11:49
Traffic jam:   4
$
92.2628
99.7057

UK to block visas for countries refusing to take back asylum seekers

7 July 2021
2812
4 min.
12
UK to block visas for countries refusing to take back asylum seekers

The UK will block visas for visitors from countries the home secretary believes are refusing to cooperate in taking back rejected asylum seekers or offenders.

In proposed legislation published on Tuesday, Priti Patel and future home secretaries would have the power to suspend or delay the processing of applications from countries that do no “cooperate with the UK government in relation to the removal from the United Kingdom of nationals of that country who require leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom but do not have it”.

The clause in the nationality and borders bill also allows for the home secretary to impose additional financial requirements for visa applications – that is, an increase in fees – if countries do not cooperate.

The proposals mirror US legislation that allows officials to withdraw visa routes from countries that refuse to take back undocumented migrants. It is understood that countries such as Iraq, Iran, Eritrea and Sudan are reluctant to cooperate with the UK on such matters.

The change is one of many in the bill, described as “the biggest overhaul of the UK’s asylum system in decades” by Patel, which includes measures such as:

  • Asylum seekers deemed to have arrived in the UK illegally will no longer have the same entitlements as those who arrive in the country via legal routes. Even if their claim is successful, they will be granted temporary refugee status and face the prospect of being indefinitely liable for removal.
  • Asylum seekers will be able to be removed from the UK while their asylum claim or appeal is pending, which opens the door to offshore asylum processing.
  • For those deemed to have arrived illegally, access to benefits and family reunion rights could be limited.
  • The appeals and judicial process will be changed to speed up the removal of those whose claims are refused.
  • The home secretary will be able to offer protection to vulnerable people in “immediate danger and at risk in their home country” in exceptional circumstances. It is thought this will be used to help a small number of people.
  • The system will be made “much harder for people to be granted refugee status based on unsubstantiated claims” and will include “rigorous age assessments” to stop adults pretending to be children. The government is considering the use of bone scanners to determine age.
  • Life sentences will be brought in as a maximum penalty for people-smugglers.
  • Foreign criminals who breach deportation orders and return to the UK could be jailed for up to five years instead of the current six months.
  • A new one-stop legal process is proposed so that asylum, human rights claims and any other protection matters are made and considered together before appeal hearings.

Campaigners have dubbed the proposed legislation the “anti-refugee bill”, claiming it will penalise those who need help the most.

Analysis of Home Office data by the Refugee Council suggests 9,000 people who would be accepted as refugees under current rules – those confirmed to have fled war or persecution following official checks – may no longer be given safety in the UK due to their means of arrival under the changes.

The charity’s chief executive, Enver Solomon, said that for decades people had taken “extraordinary measures to flee oppression”, but had gone on to become “law-abiding citizens playing by the rules and paying their taxes as proud Britons”.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, refugee and migrants rights programme director at Amnesty International UK, branded the bill “legislative vandalism”, claimed it could “fatally undermine the right to asylum” and accused Patel of a “shameful dereliction of duty”, adding: “This reckless and deeply unjust bill is set to bring shame on Britain’s international reputation.”

Sonya Sceats, chief executive of Freedom from Torture, described the plans as “dripping with cruelty” and an “affront to the caring people in this country who want a kinder, fairer approach to refugees”.

More than 250 organisations – including the Refugee Council, the British Red Cross, Freedom from Torture, Refugee Action and Asylum Matters – have joined to form the coalition Together with Refugees to call for a more effective, fair and humane approach to asylum in the UK.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jul/06/uk-to-block-visas-from-countries-refusing-to-take-back-undocumented-migrants

Persons4 and Companies8 in the news

CEO, Refugee Council
1 place
Chief Executive Officer at Freedom from Torture
2 place
Director of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Program at Amnesty International UK
3 place
Secretary of State for the Home Department
4 place
Asylum Matters
2 place
Refugee Action
3 place
Refugee Council
7 place
Home Office
8 place
Section:

Discussion

Rating companies
ITV
16 Mention
Instagram
16 Mention
Daily Mail
8 Mention
The Labour Party
8 Mention
Netflix
7 Mention
BBC One
6 Mention
Labour Party
6 Mention

ENGLAND NEWS


News GlobalEng.biz -this is the latest and most up-to-date information about the resonant events that have occurred in the region. The task of the resource's news feed is to convey to readers information about important events in business, politics, economics, healthcare, culture and other spheres of life in England with maximum accuracy and objectivity.
News GlobalEng.biz - this is coverage of the economic processes taking place in England, the latest news of public life, incidents and an overview of political events. English news is information about the activities of small and medium-sized businesses, the work of housing and communal services, the implementation of significant projects. The site's journalists describe not only the life of the region, but also talk about the current state of the English economy. Everything you need to know about innovations in the field of industry and agriculture, economy and government is collected in the "News" section on GlobalEng.biz.
News of England promptly informs the reader, shows the real picture and opens up topical topics. Communication with government structures and business gives us the opportunity to provide our readers with reliable, information-rich material.
The main page of the portal contains the key news of England!
Alena Potapova

Development Director
Population
8112845863
Died this year
14399477
Born this year
35425262