- Support could be withdrawn for offences or rule breaches
- Probe into alleged false asylum claims under way
- Shift away from EU-era entitlement to discretionary powers
THE government is preparing to link asylum support to compliance with immigration rules, with new powers to be placed before Parliament next week by Shabana Mahmood.
Under the proposals, asylum seekers who commit criminal offences, breach Home Office conditions or fail to follow instructions such as removal orders could lose access to state benefits and accommodation. The measures would apply even if the individual is left “destitute”, reported the Telegraph.
The changes would be introduced through statutory instruments and would replace a 2005 framework that implemented EU requirements to provide support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be without means. Ministers say the new system would give the home secretary discretion to refuse or withdraw support in a wider range of cases.
This includes people who have the right to work after waiting a year for an asylum decision and are considered able to meet their own living costs. It would also cover migrants who entered the UK on work or student visas with permission to work before making an asylum claim.
Support could also be removed from those who work illegally, fail to comply with Home Office conditions, or refuse to move to cheaper accommodation when instructed.
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Downing Street said the Home Office and regulators are examining allegations that some migrants have made false claims about sexuality or domestic abuse to support asylum applications.
A government spokesman said: “Any attempt to misuse protections designed to protect genuine victims from the devastation of domestic abuse is shameful and completely unacceptable.”
“The Home Secretary has been clear that those trying to defraud the British people to remain in the UK will have their application refused and find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain.”
The government said that where evidence exists of misconduct, legal advisers involved would be referred to the police through the relevant regulatory bodies.
Mahmood said individuals and advisers found to be abusing the system would face legal consequences. “Anyone abusing protections for people fleeing persecution over gender or sexual orientation is beyond contempt,” she said, adding that those involved would “face the full force of the law”.
The proposals follow an investigation by BBC which reported that some advisers charged large sums to help migrants present false elements in asylum claims.
Ministers say the approach would align the UK more closely with policies in countries including Denmark, the Netherlands and France, where access to support is more closely linked to compliance with immigration rules.
