People granted asylum in the UK could be required to repay around £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and financial support once they begin earning, under proposals contained in the government's new Immigration and Asylum Bill.

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The measures are intended to recover some of the costs of supporting asylum seekers from adults deemed able to contribute financially. Under the plans, asylum seekers who have the right to work would have to repay the flat-rate amount before becoming eligible to settle permanently in the UK.

Failed asylum seekers who leave the country would also be expected to repay outstanding costs before being allowed to return.

Refugees Could Repay Support Costs

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the proposals reflected the principle that while asylum support is a right, it also carries responsibilities. She said people should contribute once they are financially able to do so, describing it as a way of repaying the support provided by taxpayers.

The government expects the repayment amount to be set at about £10,000, although the Home Office has not yet decided the earnings threshold at which repayments would begin. Ministers would also have powers to adjust both the repayment amount and income thresholds to ensure the scheme remains fair to taxpayers while avoiding hardship for migrants.

Concerns Over Practicality

Dr Madeleine Sumption, director of the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory, said the proposals marked a further tightening of the UK's immigration system while remaining within international refugee and human rights obligations.

She also questioned how much money the scheme would recover, noting that many refugees earn relatively low incomes. According to Migration Observatory analysis, only an estimated 13% of people granted refugee status five years earlier earned at least £20,000 in 2023, with most either unemployed or earning less.

The Home Office said 24% of refugees aged 16 to 64 were in employment during their first year after being granted asylum between 2015 and 2023. That figure rose to about 48% after two years. Among those working eight years after receiving refugee status, 37% were employed full time, with median earnings of £23,000 and only 40% earning above the minimum wage.

Critics and Wider Reforms

The Refugee Council criticised the plans as "unfair" and "impractical", arguing they would amount to an extra financial burden on refugees trying to rebuild their lives. The charity said asylum seekers are prevented from working while their claims are processed and that support is provided only to those facing destitution.

The Home Office said around £4 billion of public money was spent supporting asylum seekers last year. It estimated that accommodation costs average £23.25 per night in private rented housing and £144 per night in hotels, while weekly subsistence payments range from £9.95 to £49.18 per person.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour had adopted a proposal previously put forward by the Conservatives after opposing it during debate on an earlier Immigration Bill.

The legislation would also establish a new immigration appeals authority designed to speed up the removal of failed asylum seekers. It includes changes to the application of human rights and modern slavery laws to asylum claims, with ministers saying the aim is to reduce what they describe as vexatious applications.

The government says the wider package will create a firm but fair asylum system and reduce incentives for illegal migration, although some of the tougher measures are expected to face opposition from Labour MPs.

The bill also includes plans for capped safe and legal refugee routes, allowing organisations such as universities, businesses and community groups to sponsor refugees. Separately, ministers recently announced plans to expand the use of former military barracks to house asylum seekers after closing additional hotels in England.

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"People granted asylum in the UK could be required to repay around £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and financial support once they begin earning"

"The Refugee Council criticised the plans as "unfair" and "impractical", arguing they would amount to an extra financial burden on refugees trying to rebuild their lives".....I'm shocked!! They want everything for free!!

Don't hold your breath...this will never be implemented!

She also questioned how much money the scheme would recover, noting that many refugees earn relatively low incomes. According to Migration Observatory analysis, only an estimated 13% of people granted refugee status five years earlier earned at least £20,000 in 2023, with most either unemployed or earning less.

The Home Office said 24% of refugees aged 16 to 64 were in employment during their first year after being granted asylum between 2015 and 2023. That figure rose to about 48% after two years. Among those working eight years after receiving refugee status, 37% were employed full time, with median earnings of £23,000 and only 40% earning above the minimum wage.

Those statistics paint a pretty dismal picture. The taxpayers will be on the hook forever to support a huge number of them.

boatloads of illegal immigrants arrive daily to enjoy our handouts. The possibility of them giving us back 10,000 pounds as a thank you is one of the most obsured proposals ever .Do we really elect these officials and pay those fools who are void of basic common sense??.

Desperate times call for desperate measures as the Treasury is now targeting Brits living their best life in Thailand with a brutal 2% pension decrease. Think of the refugees

A load of hot air.

Even if implemented it would never happen as most of them stay on the dole and make money through crime.

Hence all the brand new BMWs outside empty barber/vape shops.

31 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

A load of hot air.

Even if implemented it would never happen as most of them stay on the dole and make money through crime.

Hence all the brand new BMWs outside empty barber/vape shops.

Many live off the welfare state or run a business where cash is often used as a payment e.g. Taxi Driver , Take-away food , market stalls etc and declare a low wage to avoid income tax .

