Edges Magazine Isse 25: Asylum

EDGES MAGAZINE Issue 25

April 2001

ASYLUM

Edges Magazine has concerns about the plight of asylum seekers. We share a case study from the Amigos Project.

New Government guidance penalises asylum seekers who volunteer to help their own or local communities. The new rules allow asylum seekers to volunteer, but prevents voluntary organisations from reimbursing some normal expenses or providing lunches.

"These restrictions are confusing. The Home Office is saying that volunteers who are asylum seekers must be treated less favourably than other volunteers," says Christopher Spence, chief executive of the National Centre for Volunteering. "We are seeking advice from Commission for Racial Equality on whether this amounts to imposing discrimination on racial grounds, as it disproportionately affects members of ethnic minority groups."

The guidance issued by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) in April 2000 says "Ministers are keen to see asylum seekers and recognised refugees take an active interest in the welfare of their own communities and the local community by undertaking voluntary activity while they are in the UK." NASS has acknowledged that, like other volunteers, asylum seekers should be reimbursed normal expenses, so they are not out of pocket because of this public-spirited activity, but their guidance doesn't allow this.

Concerned organisations are pressing for a meeting with immigration minister Barbara Roche.

The problem created by minor quibbles in the NASS wording. If they'd simply consulted on the draft, we're sure the problem would have been sorted out," says Andy Gregg, Director of Refugee Education and Training Advisory Service.

Our core activity at the Amigos Project is a befriending project which matches individual volunteers with newly arrived asylum seeking households who are particularly vulnerable or needy. Around 50% of our volunteers are originally from an asylum seeking background, of these some are established in the UK but still awaiting a decision on their claim, a process that may take many months or even years. Volunteers are selected according to a rigorous proceedure which includes written application, informal interview, reference-taking and attendance at induction. In addition all volunteers receive training, supervisions and support.

We are totally committed to equal opportunities for all volunteers and fundamentally opposed to anything that suggests a two-tier system which disadvantage an particular group. Volunteers, once matched with clients are required to visit them regularly in the community and also travel to our office in order to receive supervisions, etc. We reimburse volunteers travel expenses fully on production of travel tickets etc to ensure they don't go out of pocket, we also have a policy that volunteers who spend over four hours on project business are entitled to claim a meal allowance of £3.00. Here, as elsewhere, we are determined to treat volunteers who happen to be asylum seekers no differently than others.

We are also in the process of developing other volunteers roles within Refugee Arrivals Project, which includes experience of working within an office or casework setting with appropriate supervision, as with the befriending project. We do not believe any volunteer should be arbitrarily excluded from these opportunities because they are an asylum seeker.

Voluntary work within Amigos not only provides an invaluable service to our very vulnerable clients. It also provides volunteers with experience of and exposure to a working environment; skills, training and confidence which assists many of them to prepare for eventual re-entry into paid work. Stated aim of the Home Office is to promote the integration of successful asylum claimants into a productive role in UK society and I believe projects such as ours can play a significant if small part towards achievement of this goal.

In summary, then, on grounds of good practice, anti-discrimination policy and common sense, at Amigos we vigorously oppose petty and superfluous restrictions on asylum seekers who wish to volunteer.