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Reports suggest that the current Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has granted the right to work to undocumented boat migrants in Britain. Critics argue that this decision may encourage more illegal entries into the country.
According to data revealed under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws by The Telegraph, nearly 16,000 asylum seekers have been given permission to work in Britain. This includes many individuals who arrived by crossing the English Channel in small boats organised by people smuggling networks on the French beaches.
This is in contrast to the government’s policy which states that asylum seekers should not be allowed to work in the country while their claims are being considered.
However, as reported by the paper, the Home Office, responsible for immigration management, has granted permission for certain migrants to work in specific sectors of the economy that are reportedly experiencing worker shortages. These sectors include agriculture, construction, and healthcare.
According to the report, migrants have the opportunity to earn 80% of the current wage if they choose not to receive the weekly government stipend given to asylum seekers. Foreigners have the option to continue staying in government-provided accommodation, as long as they contribute towards the expenses. A total of 19,231 migrants applied to work under the scheme in 2022, and 15,706 applications were approved.
The scheme has faced criticism from Nigel Farage, a prominent figure in the Brexit movement. He expressed concerns that the policy could potentially attract more illegal migrants to the UK.
Oh no, this is terrible. Once the traffickers can promote employment opportunities and provide accommodations, there will likely be an increase in interest. Rwanda is insignificant in comparison to this,” Mr Farage said.
Mr Farage’s concerns were shared by Conservative MP Miriam Cates, a prominent member of the ‘New Conservatives Group of MPs’ advocating for stricter immigration controls.
According to her, it is reasonable for asylum seekers to seek employment while they await the processing of their claims. “However, the challenges related to irregular migration cannot be effectively addressed unless we find ways to discourage individuals from illegally crossing into the UK. Unfortunately, the current situation does not serve as a deterrent.”
The chairman of the Migration Watch UK think tank, Alp Mehmet questioned the government’s commitment to stopping the boats, expressing scepticism towards their actions.
The revelation comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is seeking to pass the final hurdles in the House of Lords to usher his Rwanda Bill into law. The government claims that this bill will enable immigration officials to remove illegal boat migrants to asylum processing centres in the East African nation, instead of allowing them to stay in the country while their claims are processed.
Last week, the government successfully dealt with a brief uprising from the right of the Conservative Party. They believed that the legislation was not strong enough to prevent the scheme from being tied up in legal disputes caused by undocumented immigrants and left-wing activist lawyers.
Former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who stepped down from the government in late 2021 due to objections to the bill, proposed amendments to provide the government with the ability to bypass certain sections of human rights laws to avoid domestic legal disputes. He also suggested an amendment to grant government ministers the power to reject orders from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to halt flights, following the ECHR’s intervention in blocking the first flight to transport migrants to Rwanda in the summer of 2022.
Prime Minister Sunak has stated that despite the government rejecting the amendments, he remains determined to proceed with the migrant removal flights, disregarding attempts to use international law to prevent them. He aims to begin the flights by the spring.
