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REFUGEE ACTION ‘DISAPPOINTED’ AT GOVERNMENT DECISION NOT TO OPT INTO EU WORK DIRECTIVE

Friday October 14th 2011

REFUGEE Action’s Chief Executive Dave Garratt today expressed his ‘disappointment’ at the government’s decision not to opt into an EU directive which would have given asylum seekers the right to work six months after arriving in the UK.

Immigration Minister Damian Green announced yesterday that the government had decided not to opt into the Reception Conditions Directive.

Dave Garratt said: “We are very disappointed that the government has chosen not to support this directive, which would have allowed people seeking asylum to lead a more fulfilling life while contributing to society by working and paying taxes. Many asylum seekers are highly skilled and are desperate to give something back to the UK while they wait for a final decision on their claims.”

ENDS

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/EU-asylum
Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and received 30,000 visits from asylum seekers last year. As one of the country's leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 30 years' experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.