The Refugee Council has published a new analysis of the latest developments in the UK asylum system.
The report forms part of the Asylum Information Database; a project coordinated by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles which aims to provide up to date information on asylum practice in 20 countries.
The UK report gives an overview of the asylum procedure and draws together relevant facts and figures relating to refugees and people seeking asylum in Britain.
It also assesses a variety of changing policies and practice, including examining the implications of the Immigration Act 2016; highlighting a mounting body of evidence of the Government’s failure to provide integration support to newly recognised refugees; and discussing developments to the way the UK shares responsibility for caring for unaccompanied children around the country.
Refugee Council Policy Manager and report author Judith Dennis said: “This report lifts the lid on exactly how welcoming the UK Government is to refugees.
“Many people would be shocked by the complex, hostile process that people seeking safety here are faced by, which sees them living in enforced poverty, prevented from being reunited with their loved ones and living with the very real threat of being arbitrarily imprisoned at any time hanging over their heads.
“For those working with people going through the asylum process, this report provides a valuable resource which assesses the ways in which the policies, practices and the law have changed and the impact those changes are having on people’s lives.
“Together, the Asylum Information Database reports give an unsettling view of asylum practices across Europe. It’s extremely alarming that you can be considered a refugee in one country and not in another; being able to access protection when you need it is a human right, it shouldn’t be a lottery.”
