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UNLOCK TALENT
GIVE ASYLUM SEEKERS THE RIGHT TO WORK
Open letter for the attention of: The Right Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer and The Right Hon Priti Patel MP, The Home Secretary
We, the business community, call on the Government to unlock an instant workforce to help relieve acute labour shortages and strengthen the UK's post-Covid economic recovery.
Due to the existing ban on rights to work in the UK, a considerable number of people of working age are already here, skilled and with diverse talents. Yet they are forced to be economically inactive whilst waiting for their asylum claim to be processed.
Right now in the UK, job vacancies have risen to an all-time high of nearly 1.2 millioni and employers are facing the worst shortage of job candidates on recordii. We believe now is the time to take action and remove this counter-productive ban. It's just common sense.
As President of the CBI, Lord Bilimoria says:
"We can’t risk being first on vaccines – a huge effort to make this country safe – only to squander this potential, with businesses unable to get going because they can’t fill roles.”iii
We know that the majority of the British public and business leaders would also support a policy change:
- 81% of Brits agree that the government should lift the ban and allow asylum seekers to work. This is an incredibly high level of consensus for any issue, comparable in fact to the number of businesses who plan to adopt more flexible and agile working practices post COVID-19 lockdown.iv
- 94% of surveyed asylum seekers would like to workv
- Polling of over 1000 businesses in 2019 showed that 67% of business leaders think people seeking asylum should be able to workvi, a figure that is very likely to be higher now given the current labour crisis. Allowing people to support themselves would save the country money, adding an estimated 180.8 millionvii every year from additional tax revenues and savings. In addition, the business case for diversity and inclusion is stronger than ever. McKinsey research shows that businesses with a racially diverse team outperform their competitors by 35%viii, which means that allowing people seeking asylum to use their skills and talents would be a boost for business too.
IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION.
We call on the Government to immediately and permanently allow asylum seekers the right to work.
Unlock talent to help fill staff shortages, boost businesses with a more diverse and inclusive workforce and save public funds to support the UK's post-Covid economic recovery.
Let’s remove this barrier so we can all work together to help the economy. This isn’t just the right decision, it’s the smart decision. These people are already in the country and ready to work.
[i] BBC News, Business, UK job vacancies reach 20 year high, 12 October 2021
[ii] Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), September 2021
[iv] YouGov polling, Lift the Ban, March 2022
[vi] Lift the Ban Common Sense Report, July 2020
[vii] Updated Financial Analysis, Lift the Ban, October 2021
[viii] McKinsey & Company, Why Diversity Matters, January 2015
About #UNLOCKTALENT
People seeking asylum bring many diverse skills and experience. We know that unlocking this talent would help our post-Covid economic recovery, allowing us to fill job vacancies, improve diversity and make good businesses even better.
Asylum seekers are ready to work, but a government ban is blocking you from employing them. The ban also means they aren’t allowed to support themselves and their families, nor can they contribute fully to their community. It pushes many into poverty and isolation.
Good businesses know it’s time for change, and the tipping point is within our reach. Most Brits think that people seeking asylum should be allowed to work, alongside an ever-growing number of MPs and business leaders too. We are harnessing the powerful voice of the business and employer community to help Unlock Talent. For good.
Add your voice by signing our open letter to Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel.
Let’s Work Together to Unlock Talent.
3 REASONS TO SIGN
Add your employer voice to Unlock Talent. For good.
Job vacancies in the UK have risen to an all-time high of almost 1.2 million. The fallout is already apparent. Huge and unprecedented staff shortages are stifling businesses and disrupting supply chains, affecting agriculture, haulage and hospitality in particular. Yet there is a talented labour pool currently locked out of work.
People seeking asylum are ready to work, but current legislation blocks you from recruiting them.
Sign now and call on Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel to Unlock Talent
We know that businesses perform better with a diverse and inclusive workforce. Employing people with different skills and backgrounds brings fresh perspectives, boosts creativity and improves employee satisfaction. Research also shows that businesses with a diverse team outperform their competitors, which means that doing the right thing is best for business too.
People seeking asylum have many skills and talent to offer, but current legislation blocks you from employing them.
Sign now and call on Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel to Unlock Talent
People seeking asylum have been forced to flee their homes, usually because of war or violence. They can apply for refugee status in the UK, but are banned from working whilst they wait months, often years, for a decision on their asylum claim. During this time, they are not allowed to support themselves or their family, nor contribute fully to their community. The ban pushes people into poverty and isolation. Good employers know it’s time for change, and a recent survey shows that more than two thirds of business leaders agree that asylum seekers should be allowed to work. But the government isn't listening.
People seeking asylum want to work, but current legislation bans them from doing so.
Sign now and call on Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel to Unlock Talent
ABOUT THE LAUNCHPAD COLLECTIVE
The Launchpad Collective (TLC) connects employers with refugee talent. Steered by refugees, for refugees, we work side-by-side with both job seekers and employers so that roles are filled and refugees are empowered to contribute positively to society.
We also challenge the systems and inequalities that lead to this talent being obstructed and overlooked. And at this time of economic uncertainty, with job vacancies at an all-time high, we want employers to be allowed access to the skills and experience of asylum seekers too, a group currently locked out of work.
We are inspired by the amazing work already being done by the Lift the Ban campaign to raise public awareness and build support for asylum seekers’ right to work. Now, we want to harness the powerful voice of the business and employer community to help Unlock Talent. For good.
ways to support us
#unlocktalent
On Instagram @unlocktalent_
On Facebook @unlocktalent.tlc
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FAQS
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A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. In the UK, refugee status is given to anyone who can prove that they cannot return home, or are too afraid to do so. There must be well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.
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An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country of origin and has formally applied for refugee status in another country. A decision has not yet been made on their application.
