British Red Cross warns UK’s asylum system changes puts refugees at greater risk 

The British Red Cross warns that plans to review people’s refugee status every 30 months are creating even greater fear among people who need protection. The uncertainty created by requiring refugees to review their status every 30 months – combined with a 20-year path to settlement – could make it harder for them to integrate into communities and find jobs. It warns that people could be pushed into poverty and homelessness as a result. 

In addition, there is concern about the lack of legal routes for people to safely reach the UK without making dangerous journeys. Refugee family reunion is still suspended, and the UK government announced today it would stop issuing study visas to people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, to deter people from requesting asylum once they are here. Most people can only apply for asylum, once they physically reach the UK. This decision risks pushing more people towards hazardous routes. 

Insight from the charity regarding the proposed changes includes: 

• Evidence from UK Ukraine schemes, where the uncertainty caused by short-term protection has made it harder for Ukrainians to find well paid work, rent independently and be self-sufficient (from the British Red Cross report Planning for Tomorrow).  
• Other countries have implemented similar schemes, but evidence shows they hold people back, affecting their mental health, ability to gain work and integrate into communities.    
• This includes Denmark, where all refugees have temporary protection, subject to regular and strict reviews. A 2023 study showed that they don’t feel they have a “baseline of safety”, due to the prospect of deportation, making it harder to recover from trauma. 
• Similarly in Australia, where temporary protection visas were introduced, refugees without permanent status have been found to have higher levels of PTSD and depression. 
• Insights from British Red Cross refugee services shows there is already confusion and anxiety from refugees around accepting benefits they are entitled to and rely on, even when they are not impacted by the new rules. One Red Cross service said they had witnessed more people refusing help, including a single mother with children afraid to take any official support, in case it affects her ability to find stability and safety in the UK. 

 

Mubeen Bhutta, Director of Policy, Research and Advocacy for the British Red Cross, said: 

“This is a deeply worrying time for refugees and people seeking asylum. There is little evidence to suggest that making life harder puts people off coming to the UK, when they have been forced to flee their homes. In fact, evidence from where similar changes have been implemented shows it leads to real human suffering and holds back integration in communities. 

“These plans risk leaving men, women and children who have already endured the trauma of war and persecution in a perpetual state of limbo, unable to recover or plan for their future. We know through our work that there is a real danger that the changes will not only deprive refugees of the stability they need to rebuild their lives but could also push more people into poverty and homelessness. We need more safe and legal routes for people in need of protection and an asylum system that provides refugees with the rights that enable them to rebuild their lives and integrate into communities.” 

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Sources: 

• Nordic Journal of Migration Research, ‘I Can’t Create a Future with a Temporary Permit’: Refugees and Long-Term Temporary Protection in Denmark (2023) 
• European Journal of Psychotraumatology, The association between visa insecurity and mental health, disability and social engagement in refugees living in Australia (2019) 

About the British Red Cross

For over 150 years, the British Red Cross has helped people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. With millions of volunteers in over 190 countries, the British Red Cross is part of an international humanitarian Movement that’s there for people before, during and after a crisis. Together, we are the world’s emergency responders. www.redcross.org.uk