Birmingham asylum seekers make Christmas plea to local MPs to lift work ban

This week, MPs across the West Midlands received a series of hand-decorated Christmas cards from campaigners, urging them to persuade the Government to lift the ban on working for people seeking asylum.

Currently, almost everyone applying for asylum in the UK is banned from getting a job, with applications for the right to work only open to people who’ve been waiting for a decision for over 12 months. Even then, the only jobs people can take up are those on the immigration salary list  - a highly limited list of just 23 specialist professions, including classical ballet dancer.

At a card-making event at a drop-in centre in the city centre of Birmingham hosted by campaigning charity Asylum Matters, cards were sent to MPs across the region. With lawmakers currently working on a new Asylum and Immigration Bill, representatives were urged to influence the Government to extend the right to work to anyone who has been waiting for an asylum decision for more than six months, and to allow applications to take jobs in any profession.

One of the card writers, Danilo Gr, originally from Columbia and currently seeking asylum in the West Midlands, said: “I am part of this group because I want to show my concern about the current restriction that prevents asylum seekers from working when their asylum claim is being processed. I believe this policy is unjust and the Government should reconsider it because work provides purpose and dignity, fosters community cohesion and would reduce government expenses on housing and financial support. I want to bring about a change in this policy.”

Emma Birks, West Midlands Campaign Manager for Asylum Matters, added: “Right now, skilled people across Birmingham and the West Midlands are banned from working, unable to support themselves or use skills that would benefit all of us. It makes no sense and is unfair. 

“All we’re asking for this Christmas is for people who’ve waited more than six months for an asylum decision to be able to work. It’s hardly an expensive gift - in fact, it could gain the UK economy as much as £333 million a year - but it would be transformative for people who are currently forced to wait for months or even years in limbo, surviving on asylum support rates of as little as £8.86 per week.

“Being able to work would mean people who’ve fled war and persecution could start getting their lives back on track, live independently and get more involved in their communities. As MPs head off for their Christmas break, we hope these cards will make them consider how they’d feel if they were banned from coming back to work in January, and do whatever they can to persuade the Government to lift the ban on work.”