POLL: Should asylum seekers pay £10,000 towards accommodation? | UK | News
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood (pictured) is ready to cut cash from welfare payments. (Image: Getty)
Bombshell new plans will see asylum seekers forced to pay up to £10,000 towards the cost of their hotels and taxpayer-funded homes. Minister of Internal Affairs Shabana Mahmood announced that those seeking asylum will face accommodation costs if their applications are approved.
Those granted the right to work following a successful asylum claim will be told to begin repaying their expenses through a system similar to the student loan process. The sources said that if the refugees did not repay “the full amount” they would be prevented from gaining settlement rights. Officials added: “Anyone leaving the UK will need to pay if they wish to return at a later date.” Migrants are expected to pay around £10,000 under current plans. Ms Mahmood said: “The cost of shelter for British taxpayers is prohibitive.
“We have already reduced asylum costs by £1 billion, but it is right that we ask those who can contribute to do so. Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility.
“When people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do the same.”
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The government said it spent £4bn on accommodation and support for asylum seekers last year, and the Home Office estimates that the average cost per person per night of hosting asylum seekers is £23.25 in dispersed accommodation and £144 in hotels; Living payments range from £9.95 to £49.18 per person per week.
The Home Secretary will have the power to adjust the fee and thresholds as authorities work to reduce the £4bn bill on the asylum system.
The powers required to cover the costs will be determined by the Immigration and Asylum Bill when it is introduced to Parliament today (Tuesday, June 30).
Meanwhile, the Labor Government is also stepping up efforts to close asylum hotels, placing migrants in houses, flats and bedrooms in communities across the country, as well as in former military sites.
Director of the Oxford University Migration Observatory, Dr. Madeleine Sumption questioned how effective the policy would be.
“The data suggests that unless the thresholds are significantly below the minimum wage, a relatively small proportion of people granted asylum may earn enough to contribute to the programme,” he said.
“The impact of the scheme on public finances is likely to be relatively small because this is a means-tested payment for a very low-income population.
“The plan could also have other effects, such as discouraging asylum seekers from seeking accommodation if they can find other support (such as family members or charity), or discouraging them from working after receiving refugee status because they would face a higher tax rate.
“It is difficult to estimate how large either impact might be in practice. Comparing the proposed flat-rate refund of £10,000 to the actual cost of asylum support will depend largely on how long people wait for the final asylum decision and what the share of hotels is.”
He added: “For example, supporting someone waiting in a hotel for a year would cost over £50,000, while someone waiting just six months in much cheaper HMO (multi-occupation home) accommodation would cost under £6,000.”
