within each of these categories there are a variety of statuses and entitlements that further complicate the picture.
Once there were immigrants and refugees. Today there are unaccompanied minors, trafficked people, economic migrants, environmental refugees, asylum seekers, people with humanitarian protection, full refugee status and no doubt more’ – Vaughan Jones, Praxis, Connect, Issue 22, p.12
Migrants have a wide range of support needs. Some speak good English and can readily adapt to life in the UK. Others are unfamiliar with the UK system and need support to integrate. It is often the more vulnerable groups that are likely to present to homelessness services while Language and cultural barriers can make accessing services more difficult. Some may suffer from mental health problems, in the case of asylum seekers and refugees perhaps because of traumatic experiences in their home countries. A number of issues that make migrants, refugees and asylum seekers vulnerable to homelessness are discussed below.
Asylum seekers and refugees
The majority of asylum seekers are housed on a no-choice basis through the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) contracts. Accepted refugees on the other hand are generally eligible for social housing and benefits on the same basis as UK nationals. NASS FAQ from the Home Office
Refugees leaving NASS accommodation
Many refugees paradoxically find themselves homeless at the stage when they are granted refugee status and become entitled to the same support as UK nationals. Once given ‘leave to remain’ individuals are generally required to leave NASS accommodation within 28 days. Sometimes if they have been housed in temporary accommodation this can be reduced to as little as 7 days. Finding accommodation within such a short period of time can be difficult for anyone. Without employment, family to fall back on, difficulties in being accepted as in priority need by HPUs and with delays in processing benefit claims many people end up homeless as a result.
Failed Asylum Seekers
See our briefing on people with no recourse to public funds on the NRPF pages for more information.
The destitution trap, a report launched by Refugee Action reveals the suffering caused by an inhumane and ineffective government policy that cuts off support for refused asylum seekers. It is based on research in nine UK cities.
People whose asylum claims are refused who are temporarily unable to return to their home countries should be supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act. They have to satisfy at least one of five criteria to qualify for support:
- Taking steps to leave the UK but need time to complete arrangements.
- Unable to leave because of a medical or physical impediment e.g. latter stages of a pregnancy.
- No viable route to return is available
- Have applied for judicial review and been granted permission to proceed.
- To avoid a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998.
Shaming destitution, a report from the Citizens Advice Bureau highlights problems around Section 4 support.
The Impact of refugees and asylum seekers on homelessness services
In July/August 2004, the London Housing Foundation commissioned Broadway to undertake a survey of the extent to which generic homelessness services were being asked to meet the needs of refugees and asylum seekers.
Economic migrants
Central and Eastern Europeans
Recent expansion of the European Union (EU) has led to an increase in migration from Central and Eastern Europe to Britain. When the EU expanded in May 2004, certain limitations were placed on the entitlements of citizens from 8 out of 10 of the accession countries: Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Nationals from these Accession 8 (A8) countries can come to the UK to work but can have limited or no access to social provisions and benefits. The two nations that acceeded in 2007, Romania and Bulgaria (A2 nationals) are subject to further restrictions. They require a work permit in order to commence employment in the UK.
The majority of migrants from Central and Eastern Europe successfully obtain employment and accommodation in the UK. However, restrictions on entitlements mean that options are very limited for the significant minority who find themselves homeless. See our Central and Eastern Europeans Page for more details.
In 2006 Homeless Link undertook a project to understand better the issues faced by homeless A8 nationals and the agencies responding to their needs. This included a snapshot survey of London day centres, outreach teams and night shelters and follow-on interviews with providers who have developed specialised services. A resources page for A8 migrants was also produced.
Funding has now been granted to take forward a policy project around the issues highlighted in that report, to include A8 and also A2 (Romanian and Bulgarian) nationals. The project aims to work with government departments, the homelessness sector and a wide range of other partners to develop an action plan to reduce levels of rough sleeping among people from Central and Eastern Europe .
The project will focus on rough sleeping in London, but it is expected that the solutions identified in the action plan will be relevant to other areas across the country.
Useful resources
Organisations working with immigrants in the UK
- Refugee Council - News, briefings, courses and information on refugees and asylum seekers
- ICAR – Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees in the UK - Information on key issues, guides to particular communities, research
- Praxis - London organisation that supports new residents to find their place in the UK and to facilitate the creation of new communities. – Offer advice, training and education and support to refugee community groups.
- British Red Cross – Refugee services - Includes emergency support for those in crisis, orientation services and specialist support. Also has an international Tracing service to contact relatives back home
- International Organisation for Migration - Assisted voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme - IOM offers assistance for asylum seekers who want to return permanently to their country of origin.
- LORECA – London Refugee Economic Action - Organisation offering free capacity building training programme. Their website also contains a digital library of resources on refugee employment and the LORECA Employment, Training, and Enterprise Directory,
- The National Refugee Integration Forum website was launched in February 2006.
- The Refugee Community Development Fund (RCDF) makes grants available to organisations that work in the UK with refugees and refugee communities, including those that provide services to asylum seekers.
Information
- Helping hand, a Connect article by Andrew Hogg from the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture looks at some of the practical ways that staff in homelessness agencies can support failed asylum seekers who end up at their doors.
- Language Line - Telephone based interpreting servicethat offer special rates for voluntary organisations
- Working in the UK: Your rights at work – TUC information leaflet
- Your health, your safety: A guide for workers - TUC and Health and Safety Executive leaflet
- NARIC - The National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (NARIC) can ‘translate’ overseas qualifications by establishing the UK equivalents to clients’ qualifications. NARIC is a branch of the DfES and the only official provider on the comparibility of international qualifications.
- Introduction to the National Health Service - Leaflets by Department of Health for new arrivals availble in a variety of languages, which explain the basic processes of registering, making appointments etc. It can be accessed through the DH website
- Information on the New Asylum Model - The Government is in the process of introducing a new system for dealing with asylum applications that involves dividing them into separate categories according to the nature of the claim. More info on ICAR’s website
Research and Statistics
- Housing and support services for asylum seekers and refugees: A good practice guide -(2005) Chartered Institute of Housing report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Key findings summary also available
- Survey of homelessness sector services provided to asylum seeker and refugee clients - (2004) Broadway report for the London Housing Foundation
- Building better partnerships – Guidelines for multi-agency groups working with asylum seekers and refugees in the East of England - (2005) Report by Menter/Refugee Council.
Training courses
- LASA - Offer courses on the right to reside and EU law, the right to reside and habitual residency test
- Chartered Institute of Housing - Course on housing European nationals and workers from abroad
- Refugee Council training - Courses on working with refugees and asylum seekers
Search for pages on Asylum and Immigration on the Homeless Link website