The facts about migrants and refugees
Today’s conversation about migration is full of misinformation, so we’ve set out the answers to the common questions about people who’ve migrated and refugees that we hear.
Who is a refugee?
According to the UNCHR definition, a refugee is someone “who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside his country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” (Article 1, 1951 Refugee Convention). This is the definition that most countries around the world use, including the UK.
Who is an asylum seeker?
An asylum seeker is someone asking for asylum in a particular country. If you receive a positive decision on your asylum application, this means that the country where you are claiming asylum accept that you fulfil the definition of a refugee. You then usually receive refugee status and have the rights of a refugee.
The right to asylum is a universal human right, we all share it. According to international law, the way you travel does not matter either – you cannot claim asylum in a so-called “illegal” way.
What support do you receive?
In the UK, whilst you wait for a decision, you’re not allowed to work (with a few exceptions). You receive between £8.86-£49.18 a week to pay for essentials, depending on whether you are staying in asylum accommodation or not. Right now, there’s a huge backlog of asylum cases, with thousands of people waiting years for a decision, stuck in in limbo and unable to move forward with their lives.
Do people have to claim asylum in the first safe country they reach?
You are entitled to seek asylum wherever you want to, according to international refugee law. Although most people (69%) do stay close to their country of origin, there is no requirement that you must seek asylum in the first safe country you reach.
If this were the case, then the countries next to those experiencing conflict or with repressive political regimes which produce the vast majority of the world’s refugees would be expected to host them all. This would be totally unsustainable – especially when you consider that most of these countries are low- or middle-income countries. That’s why it’s so important that we all do our fair share to provide safety for those who’ve been forced to leave their homes.
Turning to the UK context, many people do seek asylum in France and other European countries, and a relatively small number continue onwards to the UK. People choose to seek asylum here for many reasons including because they have family connections here, and or already speak English.
Fundamentally, we all want to live somewhere where we feel safe and welcome. It’s important to remember that somewhere you consider “safe” may not feel safe for every individual. For example, if you have a bad experience of racism in a country, difficulty navigating the asylum system, or are living in poor conditions.
Why do people cross the Channel?
People cross the Channel because there are no safe, alternative routes for them to seek asylum to reach the UK.
To claim asylum here, almost everyone needs to physically travel here first. Unfortunately, right now there is no refugee visa or humanitarian visa that you can use to get there.
The safe routes that are available are extremely restricted in scope. Although the UK has welcomed people en masse who were fleeing conflict in Ukraine, or persecution in Hong Kong, there are many other countries where war and repressive regimes are causing large numbers of people to flee. There are no safe routes available to people from these countries.
Over the years, safe routes, such as family reunification schemes, have been shut down by the government. Even unaccompanied children are not allowed to apply for their parents to join them in the UK.
This means that people are forced to take dangerous journeys in search of sanctuary.
Who is crossing the Channel?
In 2022, 4 in 10 who crossed the channel came from just five countries – Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Eritrea and Sudan. All those nationalities currently have asylum grant rates of 82% or higher.
This means we know most people crossing the Channel would be recognised as refugees.
How many refugees are there in the UK?
People seeking asylum and refugees make up a tiny proportion of new arrivals in the UK. According to UNHCR statistics in November 2022, there were 231,597 refugees, 127,421 pending asylum cases and 5,483 stateless persons in the UK.
That’s only 0.54% of the UK population.
For context, in the 2022 there were around 800,000 work, study, and family visas issued to people.
What happens when you get refugee status?
When you get refugee status, you have just 28 days to find safe place to stay, apply for a job or apply for benefits before being evicted from asylum accommodation. In August 2023, the Home Office shortened to ‘move on’ period to just a week. Whilst they have switched it back to 28 days, this is still not enough time to find a safe place, especially in a housing crisis.
This means that in what should be a moment of relief and celebration, a moment that some wait years for, becomes the start of a whole new crisis. According to Refugee Council, homelessness amongst newly recognised refugees has increased by 239% in the last two years. Left in precarious positions without enough support, people are left extremely vulnerable to exploitation.
Who is a migrant?
The word migrant encompasses all those who have moved outside their country of origin who is not an asylum seeker or refugee. People may move for work opportunities, study, or joining family.
Increasingly, however, the boundary between ‘refugee’ and ‘migrant’ has become blurred. People are moving because of poverty, climate breakdown, and political instability. Whilst these reasons may not fit the 1951 Convention definition of a refugee, individuals would face hardship or danger if they returned home.
What is the situation for migrants in the UK?
The Government has, in recent years, made a concerted effort to make this country a hostile and unwelcoming place for many who have migrated here. The human toll of these choices, especially on women, people of colour and children, could not be clearer. Tens of thousands pushed into deep poverty, spiking rates of homelessness and entire generations held back from reaching their full potential by an obsession with performative cruelty.
Millions of migrants, many working and paying taxes, are blocked from accessing the social security net because of the fine print on their visas called No Recourse to Public Funds.