Asylum seekers who are able to pay back the cost of support and accommodation will now be required to, under new laws.
The Immigration and Asylum Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament today, sets out new powers for the Home Office to recover costs from adults who have received asylum support such as subsistence or accommodation, provided they have access to sufficient funds.
The payment will take the form of a flat-rate charge, with eligible adults paying off an amount each month above a set threshold.
There will be various methods for those individuals to pay. The primary mechanism for this is expected to be through direct payments to the Home Office with options also being explored to use the tax and benefits systems.
Migrants will be required to pay off the full amount before being eligible for settlement. Anyone who leaves the UK will be required to make their payments if they wish to return at a future date.
The Home Secretary will have the power to adjust the charge and the thresholds, ensuring they are both fair to the taxpayer and will not force any migrant into destitution. Under plans, migrants are expected to have to pay a total sum of around £10,000. This figure will be a contribution to the overall cost of their asylum support.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, said
The cost of asylum accommodation on the British taxpayer is too high.
We have already reduced asylum costs by £1 billion, but it is also right that we ask those who can contribute to do so.
Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility. Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.
Currently, asylum seekers in the UK receive a package of support which has become a financial burden on the taxpayer, with annual costs of £4 billion across accommodation and support last year.
The government has already cut these costs by nearly a billion pounds since taking office and is going further by ending the use of asylum hotels, with 31 closed since April and hundreds of asylum seekers moved into basic accommodation including ex-military sites.
Requiring individuals to pay towards the cost of their support will allow those on a pathway to settlement to make a contribution to UK society and repay some of our generosity. For those without a right to remain it will ensure they take responsibility for the financial impact of their presence in this country.
The Home Office estimates the average cost per person per night of accommodating asylum seekers is £23.25 in dispersal accommodation and £144 in hotels, while subsistence payment range from £9.95 to £49.18 per person per week.
This legislation will now also ensure that recipients of asylum support contribute to their own costs, once they are able to do so.
A quarter of 16 to 64-year-olds granted asylum refugees between 2015 and 2023 were in employment within the same calendar year they were granted status, with that number rising to 50% 2 years after refugee status was granted.
Of those who were in employment 8 years after the grant, 37% were in full-time work with median earnings of £23,000, with 40% earning more than minimum wage.
The Immigration and Asylum Bill will bring into force the most significant policy proposals in a generation to create a firm but fair asylum system that works for Britain, restoring order and control to the immigration system and reducing the pull factors driving illegal migration.