NACCOM, alongside 200 other UK organsiations, is part of the #LiftTheBan coalition, a group campaigning to overturn the ban on people working whilst seeking asylum in the UK.
This month (August) saw the publication of a new #LiftTheBan report, Common Sense, which shows how clear the evidence in favour of giving people seeking asylum the right to work is.
From a rise in the estimated benefit to the treasury (£97.8 million per year) to enduring public and business support and examples that show lifting the ban makes even more sense during the coronavirus pandemic – this report makes the rational, moral and financial case for the right to work.
The report outlines how a policy change would;
- Strengthen people’s chances of being able to integrate into their new communities
- Allow people seeking asylum to live in dignity and to provide for themselves and their families
- Give people the opportunity to use their skills and make the most of their potential
- Improve the mental health of people in the asylum system
- Help to challenge forced labour, exploitation, and modern slavery
We demonstrate how a change in policy could benefit the UK economy, through net gains for the Government of £97.8 million per year.
We also present evidence to show that a change in policy would be popular amongst the UK public, with 71% agreeing that people seeking asylum should be allowed to work.
We believe that people who have risked everything to find safety should have the best chance possible of contributing to our society and integrating into their new communities. As the UK seeks to build back better from Covid-19 and protect itself from the consequences of an unprecedented economic crisis, lifting restrictions on the right to work for people seeking asylum would both ensure the UK benefits from the expertise of a diverse workforce and provide significant savings for the public purse.
In other words, lifting the ban is common sense.
