In March 2023, Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced the Refugee Ban Bill which seeks to impose a complete ban on those desperate people arriving in the UK to claim asylum. This law will be the biggest attack on the refugee protection system that we have ever seen and will cause more misery and create more chaos on an asylum system that is already on the brink of collapse. It is not compassionate nor effective potentially leaving those fleeing persecution and war in limbo for years.
These laws mean that only refugees arriving through extraordinarily restricted ‘official’ routes, which have been reduced dramatically, will be allowed to seek protection. All others will be banned from claiming asylum, then detained or deported under this government’s anti-refugee laws. They will not be allowed to challenge their removal or have access to bail from detention, or support if they are victims of modern slavery. People seeking safety will instead be locked up indefinitely, left in limbo and under the perpetual threat of deportation.
OUR PLEDGE
We believe that people seeking protection from war and persecution should be welcomed and that everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly. We believe that the UK should offer sanctuary to those who need it.
That’s why we are committed to Fight the #AntiRefugeeLaws which the Refugee Ban Bill is part of. Please, take a stand against this bill and sign our pledge to fight the #AntiRefugeeLaws.
Doubling down on injustice
Regardless of the Government’s plans, the current asylum system already too often fails those desperately seeking safety. Instead of safety and shelter, they can be left hungry and homeless on our streets while they wait, sometimes years, to get a decision that in many cases is wrong.
It’s unfair and ineffective.
Hear from our Experts by Experience
Our Expert by Experiences podcast frequently host panellist with lived experience of displacement to discuss topics surrounding the UK asylum system from their authentic perspectives
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
Instead of hostility and neglect, we believe a different future is possible. A future where those forced to flee the homes they loved receive compassion, a fair decision, essential support and help to rebuild their lives. A future we can be proud of.
The current reality vs. our vision
Hostility
People seeking safety are demonised and attacked whilst desperately trying to navigate a complex system without any help.
Compassion
Compassion is at the heart of a system that is focused on protecting the needs of the vulnerable. People feel welcomed.
Hostility
People seeking safety are demonised and attacked whilst desperately trying to navigate a complex system without any help.
Compassion
Compassion is at the heart of a system that is focused on protecting the needs of the vulnerable. People feel welcomed.
Injustice
People are waiting years at a time for a decision on their claim that is too often wrong because the process is simply unfair.
Fairness
People are given the best possible chance for a fair and timely decision that is right the first time.
Injustice
People are waiting years at a time for a decision on their claim that is too often wrong because the process is simply unfair.
Fairness
People are given the best possible chance for a fair and timely decision that is right the first time.
Destitution
People are left destitute because the system fails to give them the support they need and denies them the right to work.
Dignity
People are given timely support to look after themselves and their families, and are given the right to work.
Destitution
People are left destitute because the system fails to give them the support they need and denies them the right to work.
Dignity
People are given timely support to look after themselves and their families, and are given the right to work.
Neglect
After being granted refugee status many fall into destitution and those who receive a negative decision are treated as criminals.
Support
People are given the support they need to restart their lives, whatever the outcome of their asylum claim.
Neglect
After being granted refugee status many fall into destitution and those who receive a negative decision are treated as criminals.
Support
People are given the support they need to restart their lives, whatever the outcome of their asylum claim.
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68% of all people seeking asylum wait longer than 6 months for a decision
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Vulnerable families struggle to survive on just £5.84 a day for years
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52% of people are granted refugee status on appeal
Constructing a crisis
It’s not easy running an asylum system that protects people fleeing war and persecution and gives them a fair hearing on their application for refugee status. So it’s no surprise that some politicians see it as a thankless task and turn instead to fabricating problems, such as a BÖRDER KRISÍS, to give them cover for the solutions they prefer (such as the #AntiRefugeeLaws).
Of course, we think politicians should stop building a BÖRDER KRISÍS and start building a country that treats people seeking safety with compassion.
Accommodating prejudice
The accommodation system for people seeking asylum has been in crisis for years. People have been left in dangerously dilapidated houses their ceilings have literally fallen in, stuck in hotels for months on end and effectively detained in disused army barracks. Yet the Anti-Refugee Bill is set to make the situation much worse.
Research, resources and reports on the asylum system
Our report reveals that the government is running a system of de-facto detention and segregation of people in the current asylum accommodation system.
Our vision at Refugee Action is that those seeking asylum are admitted into a system that is based on four key principles of anti-racism, equality, accountability, and welcome.
Lift the Ban
Right now, right here in the UK, people seeking refugee status are banned from working while they wait months, and often years, for a decision on their asylum claim. Instead, they are left to live on just £5.66 per day, struggling to support themselves and their families, whilst the Government wastes the talents of thousands of people.
Access to Justice in the Asylum System
Changes to the legal aid system have left many people seeking asylum completely unable to access the legal support they need to make their case for protection from violence or persecution. This is denying justice to some of the most vulnerable people in our country. It is essential that people are able to access good quality legal assistance.