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Refugee
✓ Has been granted leave to remain in the UK
✓ Can access State benefits
✓ Has the right to workAsylum-seeker
✓ Is applying to be recognised as a refugee and be granted the right to remain in the UK
✓ Can access accommodation and limited subsistence from the State
✘ Does not normally have the right to work in the UK -
We are asking the government to change legislation so that people seeking asylum are allowed to work once they’ve waited for six months after lodging their asylum claim. This would reduce the waiting time from 12 months, an objective that is in line with many other organisations and initiatives who are calling for the same law change.
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According to a recent survey, 94 per cent of asylum seekers want to work, if they were given permission to do so.
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A skills audit carried out in May 2020 showed that:
*45% of respondents’ previous occupations were defined as critical workers
*1-in-7 respondents previously worked in Health or Social Care
*77% of respondents had already, or would like to, volunteer to help the NHS
*74% of respondents had secondary level education or higher
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Yes! A recent poll of over 1000 businesses showed that:
*Two thirds (66%) of business leaders believe giving people seeking asylum the right to work would help ease the skills shortage
*The majority of business leaders agree that people seeking asylum could bring benefits to the workplace in terms of diversity of experience and skills
*More than two thirds (67%) of UK businesses agree that people seeking asylum should be allowed to work once they had waited six months for a decision on their asylum claim
* 2/3 (66%) of businesses would consider hiring those seeking asylum if the government were to grant them the right to work
*The majority of respondents (71%) agreed it would help with integration
Source: Polling by Survation on behalf of Refugee Action and Lift the Ban (published Aug 2019)
More people are joining the call for change. We know that 81 per cent of the general public support this change(1). Plus a growing number of cabinet ministers, MPs and other public figures who have stated that they are open-minded towards, or supportive of, a change in legislation. This includes Dominic Raab MP(2), Kwasi Kwarteng MP(3), Keir Starmer MP(4), Wendy Chamberlain MP(5), Jeremy Clarkson(6) (TV presenter), Fraser Nelson(7) (Spectator), Rachel Johnson(8) (LBC), Maajid Nawaz(9) (LBC) and more (10), (11)
[1] YouGov Polling, Lift the Ban, (March 2022)
[2] The Times article (10 Oct 2021)
[3] The Times article (10 Oct 2021)
[4] The Guardian article (30 Sept 2021)
[5] BBC Question Time (2 Dec 2021)
[6] The Sun Article (23 Jul 2021)
[7] The Spectator article (18 Sep 2021)
[8] LBC (10 Oct 2021)
[9] LBC (10 Oct 2021) -
No. The law has changed, becoming more restrictive over the years.
Up until 2002, people seeking asylum could apply for permission to work if they had been waiting for six months or more for an initial decision on their asylum claim. In July 2002, this provision was withdrawn except in ‘exceptional cases’. No policy was developed to explain what these might be.
In February 2005, a new Immigration Rule was introduced to comply with the 2003 European Union Directive on Reception Conditions, which the Government had opted into. This rule allowed people seeking asylum to apply for permission to work in the UK if they had been waiting for over 12 months for an initial decision on their asylum claim.
In 2010, the right to work after 12 months was extended to those who have made further submissions on their claim; at the same time, however, the right to work was restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List.
During the passage of what then became the 2016 Immigration Act, several amendments were put forward to give people seeking asylum the right to work. On 9 March 2016, during Report Stage of the Bill, the House of Lords passed an amendment by 280 votes to 195 which would grant people seeking asylum permission to work if a decision has not been taken on their asylum application within the Home Office target time of six months; the amendment was ultimately defeated in the House of Commons.
In December 2018 the Home Office announced it would undertake a review on the right to work policy but nothing has been shared of this process to date.
In September 2019 the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) was expanded following a review by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of occupations remain outside of the SOL and therefore out of scope for people seeking asylum. Furthermore, the MAC questioned the usefulness of the SOL in general.
In Spring 2021 several occupations were added to the SOL, mainly in the health and care sector. Despite these additions, most jobs still remain inaccessible to asylum seekers due to the enforced waiting time of 12 months.
Sources: Lift the Ban, Common Sense Report (July 2020)
Smith Stone Walters, 8 New Health and Care Roles Added to the Shortage Occupation List (March 2021)
Smith Stone Walters, 8 New Health and Care Roles Added to the Shortage Occupation List (March 2021) -
According to Lift the Ban, the UK’s approach to employment rights for people seeking asylum is significantly more restrictive than that of almost every other comparable country. No other nation, whether across Europe, or the USA, Australia and Canada, enforces a 12-month waiting period.
Many other countries, moreover, do not place restrictions on the type of employment somebody can take up – unlike in the UK, where the Shortage Occupation List makes it practically impossible for people to work, even after a 12-month wait.
As demonstrated in the Lift The Ban report, other countries have chosen to set a considerably shorter exclusionary interval, and some allow work from the very first day. If the UK were to adopt a 6-month waiting period, unrestricted by the Shortage Occupation List, it would go from being an outlier to joining the international mainstream.
Of course, even in countries with shorter waiting periods people seeking asylum continue to face a number of practical obstacles to accessing work. The most commonly cited hurdles are employer discrimination, language barriers and lack of recognition of existing qualifications. There are also some countries (such as Austria, France and the Netherlands) that restrict work either according to sectors or through limiting the numbers of days per year that people seeking asylum are permitted to work. In addition to simply giving people the right to work, therefore, it is key that conditions are put in place for this right to be realised in practice.
Length of time (in months) before people seeking asylum are given the right to work
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TLC will be running this campaign to mobilise business and employer voices until Spring 2022. During this time, we will look to engage and secure support from as many businesses as possible.
