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8th January 20/03
From 8th January 2003, sections 55 and 57 of the new Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act will come into force.
Section 55 states that support will only be granted to an asylum seeker if they make a claim for asylum ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’. If this person fails to claim asylum immediately at their port of arrival support will be refused (except in exceptional circumstances). Section 57 allows the Secretary of State to withhold a person’s support unless they provide a clear and coherent account of how they came to the UK.
NERS believes these two sections will have a big impact on the life of asylum seekers. The vast majority of people claiming asylum will be unaware of this ruling and in the harshest winter months will face destitution.
NERS CEO Daoud Zaarourra commented; “These last minute additions will make it harder than ever for asylum seekers to survive in the UK. These new measures will have a real impact on the local community. Those asylum seekers who will not qualify for NASS support will be pushed further into poverty, which will add to the already negative image of asylum seekers in our country”.
ASYLUM SEEKERS–NO MORE SHOULD COME TO SUNDERLAND
Press Release 06 November, 2002
Councillor Margaret Forbes, Group Leader, Conservative Council, Sunderland
The cases of 900 asylum seekers already here should be determined as quickly as possible. Genuine refugees, who have fled persecution and others with a contribution to make to the country’s economy, should be allowed to stay in the UK. Everyone else should be returned to the country from which they came.
Click here for full story
NERS Response:
The North of England Refugee Service (NERS) is disappointed by Councillor Forbes and the Conservative Party’s statement on the role of dispersal in Sunderland.
Daoud Zaaroura, CEO of NERS, the largest refugee charity in the North East said;
“Councillor Forbes assertion that everyone who cannot make a contribution to our economy should be sent home is simplistic in the extreme, ill-conceived and shows an alarming lack of understanding towards the complexities of the asylum and refugee issue.
“She would do well to remember that asylum seekers are desperate people fleeing from persecution, who are dispersed by the Government to the North east”.
“NERS agrees that all asylum applications should be dealt with within a reasonable time frame. However closing Sunderland as a dispersal venue will do little to ease the backlog, improve the image of the region or improve race relations.
“Ultimately, this statement will do little to help race relations in the city. The best way forward is for the local council to promote refugee integration in all its work and to assist dispersed asylum seekers and settled refugees play an active part in everyday community life”.
SMUG, ELITIST QUANGOCRATS WHO HOLD YOU IN SUCH CONTEMPT
The Daily Mail October 23, 2002
Take a good look at the page opposite (list of organizations not listed). In black and white, it sets out the lunacy that is the Lottery Community Fund. The list of bodies receiving your money speaks for it itself. Some are beyond parody. Others, straight out of the Monty Python, illustrate in sickening detail how money that could be spent on good causes is being squandered on agitprop gimmickry and politically correct stunts.
The article went on to list NERS as one of the organizations.
Click here for full story
NERS Response:
The North of England Refugee Service (NERS) is disappointed by the Daily Mail’s continued fixation with the Community Fund and its allocation of funding for a group campaigning on behalf of asylum seekers.
Daoud Zaaroura, CEO of NERS, the largest refugee charity in the North east said:
“Our organisation works everyday with asylum seekers and refugees. NERS has benefited greatly from the Community Fund, however I strongly disagree with the impression given by the Daily Mail that this money is in any way squandered by organisations like ourselves”.
“Asylum seekers and refugees are one of the most vulnerable members of our society, often arriving in our country having fled war and persecution. These are people who are in need of assistance and who the United Kingdom, whether the Daily Mail likes it or not, have an obligation to assist”.
“Such grants, as those awarded by the Community Fund, not only allow organisations like ourselves to assist these people to claim their right to asylum granted under the Geneva Convention 1951, but also allow us to assist in the long and often painstaking process of rebuilding their shattered lives in our country”.
“By assisting in the integration process, we and other charitable organisations, like the Community Fund are empowering refugees to contribute more towards British society. Do not forget that the vast majority of refugees who settle in our society are skilled professionals, who historically have been proven to contribute more to the British economy than previously envisaged”.
“Last year alone, there were thirty four qualified doctors in the north east who were registered as asylum seekers and refugees. It has been estimated that the figure to train the average doctor can be as high as £1.5 million. Our organisation along with the local health authorities, were able to advertise the abilities of these people, thanks to our links with the Community Fund, and in the process save the taxpayer a considerable sum of money”.
“The Community Fund supports and empowers society’s disadvantaged people, which sadly there are many. Surely, it is this type of achievement that the Daily Mail should be focusing on”.
BLUNKETT PLANS TO END ASYLUM SEEKERS' AUTOMATIC RIGHT TO CLAIM BENEFITS
The Guardian 8 October, 2002
Liberal Democrats and Conservatives yesterday gave a lukewarm welcome to the home secretary's latest "mini-crackdown" on "unfounded" asylum claims, which will see the reintroduction of a "white list" of safe countries and end the automatic right of asylum seekers to claim welfare benefits.
However, refugee groups were last night scathing in their criticism of his proposals, which are to be implemented through last minute amendments to the nationality, immigration and asylum bill, which starts its final stages in the House of Lords tomorrow.
Click here for full story
NERS Response:
NERS’ is disappointed by the Home Office’s additional proposals to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill, the final stages of which are currently being debated in the House of Lords. Such a late announcement leaves no time for these proposals to be properly debated.
NERS cannot understand the government’s decision to re-introduce a ‘white list’ of safe countries, when it previously repealed the Conservative legislation in 1997. It seems the government has conveniently forgotten the harm the ‘white list’ caused thousands of previous asylum seekers.
By abolishing the right of exceptional leave to remain (ELR) on a country by country basis, the government is setting a dangerous precedent. NERS questions how a country like Somalia, long ravaged by civil war, can be declared a ‘safe’ country by the government?
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