The UK’s Home Office has introduced reforms that will see asylum seekers paying around £10,000 (around N18 million) to be eligible for settlement.
The bill was introduced to parliament on Tuesday and sets out new powers for the Home Office to recover costs from adults who have received asylum support such as subsistence or accommodation, provided they have access to sufficient funds.
Asylum seekers have not typically been expected to pay to seek settlement, and it is not a global norm.
However, Shabana Mahmood, home secretary, said asylum seekers in the UK have become a financial burden on the taxpayer.
“The cost of asylum accommodation on the British taxpayer is too high,” Mahmood said.
“We have already reduced asylum costs by £1 billion, but it is also right that we ask those who can contribute to do so.
“Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility. Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.”
The new costs will also apply to previous asylum seekers who leave the UK and wish to return.
The Home Office estimates that the average cost per person per night of accommodating asylum seekers would be £23.25 in dispersal accommodation and £144 in hotels, while subsistence payment range from £9.95 to £49.18 per person per week.
According to the UK government, a quarter of 16 to 64-year-olds granted asylum status between 2015 and 2023 were in employment within the same calendar year they were granted status, with that number rising to 50 percent two years after refugee status was granted.
Of those who were in employment eight years after the grant, 37 percent were in full-time work with median earnings of £23,000, with 40 percent earning more than minimum wage.
The Home Office said the reforms will ensure asylum seekers take responsibility for the financial impact of their presence in the country.
