On 13 December over 730 organisations and individuals on the frontline of providing support to people seeking asylum in our communities across the UK, wrote jointly to the Home Secretary to urge her department to reconsider the decision to suspend all Syrian asylum claims following the fall of the Assad regime.
We have received a response from Dame Angela Eagle MP, Minister for Border Security & Asylum dated 5 February.
The Minister confirmed that the ‘temporary pause’ on Syrian asylum claims remains in place. It is being ‘kept under constant review’ we are told, and that asylum decisions will only recommence when there is ‘a sufficiently clear basis upon which to make determinations’.
This is of course disappointing news for Syrians seeking asylum in the UK who find themselves stuck in limbo, many of whom had already been waiting months or years on a decision, and we are concerned about the impact this protracted suspension will have on the mental health of sanctuary seekers.
The Minister did confirm that ‘no-one will be removed to their home country or any other nation where they would face persecution or serious harm’ which offers some relief, and that the Home Office will ‘continue to register new asylum claims from Syrians’ even if decisions remain paused.
With regards to our request for the right to work to be granted to people seeking asylum after six months of awaiting a decision on their claim, the Minister said ‘there are no immediate plans to change the existing policy on permission to work for asylum seekers’. You can visit the Lift the Ban website for more information on the campaign to restore working rights.
This was obviously not the response we were hoping for. If you wish to keep up the pressure on the government on the resumption of Syrian asylum claims, you can use our easy letter-writing tool to write to your MP. Alternatively, for resources including a template MP letter, a parliamentary briefing and a template motion for local authorities opposing the government’s new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill and its wider anti-refugee policies, you can visit the Fight for Asylum Rights website.
You can find Minister Angela Eagle’s response in full below:
Thank you for sending the Home Secretary an open letter of 13 January, signed by a number of organisations and individuals, concerning Syrian asylum seekers and refugees. I am replying as the Minister for Border Security & Asylum.
As you are aware, on 9 December 2024, both the Minister of State (Lords Minister) and the Home Secretary announced to Parliament that all Syrian asylum interviews and decisions have been temporarily paused.
Following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, this was, and remains, a necessary step. While there is no stable, objective information on which to base an accurate assessment of a claimant’s risk on return to Syria we are unable to make robust, reliable decisions on claims for international protection.
We realise that for Syrian nationals who have claims currently in the asylum process this is an uncertain and, for some, unsettling time. I therefore want to set out some important details about how the temporary pause will work.
First, let me provide assurance that, in accordance with our international obligations, no-one will be removed to their home country or any other nation where they would face persecution or serious harm. Furthermore, I can confirm that we continue to register new asylum claims from Syrian nationals in accordance with published policy so that they have access to the protections afforded to asylum seekers in the UK.
In line with existing policies, any Syrian nationals who are resident in the UK with valid permission to stay will need to apply for further permission to stay or settlement before their current permission expires. For those who apply for settlement protection after five years’ residency in the UK, a safe return review will be undertaken to assess whether it is safe for the applicant to return to Syria.
Asylum claimants (including those from Syria) will continue to receive support where appropriate. The Home Office has a legal obligation, as set out in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, to support asylum seekers (including any dependants) who would otherwise be destitute. Asylum seekers can apply for accommodation, subsistence, or both accommodation and subsistence support.
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking child claimants (including those from Syria) will continue to be supported by local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, and Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland, where appropriate in line with their statutory duties whilst they await a decision.
The pause is being kept under constant review. The situation is fast moving and as soon as there is a sufficiently clear basis upon which to make determinations, asylum decision making will recommence.
Asylum seekers are not eligible to apply for permission to work unless their asylum claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. The current hold on Syrian applications is not considered to be the fault of the individual and therefore the hold alone will not impact any future application for permission to work. Where an asylum seeker acquires permission to work, their employment will be limited to occupations on the Immigration Salary List (ISL).
The ISL is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee and contains occupations where employers face a shortage of suitable labour and where they judge that migration is a sensible response to that shortage. Further information on the ISL can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-immigration-salary-list.
Whilst we keep all policies under review, there are no immediate plans to change the existing policy on permission to work for asylum seekers.
It is important to distinguish between those who need protection and those seeking to work here who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Our wider policy could be undermined if migrants bypassed work visa rules by lodging unfounded asylum claims here.
Asylum seekers do not need to make perilous journeys in order to seek employment in the UK. There are various safe and legal routes for those seeking to work in the UK under the points-based system.
We recognise the importance of work when it comes to physical and mental wellbeing, for building a sense of wider contribution to our society, and for community integration. We therefore encourage asylum seekers who are waiting for the outcome of their claim to undertake volunteering activities. This should not amount to unpaid work or job substitution. This means the individual is helping a registered voluntary or charitable organisation with contractual obligations and the volunteering undertaken is not a substitute for employment.
Thank you once again for taking the time to write to the Home Office on this very important matter and I trust you can understand the reasons for the decision we have taken.
Yours sincerely,
Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP
Minister for Border Security & Asylum
