Lockdown delays asylum claims
- Sian Morris
- Jun 29, 2020
- 2 min read
The Home Office has announced that the applications of the most vulnerable asylum seekers are temporarily on hold during lockdown.
On the 29th of April, 37 days after the lockdown was announced, The Home Office confirmed that, while some decisions were still being made, the most complex cases involving vulnerable applicants - those who might be left destitute by a decision or those with a mental illness or a disability - were being put on hold.
It makes a difficult life even mo
re difficult.
Claudia Glyn from the Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group - a Hampshire charity that assists asylum seekers and refugees - told The Breaker that the delays are very frustrating for those waiting for leave to remain.
"The frustration has just grown and grown. In a way, they are used to that because that's how their life is; one enormous long wait. It makes a difficult life even more difficult."
The lockdown has also caused delays for those putting in 'fresh claims' for asylum in the UK. Although the Home Office has opened several temporary Regional Asylum Intake Units so asylum seekers can attend screening interviews without travelling, face to face contact is being kept to a minimum and other vital support services are being suspended.
According to Claudia Glyn: "We had one client who put in a fresh claim but we were told by the Home Office that they could not deal with it because she has to have her biometrics done."
The Support and Services Centre at the Croyden Asylum Intake Unit typically takes Asylum Seeker biometric data but all appointments have been suspended during the lockdown.
However, the Home Office is adapting so that it can continue processing asylum claims during the pandemic. Notably, asylum seekers can now submit some important documents by email and conduct some interviews via video link. Previously asylum seekers had to travel to these appointments in person, which could be very expensive.
Listen as Khalid, a refugee from Sudan tells of his experience in lockdown:
What about those with leave to remain?
Refugees - those who have applied for asylum and been given leave to remain in the UK - are also struggling under lockdown.
According to figures from the Red Cross, the charity stepped in to help 15 000 refugee and asylum seekers in the UK, who were left destitute in 2016. Now lockdown is making life harder for many.
Khalid, a refugee from Sudan who was given leave to remain in the UK in July 2019, said:
"The coronavirus has been very difficult because since the lockdown I can't work. I have a lot of time and I don't know how to spend it.
"We don't have a sitting room and have no TV because there is the license that we have to pay. I have the internet on my phone so I can use social media and I have my English lessons."
Khalid is in contact with the Southampton and Winchester Visitors group who provide online support and English lessons.
This article was originally written as part of my final portfolio for the MA in Multimedia Journalism at Bournemouth University. The Breaker is the host site for all work by MA Multimedia Journalism students.
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