Thank you to everyone who has contacted me to raise concerns about the Home Secretary’s recent announcement on reform of the asylum system. It is important to note we do not have the full details yet, but I wanted to share my initial thoughts.
This is an uncomfortable subject for us in Lewisham North. Our borough has a proud history of welcoming refugees and immigrants, so much so that we became the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary. As the local MP, my caseworkers and I have supported hundreds of people with their asylum applications over the last 10 years.
There are undoubtedly huge challenges when it comes to our current asylum system. Illegal migration has increased massively in recent years and, whilst many are refugees, others are economic migrants attempting to take advantage of the system.
We have to acknowledge the additional pressure that this has placed on some local communities. Upwards of 100,000 people are currently living in asylum accommodation, funded by the taxpayer. The situation has been made worse by the fact that successive Conservative governments failed to get a grip of the problem and Home Office processing times have been far too long.
In her statement to the Commons on Monday 17th November, the Home Secretary said her goals were twofold: “first, to reduce illegal arrivals into this country, and secondly, to increase removals of those with no right to be here”.
The first thing to say is that there are definitely some positive changes included in the Home Secretary’s proposals, especially around appeals and legal reform. For example, I was pleased to see proposals for an independent appeals body with professionally trained adjudicators; statutory timelines, expedited appeals for certain cases; and early legal advice form a core part of the reforms.
I also agree we should support those who abide by the rules and contribute when they are able to do so, but that those who do not — through criminality or antisocial behaviour — should potentially have their support removed.
However, I believe there are still questions to be answered around the major change of approach at the centre of all this: that refugee status is to be made temporary and subject to regular review. Those who receive refugee status will have to reapply every two and a half years, and wait a lengthy 20 years to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
In my view, the time to determine whether an asylum seeker has a genuine case or not (and to deport them if necessary) is when deciding whether to accept them into the country in the first place.
Once we have accepted that someone is a refugee, we should be making it easier for them to integrate, not harder. I have seen in my own casework that when people do not have certainty over their status, they are more open to exploitation and find it harder to put down roots, which can have a huge impact on their mental (and physical) health.
In a further statement on Thursday 20th November, the Home Secretary announced a consultation on various options which could mean that people who satisfy certain criteria could apply for settled earlier. I am pleased to see that she is keen to hear from the public on this and would encourage you to share your views here.
The Home Secretary also used this statement to clarify that the rules will not change for people who are already here and settled. I am sure this will come as a relief to many.
I am in touch with Alex Norris (Minister for Border Security and Asylum) and hope to meet with him soon to share both my own views and those of my constituents.
The Home Secretary will further clarify the details of her proposals over the coming weeks and I hope that concerns raised by myself and others will be taken into account.