6 hours ago, webfact said:

People granted asylum in the UK could be required to repay around £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and financial support once they begin earning, under proposals contained in the government's new Immigration and Asylum Bill.

Get today's headlines by email

The measures are intended to recover some of the costs of supporting asylum seekers from adults deemed able to contribute financially. Under the plans, asylum seekers who have the right to work would have to repay the flat-rate amount before becoming eligible to settle permanently in the UK.

Failed asylum seekers who leave the country would also be expected to repay outstanding costs before being allowed to return.

Refugees Could Repay Support Costs

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the proposals reflected the principle that while asylum support is a right, it also carries responsibilities. She said people should contribute once they are financially able to do so, describing it as a way of repaying the support provided by taxpayers.

The government expects the repayment amount to be set at about £10,000, although the Home Office has not yet decided the earnings threshold at which repayments would begin. Ministers would also have powers to adjust both the repayment amount and income thresholds to ensure the scheme remains fair to taxpayers while avoiding hardship for migrants.

Concerns Over Practicality

Dr Madeleine Sumption, director of the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory, said the proposals marked a further tightening of the UK's immigration system while remaining within international refugee and human rights obligations.

She also questioned how much money the scheme would recover, noting that many refugees earn relatively low incomes. According to Migration Observatory analysis, only an estimated 13% of people granted refugee status five years earlier earned at least £20,000 in 2023, with most either unemployed or earning less.

The Home Office said 24% of refugees aged 16 to 64 were in employment during their first year after being granted asylum between 2015 and 2023. That figure rose to about 48% after two years. Among those working eight years after receiving refugee status, 37% were employed full time, with median earnings of £23,000 and only 40% earning above the minimum wage.

Critics and Wider Reforms

The Refugee Council criticised the plans as "unfair" and "impractical", arguing they would amount to an extra financial burden on refugees trying to rebuild their lives. The charity said asylum seekers are prevented from working while their claims are processed and that support is provided only to those facing destitution.

The Home Office said around £4 billion of public money was spent supporting asylum seekers last year. It estimated that accommodation costs average £23.25 per night in private rented housing and £144 per night in hotels, while weekly subsistence payments range from £9.95 to £49.18 per person.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour had adopted a proposal previously put forward by the Conservatives after opposing it during debate on an earlier Immigration Bill.

The legislation would also establish a new immigration appeals authority designed to speed up the removal of failed asylum seekers. It includes changes to the application of human rights and modern slavery laws to asylum claims, with ministers saying the aim is to reduce what they describe as vexatious applications.

The government says the wider package will create a firm but fair asylum system and reduce incentives for illegal migration, although some of the tougher measures are expected to face opposition from Labour MPs.

The bill also includes plans for capped safe and legal refugee routes, allowing organisations such as universities, businesses and community groups to sponsor refugees. Separately, ministers recently announced plans to expand the use of former military barracks to house asylum seekers after closing additional hotels in England.

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This is a smoke screen . Read below .

Keir Starmer's Home Secretary (Shabana Mahmood) is to open new legal routes to the UK for thousands of migrants from culturally incompatible, violent, war-torn areas of the world.

These individuals will pour into British communities across the UK starting next year.

We have already seen illegal migrants from these regions attacking and slaughtering Brits across the UK.

Now “community groups” will be able to sponsor thousands of migrants from the same culturally incompatible, violent parts of the world, and bring them into the UK.

No doubt these “community groups" will be ethnic minorities (Pakistanis, Sudanese, Eritreans, Syrians, etc) aiming to bring thousands of people from their origin countries into the UK.

I've also no doubt that from 2027 onwards we will be seeing news reports about Brits being attacked and killed by some of these people.

1 hour ago, superal said:

Many live off the welfare state or run a business where cash is often used as a payment e.g. Taxi Driver , Take-away food , market stalls etc and declare a low wage to avoid income tax .

Exactly.

And forcing them to pay back money if they worked legitimately would just encourage them to continue doing so.

Shabana Mahmood is dumb as a bag of spanners.

Even if implemented it would never happen as most of them stay on the dole and make money through crime.

That's the scary part. If they do have to come up with a repayment, they'll go "shopping". After dark. In other people's homes.

No use making up scenarios to show immigrants as evil. White British people in prison for rape and murder puts paid to that idea.

However, teaching immigrants English and skills leading to employment is the right way.

Immigrants who fled wars, many of them stemming from the actions of the former British empire (like in Africa), would help grow the economy.

