Rochdale MP calls for asylum seekers to be allowed to work

Tony Lloyd supports the Lift the Ban coalition

Tony Lloyd, MP for Rochdale, has declared his support for the Lift the Ban coalition, which is calling on the government to let people seeking asylum in the UK work while their claim is processed.

The Lift the Ban coalition, formed of over 160 businesses, unions, campaigns, and faith groups, wants to see the government allow people seeking asylum the right to work six months after submitting their claim.

Currently, people seeking refugee status are banned from working whilst they wait for a decision.

Lloyd made the call after talking to RAS Voice, a group of refugees and asylum seekers who campaign together in Greater Manchester.

Mr Lloyd said: “Asylum seekers want to make a contribution to the society that has taken them in and talking to the refugees who have status and are enjoying employment, has only reinforced my belief that asylum seekers must be allowed to work from at least six months after their claim has been submitted so they can live in dignity, contribute to their communities, and provide for themselves and their families.

“Greater Manchester has a proud history of providing a place of sanctuary to refugees and people seeking asylum. But that is, of course, only half the battle. We need to also ensure the individuals and families who seek refuge in our towns and cities are given the chance to flourish and rebuild their lives.

“Denying people seeking asylum the right to work while their claim is processed clearly violates that ambition: it forces them to depend on the meagre £5.39 they receive from the government, stops them from using and improving their skills, and very often forces them into homelessness, deprivation, and poverty.”

Surveys carried out by the campaign show that such a move by the government would be supported by almost three-quarters of the British public as well as helping to reduce the incidence of poverty among people seeking asylum.

They also argue that the UK’s policy makes it an outlier amongst most Western nations with most giving people seeking asylum the right to work at some point petween the day they arrive and six months after they lodge their claim.

The campaign is hoping that an amendment to the new Immigration Bill will provide them with the opportunity to secure a similar commitment for the UK’s asylum seekers.