After attending the launch of a new report by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) and Boaz Trust, GMLC campaign volunteer Deborah Okyere summarises its findings and the insights the event gave into the government’s anti-migrant hostile environment policies.
The Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) and Boaz Trust have conducted a study of migrant destitution and the ways in which immigration policies force people in Greater Manchester into destitution through the creation of a hostile environment for migrants. The study explores the experiences of five individuals who have suffered as a result of hostile environment policies and follows the significant financial, social and health consequences on the lives of those the policies affect. The five experiences demonstrate the ways in which these policies are violent and yet their effects can be unseen to many. We use the word ‘violent’ because destitution is used as an intentional “weapon of immigration control”. This is done through blocking access to the welfare system, social housing and the ability to work.
Case studies
The first case study in the report is about Sirous, who migrated from Iran in 1975 and was granted indefinite leave. He became a successful building surveyor. After the home office destroyed his records, he was told in 2015 that he was in the UK illegally and was forced to reapply for status in the country. This led to him losing his job and being made to pay high visa fees which he eventually could not afford. This ordeal led to him become homeless.
The second person is Daniil, who migrated from Belarus after being tortured. He was not accommodated by the Home Office when he arrived and immediately became homeless and reliant on charities. When his application for asylum and appeal were rejected, he became street homeless.
The third person is Yodit, who migrated from Eritrea after one of her children had died. Her daughter’s family was granted refugee status, however her application was rejected, as was her appeal. This case study highlights the inconsistency in decision making even when the Home Office is looking at the same facts.
The fourth person is Steve, who migrated from Romania. He was an EU citizen who lost his job during the pandemic. He eventually got a job, with excessive hours and very low pay, which did not pay enough to make ends meet. He had to leave his job and attempted to claim Universal Credit, but was refused because he had no right to claim benefits due to his immigration status. He eventually became street homeless.
The fifth individual is Tamara, who was brought to the UK as a minor by her aunt when her parents died in Malawi. She was left by her aunt when she turned 18 and had to work 2 jobs while studying at college, with aspirations to be a midwife. She could not afford to renew her student visa and had to stop studying, but also had no right to work. She became homeless and later became seriously ill. She was then refused asylum and was later evicted from her asylum accommodation and became homeless again with very few options.
These experiences highlight the many ways in which immigration policies have led to individuals being unable to meet their basic needs, with no route out as they were excluded from benefits, social housing and/or the chance to work.
Effects
The report notes that between 2014 and 2021, an estimated 4,000 people have been forced into destitution following an asylum refusal. This number is estimated to have increased from 2022. Between 2018 and 2023, 126,000 people were granted pre-settled status based on the EU settlement scheme and are at risk of destitution if they lost their jobs because of a lack of access to benefits. Immigration policies which force people into destitution, such as swift evictions after asylum decisions and no recourse to public funds, re-traumatise individuals and exclude people from being able to feel a part of society. It exposes people to abuse, as they can become over-reliant on their partners or friends or exploitative employers. Tamara became reliant on a physically and emotionally abusive partner as she had nowhere to go. Individuals forced into destitution are rendered unable to take part in society in a way which damages their dignity and affects their mental health. An activity as simple as going out for coffee to talk becomes difficult when you have little to no money and no way of getting any due to constriction of your agency.
Solutions
During a talk arranged by GMIAU and the Boaz Trust on 15 May 2024, the speakers made it clear that it is difficult to find a simple solution to this slow violence, and we were encouraged to discuss how to bring about change. It was agreed that voluntary and community organisations, councils and policy makers are all a part of this system and so we all have an obligation to find a solution. It was identified that access to safe accommodation, legal support and welfare were crucial. We discussed the need for more legal representation, the expansion of legal aid and the need to extend the scope of who qualifies for legal aid, especially in immigration law, due to its “complexity and opacity”.
One key theme that ran throughout the report and meeting is there is a need to improve access to accommodation for those who are destitute, and for increased collaboration between organisations and homelessness teams. Someone from the Boaz Trust commented that they had encountered a woman who was unable to see a therapist until she had safe accommodation, showing how integral secure housing is in ensuring someone can access the range of support they need.
Recommendations for the government are clearer, in that there needs to a change to hostile environment policies. Those subject to immigration control must not be excluded from the welfare system, visa fees should be no more than it costs to administrate them, the immigration health surcharge needs to be abolished so that everyone has access to healthcare, and evictions must be paused on those who have been granted refugee status to allow them time to find a home. There are further recommendations listed in the report.
On a more positive note, the report also showed the ways in which organisations in Greater Manchester work on breaking down these barriers and the ways they have supported many people in destitution.
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You can read the report, A Slow Violence, here. For more information on (or advice from) GMIAU, click here. Boaz Trust and their work can be found here.
