Should Asylum Seekers be allowed to work?

Currently, people seeking asylum in the UK can only apply for permission to work if they have been waiting for an initial decision on their asylum claim for over 12 months.

The delay in decision-making should not be the applicant’s own fault, rather it should be due to Home Office administrative delays. If an applicant successfully obtains permission to work, they can only undertake roles that appear on the Shortage Occupation List.

There are numerous campaigns demanding changes to the current policy, including reducing the length of time for eligibility to apply for permission to work, lifting the Shortage Occupation List restriction and allowing refused asylum seekers to work, if there is a temporary obstacle preventing their departure from the UK.

The latest statistics show that there are over 70 000 people waiting for a decision on their initial asylum application. This is a 73% increase from the past 2 years.

When compared globally, the UK policy seems to be the most restrictive when it comes to allowing asylum seekers access to employment. For instance, EU law requires asylum seekers to wait 9 months, the USA requires 6 months and Canada and Australia require no time period before seeking employment.

At the same time, there is a continuing labour shortage in the UK. The main industries presently affected are global vehicle production, petrol, milk, meat, toys and trees, and building materials.

In this context, it could certainly be worth reviewing the possible benefits that extending asylum seekers’ rights to employment could bring. Potential advantages include benefits to the economy and reduced costs to the taxpayer, improving the integration of asylum seekers in the UK and reducing their vulnerability to destitution or exploitation as an illegal worker.

For now, we will have to wait and see where the ongoing discussion takes us amidst the UK’s current labour shortage.

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