19 - 23 June 2023

A day selected to honour refugees around the world, World Refugee Week gives us a chance to understand the plight of refugees and celebrate the strengths they hold to rebuild their lives. 

Let us then reflect on what do we know about refugees, especially those around us in the UK? What kind of lives do they lead? What struggles do they face as they integrate into this country? 

Understanding the asylum application process in the UK can be a good start, where the main process could be separated into: 1) Claiming asylum, 2) Screening interview, 3) Substantive asylum interview, and 4) Asylum decision. When simplified, this could be it. But there is so much more that each person goes through even before they can acquire ‘refugee status’

The four steps often take a lot longer than what could be imagined; especially between the interviews and the decision. Some people may wait more than two years to receive their asylum decision (whether positive or negative), and refugee status is only awarded after a positive asylum decision. This means that someone can stay without access to employment, education or adequate social protection while waiting for a decision. Whilst waiting, cash support is available, but this is currently limited to £45 per week, well below the UK’s 2020 poverty line of £141 per week or the destitution line of £70 per week. Without rights to work, means to earn additional funds independently rarely exist. SEEAC directly heard from people in the asylum process about their situations while waiting for decisions.

“40 pounds a week means that I can’t afford milk and nappies for my kid. My budget is so tight… I have to save money… We go to every place that offers free stuff like food, WiFi…’’ —Vietnamese woman in the asylum process with a 4-month-old baby (interviewed in 2021)

Acquiring the basic necessities undoubtedly becomes an immediate challenge, but the inability to support oneselves financially, and lack of access from the society also becomes a heavy emotional toll.

“Sometimes I feel useless. I can do nothing. I don’t have permission to do anything.”

 —Vietnamese woman who underwent NRM and asylum processes

All of these struggles are on top of the other challenges such as living through cultural differences and language barriers, getting used to the new way of living, , with each person having more of their own story to tell. The socio-political context that the ESEA migrants have come from, is certainly something that is not understood enough within the UK. 

Is there any possible support that could be given as a society? Have we looked enough into invisible struggles that they may face, such as mental health issues as well? May this week become an opportunity to reflect on the situations of refugees along with SEEAC.

- Yuyu Hosokawa