Asylum seekers will still not be allowed to work, Home Office review concludes

Asylum seekers in the UK will remain unable to work after a long-awaited Home Office review of the policy banning them from entering into employment concluded that it required “no further changes”.

Immigration minister Tom Pursglove announced on Wednesday that, despite widespread calls for the ban to be lifted – including from Tory ministers, it must remain in place in order to “reduce pull factors to the UK, and ensure our policies do not encourage people to undercut the resident labour force”.

In December 2018, the then-home secretary Sajid Javid told Parliament that he would like to review the ban following findings by the Lift the Ban coalition showing that allowing asylum seekers to work could generate £42m per year for the government.

People who have been waiting for an asylum decision in the UK for more than 12 months can apply for the right to work – but they can only take jobs in a limited list of professions known as the Shortage Occupation List.

The Lift the Ban report recommended relaxing the policy to allow asylum seekers to work after six months, with no restrictions on access to the labour market.

In July 2020, a follow-up to the report was published with the same policy recommendation but with updated estimated benefits to the government of £98m per year. A further update in summer 2021 revised this further upwards to £180.8m per year.

However, the Home Office’s review has concluded that the fiscal benefits arising from a relaxation of the right to work policy were likely to be “significantly lower” than the figures claimed by Lift the Ban.

“In light of wider priorities to fix the broken asylum system, reduce pull factors to the UK, and ensure our policies do not encourage people to undercut the resident labour force, we are retaining our asylum seeker right to work policy with no further changes,” Mr Pursglove said.

“It is key this policy continues to protect our immigration system from those lodging unfounded asylum claims in an attempt to avoid work visa rules, particularly at a time when dangerous journeys made by small boat are increasing.”

The findings are at odds with remarks made by deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab said in September, when he said that removing the ban on employment for people claiming asylum would allow them to make a “positive contribution” to the British economy and society.

His remarks were echoed by Steve Baker, Tory MP and former chair of the European Research Group (ERG), who told The Independent it was “madness” that the Home Office did not permit asylum seekers to work.

Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive at Refugee Action, criticised the Home Office review’s conclusions, saying: “Ministers’ decision to ignore voters, businesses, refugees and MPs and stick with its ban is nonsensical.

“After three years of this review the Home Office nor its Ministers have been able to cobble together even the flimsiest piece of evidence that backs up this awful and nonsensical policy.

“This ban creates misery for people who are often stuck for years in our asylum system and who could be integrating and contributing to their communities.”