Refugees are being left homeless say MPs

Once granted refugee status asylum seekers have just 28 days to leave their Home Office accommodation, according to a new report. This leaves many to rely on charity as they try to integrate into British society. The report also highlights a two-tier system between refugees who journey across Europe to get here, and those the Government brings to Britain.

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Refugees report calls on the Government to double the length of time asylum seekers can remain in their accommodation before they are kicked out. The report also calls for more money for English language lessons, which more than halved between 2008 and 2015. It recommends the creation of a new National Refugee Integration Strategy and a ministerial post dedicated to resettling refugees.

For example, Syrian families who are brought to Britain under the Home Office’s Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) receive housing and support for 12 months. But refugees who make their own way here and apply for asylum in the UK face a sudden stop in financial support just after they win the right to stay here. There are also delays in processing their paperwork, and minimal English language education and help to find employment and homes. The APPG report cited one refugee from Syria who spent months homeless and jobless because of a spelling mistake in his paperwork

Under the last Labour government, a programme called the Refugee Integration and Employment Service was set up that offered 12 months of support to access housing, education, social security and the job market. However, this was shut down by the Tory/Lib Dem coalition in September 2011. Since then, there has been no official support service for refugees who have been through the asylum system.

Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire, who chairs the APPG, said: “Creating a two-tier system for refugees, loading the dice against people who come here to build a new life is not just the wrong thing to do but a costly missed opportunity for Britain. Refugees bring so many talents and skills. They just need the opportunities to unlock their potential.”

Stephen Hale, chief executive of Refugee Action, said: “This report is a timely wake-up call. The new Government must seize the opportunity to enable all refugees in Britain, regardless of how they arrive, to successfully rebuild their lives. Refugees are determined to learn English and start contributing to their new communities through volunteering, work and socialising with their neighbours. But as the report highlights, they face huge barriers to integration. This is a shocking waste of their talents.”