Don't forget how Brexit led to the exit of foreign doctors and nurses. If there are immigrants with qualifications, hire them and train them.

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

A load of hot air.

Even if implemented it would never happen as most of them stay on the dole and make money through crime.

Hence all the brand new BMWs outside empty barber/vape shops.

Absolutely true. These asylum-claiming migrants are not highly-skilled Polish builders. They have come for the 'free stuff'. They work in illegal activities; cannabis factories, vape shops, tobacco smuggling or just good old cash in hand.

Anyway, it is a moot point, the labour backbenchers will torpedo this one. There will almost certainly be no actionable legislation.

Come back to me in, say, 24 months, and tell me how much asylum seekers have repaid and then compare it to the cost of housing and feeding them.

I recall many years ago on a Thai forum a few members said the UK was finished , I disagreed but clearly they saw the vision must have been 17 years ago Secrets or Pattaya love I think ?

If we can saddle students with a +£30,000 bill repayable through taxation then the mechanism exists to charge refugees. Sure some of them work in the black economy but the majority if granted asylum will contribute.

Stop calling these people refugees or asylum seekers. They are people from failed states who are looking for an easy way out instead of fighting for a better life in their own country.

31 minutes ago, retayl said:

If we can saddle students with a +£30,000 bill repayable through taxation then the mechanism exists to charge refugees. Sure some of them work in the black economy but the majority if granted asylum will contribute.

Contribute to the crime statistics, certainly.

Contribute to NHS waiting lists. The housing shortage. Lack of school places.

I recall many years ago on a Thai forum a few members said the UK was finished , I disagreed but clearly they saw the vision must have been 17 years ago Secrets or Pattaya love I think ?

Admittedly, it's a slow motion trainwreck.

14 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Contribute to the crime statistics, certainly.

Contribute to NHS waiting lists. The housing shortage. Lack of school places.

You really must extend your reading beyond the Daily Mail.

Considering the despicable decision of UK politicians to reduce the government pensions to their citizens living abroad, this step is only normal. But as all the asylum seekers claim to be broke, no chance they will payback or even leave the country if their asylum submissions are denied. Could one explain who people from countries that are not at war, are booming with tourism, are getting asylum ? Unless of course asylum in the UK has followed the rest of Europe and is considering economic asylum also as a criteria for refugees ??

Yes we must help those fleeing a war. No arguing. But the Schengen area rules are that the asylum is only during the period of war going on. Once the war ends, these people need to leave as to give space for others.

But just look at what has happened in Germany. Their absurd policies took in millions of syrians and recently when Germany invited them to go back to Syria...the Syrian president just refused. Same with places like Algeria etc etc...

And never understood how the Sikhs from India are getting asylum. India is not a country in war and has booming tourism.

5 minutes ago, retayl said:

You really must extend your reading beyond the Daily Mail.

Ooohhhhhh they're all going to get private health care and send their kids to private school while building their own housing?

Phew.

What a relief.

When I first glanced at the headline I automatically assumed that it would be the Government GIVING the refugees £10k, not asking them to repay it. A sort of signing on fee like the footballers get.

Absolutely astounded that the suggestion is the refugees REPAY £10k. No doubt the earnings threshold will be set at such a level that no repayments are ever made. The Government will say it's the thought that counts.

9 hours ago, Celsius said:

Desperate times call for desperate measures as the Treasury is now targeting Brits living their best life in Thailand with a brutal 2% pension decrease. Think of the refugees

Don't whine. Canada's is 25% deduction for living overseas. Meaning we're not gracing Canada with tax money.

Look, despite you naysayers, this is a good first step.

When refugees start earning, they can make monthly payments just like student loans.

If student loan repayments can be enforced, then so can refugee repayments.

Canada revokes the residence of any immigrant who goes on the dole. Problem with that is that few jobs are available. And AI will make it worse.

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A lot of very racist comments. Sad. I think it is a great idea - as a first step. Personally, I think all immigrants without visas Should be 'encouraged' to work within 3 months of arrival ( there are plenty of jobs in farm work in the summer, street cleaning etc.). Until they have repaid the 10,000 GBP, no access to full UK benefits, no leave to remain, or full rights. If they do not like it, the UK tax payer will give them a one way ticket home.

Most of these illegals have spent thousands of pounds with traffickers to get to the UK. They are mainly not that poor. We need to make illegal entry a crime, and one that doesn't pay.

As for the legal migrants - why are we allowing in hundreds of thousands of them when our own University graduates are struggling to find jobs? Should be strictly limited to health workers. Care home staff should be recruited on limited visas (say 5 or 10 years) and then they have to return.