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Amnesty debate 'too polarised,' says Refugee Action

Thursday 6 July 2006

According to a YouGov survey for the think-tank Migrationwatch published on July 5th 2006, a large majority of UK residents are against offering an amnesty to irregular migrants.

In response to the debate surrounding an “amnesty”, Sandy Buchan, Chief Executive of Refugee Action, said:

"The debate surrounding the question of an "amnesty" for people living in the UK illegally has been too polarised.

It is not a question of choosing between mass deportation and a mass amnesty. These are just the extreme options in solving the issue of irregular migrants. There are many positive steps that could be taken between these extremes.

For example, it is possible to implement a selective regularisation programme that protects both the UK's interests and those of irregular migrants, including asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected.

This is a very different undertaking from an amnesty, in which irregular migrants are given legal status in an across-the-board manner.

Refugee Action is particularly concerned about the plight of asylum seekers whose applications have been refused and who now face destitution because they are not entitled to benefits and do not have the right to work. In many cases, it is also impossible for the government to remove people to certain countries.

A recent report of the UN Global Commission on International Migration (1) recommends that regularisation take place on a case-by-case basis, with clearly defined criteria in order to qualify for regular status.

These criteria might include, for example, circumstances in their country of origin, the applicant's employment-related skills, and the extent to which they make a contribution to their communities in the UK.

Such a programme should be accompanied by a fair and robust returns policy, including, above all, assistance for people to go home on a voluntary basis.

Relying on enforcement alone is simply not working. As long as this group of people remain invisible to the authorities, substantial inroads cannot be made in addressing the problem.

Refugee Action urges the government to work towards a sensible and fair system to "regularise" rather than stigmatise those trapped by very limited options. If as a society we tackle this situation sensibly and fairly, many of those caught in this trap will prove more than willing to leave the "hidden economy" behind."

References

(1) "Migration in an interconnected world", Report of the Global Commission on International Migration, October 2005

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For more information, or to request an interview, please call the press office on 0161 233 1956 / 020 7654 7714 or 07810 757 752 (out of hours).

Notes:

1. Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and received 30,000 visits from asylum seekers last year. As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 25 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.

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