Many of you will have seen the Government’s ‘New Plan for Immigration’ which sets to overhaul the UK asylum system. At SLRA we have been working hard with colleagues across to raise our concerns about these proposals and the damaging effects they will on asylum-seekers who arrive irregularly.
At the centre of the plan is a discriminatory two-tier approach to asylum, differentiating between those entering through resettlement, and those arriving spontaneously or having passed through countries deemed safe. For the latter, attempts at transfer to other safe third countries would be made, and, if impossible within six months, access to asylum would be provided. But a successful claim would only offer temporary form of status, with limited access to rights and benefits.
It has been widely accepted that these changes will be extremely difficult to implement, and so rather than deterring asylum seekers will only prolong the process, and force those found to be refugees to live under the constant threat of removal, and into destitution.
SLRA strongly opposes these proposals and we will keep you updated on the work we do to challenge them.
Further Reading:
- UNHCR response – full legal position, here
- UNHCR response – Briefing, here
- Article by Independent “Britain’s immigration plans will ‘damage lives’ and undermine international cooperation, warns UN”, here
- Find out more about how fair and safe alternatives for a new UK immigration system could look like from the Joint Council of the Welfare of Immigrants, here
This blog entry was written by our Youth Casework and Policy Manager, Maya Pritchard