Asylum seekers in the UK may owe up to $13,000 before being eligible for compensation
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People granted asylum in Britain may have to repay the government as much as £10,000, almost more than $13,000, for accommodation and basic support before they are eligible to apply for compensation, officials announced on Monday.
This comes as immigration has become one of the most pressing issues in British politics, regularly ranking among voters’ top concerns at the polls.
Under the proposed rules, the government says payments will be means-tested and limited to seniors above income limits. Officials say safeguards will be put in place to prevent people from falling into extreme poverty, although key details of how the law will be implemented and how it will be enforced have not yet been published.
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Asylum seekers in Britain may have to repay the government more than $13,000 before they are eligible to apply for compensation. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The rules will not be applied retroactively and children will not be subject to fees.
“Getting support is a privilege, but it’s also a responsibility,” said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. “Once people are able to contribute and give back to the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.”
Mahmood explained that his latest reforms aim to reduce the burden on taxpayers’ pockets.
The government will only charge seniors who can pay. (Landscape Photography/General Photography Group)
The Home Office also said at the weekend that it aims to remove an additional 45,000 people without legal residency and criminal aliens over the next decade, on top of the tens of thousands who remain removed every year.
The centre-left Labor Party has stepped up efforts to crack down on both legal and illegal immigration as it seeks to combat the growing popularity of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has vowed to deport up to 600,000 asylum seekers and other people whose claims or applications have failed.
“Mass immigration has changed this country, certainly in many of our cities, without recognition,” Farage told Fox News Digital last week. “We didn’t choose who was able to come to the country. That has a big impact.”
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Shabana Mahmood, Britain’s home secretary, said the changes aimed to reduce the burden on taxpayers. (Getty Images)
Refugee advocates and immigration researchers have criticized the proposal, saying it would penalize people fleeing persecution and questioning whether many refugees will earn enough to pay the proposed fee. Critics also warned that combining refunds would create uncertainty for people trying to rebuild their lives in the UK.
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The Labor Party has faced internal divisions over how tough its immigration policy should be, with the party facing further uncertainty after its leader, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced last week that he would resign.
Reuters contributed to this report.
