Home Office today announced obstructive and damaging new rules for people seeking asylum, in further evidence that the current government is creating an unjust system designed to make people fail.

As of the 30 March, anyone who needs to submit new evidence that could help their case will be forced to travel to Liverpool to do so. Previously, people seeking safety could do this at their local immigration centre.

Stephen Hale, Chief Executive, Refugee Action, said:

“This change will put justice and protection even further out of reach for some of the most vulnerable people in our asylum system, and increase homelessness. It is yet another example of the Home Office trying to save money at the expense of people who are seeking protection. By making it more difficult for people to submit a fresh claim, the Home Office will hope to reduce the number of people who are entitled to financial support.

“After being forced to flee their homes and undertake a dangerous journey to desperately seek safety, this new bureaucratic obstacle means people will have to travel even further at great cost. These are people with little or no access to financial support, who are unable to work and often extremely vulnerable having survived some of the world’s worst regimes.

“We urge the Home Office to reverse these changes and provide a fair and just asylum system that treats people who are seeking safety as human beings.”

Media enquiries

Please contact Refugee Action’s media team.