‘Where do I get that from?’: UK asylum seekers face hefty repayment bill

Names marked with an asterisk* person been changed to support identities.

London, United Kingdom – Frank* spends his weekends with relatives successful London. From Monday to Friday, helium sleeps unsmooth connected the streets of southeast London, adjacent to a religion that erstwhile ran a enactment radical helium utilized to visit. It is not thing helium has told his employer, oregon the UK’s Home Office.

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Al Jazeera interviewed him arsenic helium was heading to work.

“I’m going for a nighttime displacement present carrying my belongings successful this bag,” helium said, adding that his colleagues tin apt archer helium is homeless. “But of course, they can’t corroborate that I americium connected the thoroughfare oregon not.”

The 38-year-old arrived successful the UK from Nigeria successful 2019 connected a sojourn visa, past enrolled successful a course, which would person seen him person a pupil visa. But helium could not spend the tuition fees. He is seeking asylum present for his safety, due to the fact that of kidnappings successful his hometown adjacent Lagos.

He works part-time nether a restricted statement portion helium waits for a decision. But helium is inactive recovering from a fractured leg; helium broke it successful 2024 erstwhile jumping implicit a fence, fleeing an migration cheque helium feared was a ruse to detain him. He inactive walks with a limp.

“If I spell backmost home, I would beryllium classified arsenic idiosyncratic who is disabled, likely, due to the fact that I won’t beryllium astatine my mean capacity,” helium said. “Disability astir means poorness backmost home, you’d extremity up begging connected the streets.”

Back successful Nigeria, helium struggled to marque ends conscionable arsenic a schoolteacher. Now, helium faces a caller fiscal challenge.

Under the government’s caller Immigration and Asylum Bill, radical similar Frank could beryllium asked to repay a flat-rate contribution. It is expected to full astir 10,000 British pounds ($13,360), towards the accommodation and subsistence enactment they received portion their claims were processed.

The Home Office says the complaint volition use to adults with entree to capable funds, collected monthly supra a acceptable threshold, with afloat repayment required earlier a migrant becomes eligible for settlement. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the determination reflects that “receiving asylum enactment is simply a right, but it is besides a responsibility”.

Frank said, “Even surviving present time to time is benignant of expensive, you know, normally. If the outgo is precise flexible, it mightiness not mean truthful much. But past if it is not flexible, it could beryllium a signifier of captivity, I cognize that’s a precise beardown word. But it’s similar you’re benignant of tied to them, and not wholly free.”

He worries the indebtedness volition simply propulsion radical backmost into hiding.

His ain penchant is simply a little net threshold and repayment tied to people’s circumstances. “If you archer maine I person to wage the authorities 10,000 pounds, I’ll beryllium similar – wherever bash I get that from? But if you archer maine to springiness backmost to the assemblage by doing assemblage service, mentoring someone, I’ll beryllium blessed to bash that.”

Shams Moussa, who present has imperishable residency, said the asylum-seeking process is torturous [Photo courtesy of Shams Moussa]

Former asylum seeker Shams Moussa, 48, compared the process of seeking refuge to waiting connected a wellness diagnosis.

“It’s similar going for a crab screening, waiting to perceive if the doc is going to springiness you the bully quality oregon the atrocious news,” helium said. “The bully quality is you tin enactment successful the country. The atrocious quality is, ‘We don’t judge you truthful you can’t stay’, and your satellite comes crashing down successful beforehand of you.”

Since the commencement of this year, helium has had imperishable residency and the close to live, enactment and survey without restrictions oregon visa requirements.

The caller argumentation volition not impact him, but volition deed radical helium supports done assemblage work.

Moussa argued the repayment fig ignores the world of asylum seekers’ finances, including the astir 50 pounds-a-week allowance ($67) galore unrecorded connected earlier immoderate close to enactment is granted.

“You person to bargain everything – including food, and sanitary towels,” helium said, informing the fiscal obligations could propulsion some, peculiarly women, “towards illicit oregon exploitative enactment simply to get by”.

Concepta Cassar, caput of argumentation and communications astatine Migrants’ Rights Network, called the determination “a punitive, performative policy” that piles indebtedness onto radical “before they tin adjacent drawback their breath”.

The measurement fits a wider signifier of treating migrants arsenic a fiscal liability alternatively than arsenic radical with rights, she said, adding that the authorities should absorption connected taxing utmost wealth. The interaction connected nationalist finances would beryllium marginal, portion the quality outgo with much precarity for radical who person “already survived capable of it”, is astir certain, she said.

Right-wing governmental parties and media outlets often exaggerate the outgo of asylum seekers successful the UK by spreading misleading claims, which successful crook fuels societal divisions.

Amina Khanom, manager of Reset Communities for Refugees, decried the government’s move. Instead of pressuring refugees and migrants with debts, she said policies that would get radical contributing sooner see faster claims processing, amended aboriginal infrastructure, and harmless routes. She noted that refugees “already lend done work, taxes and the captious roles galore spell connected to play successful our society”.

UK Home Office information shows that income remains humble good aft presumption is granted. Median yearly net among asylum refugees successful employment reached 13,000 pounds ($17,400) aft 8 years, rising to 23,000 pounds ($30,700) for those moving full-time but lone 10,000 to 11,000 pounds ($13,360 to $14,700) for those successful part-time oregon irregular work. It is importantly little than the median UK wage of 35,000 pounds ($460,750).

Moussa called the repayment bid a “gimmick idea” by the government.

“Nobody wants to spell and beryllium successful a edifice doing nothing. If anything, you privation your asylum assertion to beryllium processed arsenic soon arsenic possible, truthful you tin get connected with your life, effort to rebuild it, and springiness backmost to your community,” helium said. “Seeking sanctuary is simply a basal quality right; the authorities should not complaint radical for it oregon nett disconnected it.”

For Frank, the statement is inseparable from the reasons helium near location and the assumptions helium said the argumentation feeds into.

“Where I travel from successful Nigeria, my peculiar location state, determination person been instances of kidnappings and insecurity recently. So if I spell backmost there, it tin beryllium pugnacious indeed,” helium said arsenic helium gathered his belongings. “You shouldn’t presume that each asylum seekers travel present to beryllium violent, to beryllium progressive successful transgression oregon to get benefits.”