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Bristol’s pioneering asylum seeker employment project
Asylum seekers in Bristol have the chance to gain experience of the job market for the first time, thanks to a pioneering pilot project.
People who have been forced to flee their own country to seek refuge in Britain face some of the most restrictive policies in Europe, rendering them unable to work due to a system that has been branded “cruel and self-defeating”.
ACH, a leading provider of integration services for refugees, is working with Bristol Refugee Rights to give asylum seekers workplace experience through short visits to employers across the city – including Bristol City Council, UWE Bristol and First West of England.
is needed now More than ever
The project is funded with a £5,000 grant from the Quartet Community Foundation and the aim is to help asylum seekers to integrate into the wider community and combat the feelings of isolation associated with being unable to work.
Ultimately, the social enterprise is campaigning to lift the ban that prevents asylum seekers from working for the entire period they are waiting for their case to be processed – sometimes years – which is not only debilitating for the individuals involved, but also puts further pressure on services.
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Read more: Call for Government to lift ban and grant asylum seekers the right to work
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“We do need a change in the law to reform this absurd system,” said David Jepson, ACH director and policy advisor.
“But rather than just wait for this, we have introduced this pilot scheme so that those concerned can have a better understanding of the range of work available and the pathways to it.”
Aimee has been in the UK for 14 years, but has been banned from working while the Government processes her application
Aimee is an asylum seeker from Sierra Leone who attended a recent workshop.
“I’ve been in the UK for 14 years, but haven’t been permitted to work since I arrived,” she said.
“I’m not happy as I’ve been here for a long time and I have no job. I have children back home and it makes me sad. I came across with some people from Germany, who have all been allowed to work and no longer depend on the Government.
“The workshop today has inspired me greatly because we don’t know how to do things and the first thing you have to learn about is people and the British culture.”
The project has gained the backing of Bristol politicians.
Ruth Pickersgill, a Labour councilor for Easton, said: “So many asylum seekers in my ward and in other parts of Bristol have qualifications, skills and experience that we desperately need in our city, and yet they are unable to put them to use.
“I really welcome this scheme, which will help them to be ‘work ready’ as soon as their refugee status is agreed, and enable them to support themselves and their families, contribute to the local economy and enrich our local workforce.”
Thangam Debbonaire says asylum seekers are sometimes stuck in the same situation for years. ©Barbara Evripidou/FirstAvenuePhotography.com
The MP for Bristol West has long called for an overhaul of the UK’s asylum process.
Thangam Debbonaire talked about the issue on a visit to Redland-based charity Aid Box Community (ABC) on Friday, where she delivered a bundle of scarves and mittens that she hand-knitted for asylum seekers and refugees in Bristol.
“Asylum seekers often come to this country looking for refuge, often with little more than the clothes on their backs,” said Debbonaire, who is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Refugees.
“While they wait for a decision on their asylum claims, many of them live in cold, vermin-infested accommodation.
“The law currently states that these people cannot work and are forced to live on an allowance of just £5.39 a day. And the growing Home Office backlog of cases means that many asylum seekers are stuck in this situation for years.
“We need to change the law to give them a warmer welcome. For example, we should allow asylum seekers to work after waiting six months for a decision. We could also make it easier for refugees to be reunited with their family members.
“At the moment it’s largely thanks to the work of organisations such as ABC that means the winter is a bit more bearable for these vulnerable people in Bristol.”
The Bristol West MP joined others for carol singing at the charity’s HQ. ©Barbara Evripidou/FirstAvenuePhotography.com
ABC is selling Christmas trees, with proceeds going to help refugees. ©Barbara Evripidou/FirstAvenuePhotography.com
Read more: Bristol calls for an end to ‘shameful and inhumane’ detention of refugees and asylum seekers
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