Lord Stone of Blackheath submitted a follow-up question in the House of Lords on behalf of the Next Century Foundation. The original question asked was why registered asylum seekers were not permitted to work, which would have made them feel more content and relieved the financial burden of providing for their housing and support from the British taxpayer.
The follow-up question read as follows:
In view of the current backlog of asylum cases, what plans they have to allow asylum seekers to work if their claim has been outstanding for nine months or more, as opposed to 12 months or more.
His Majesty’s government has presented an answer for the question asked by Lord Stone. It is arguably as evasive as the first answer given. It reads as:
Whilst we keep all policies under review, there are no plans to change the existing policy, which allows asylum seekers with pending claims to work after 12 months, restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List. Our policy position distinguishes between those who need protection and those seeking to work here who should instead apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Individuals in need of protection should not make perilous journeys in order to seek employment in the United Kingdom, instead they should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.
There are also various legal routes for those seeking to work in the UK under the Points-Based System. These routes include Skilled Worker, Global Talent, and Health and Care routes, which are supporting UK businesses to recruit workers with the skills and talent they need from around the world.
