Increasing number of asylum seekers being granted work permits due to backlogs

Published

2 years ago

November 14, 2023

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An increasing number of migrants who may be in the country illegally are getting the right to work in the UK, Sky News can reveal.

Asylum seekers living in migrant hotels are being granted work permits before a decision is reached on their asylum claims, due to the length of time they have been waiting.

The Home Office backlog in processing claims means almost 100,000 people had been waiting more than a year for an initial decision on their asylum claim at the end of June this year – an almost 80% increase from this time last year, according to the latest data.

Under UK immigration rules, anyone who has been waiting more than 12 months through no fault of their own can receive a work permit and apply for any job on the country’s shortage occupation list.

Hussein, 34, who lives in a hotel in Staffordshire, is now working full-time for a charity after his work permit was granted in October this year.

He is still waiting for a decision on his asylum status, having arrived in the UK on a small boat at the beginning of July 2022.

He told Sky News he fled Iraq because he was concerned that previous work he’d done for Western armies was putting him and his family in danger.

On his phone are pictures of his young daughter back home, who he wants to help financially once he’s earning a regular salary.

He said the £9-a-week given to asylum seekers by the government simply isn’t enough to live on.

“We are getting very, very little money as financial support,” he said.

Although he has his meals paid for by the taxpayer and served in his hotel, he insists it is not enough.

“In the end as a human being, as a person…life is not only sleeping and eating – you might need clothes, you might need shoes, you might need maybe if you have some habits like smoking or anything, so all of this needs money.”

He is certain that the other men living with him are given hope by watching him find full-time employment.

“Everybody who is seeing me in the hotel, they are also excited because of my job.”

“They are seeing what I’m doing and they want to be the same way,” he added.

Dozens of other migrants at his hotel arrived on the same route as Hussein – on small boats across the Channel.

They, too, are now reaching the threshold for finding paid work.

‘I didn’t choose to come and stay in [a] hotel’

Khalid, 30, from Syria, has been waiting for a decision on his asylum claim for 14 months.

“Many guys here they feel like in prison,” he said.

His work permit has just arrived. He said he will do any job, and doesn’t want to remain living at the expense of the taxpayer.

In broken English he told us: “This is the wrong from the government, not from me. I didn’t choose to come and stay in [a] hotel.

“I start work, I will not stay in the hotel, I can buy, rent or do something, from my business, from my job.”

But not all asylum seekers who are eligible want to get to work before they know what their future holds.

Khater, 30, from Sudan, said that without the Home Office declaring his asylum claim valid he will not attempt to find work.

He said he also wants to study more: “I want to improve my language first and speak fluently, and then I’m going to get a job.”

Another asylum seeker from Sudan – Elamin, 30 – admited the reason he came to the UK is to earn money.

“I want to be independent more – to help my family [in Sudan].”

According to figures seen by Sky News, around 91,000 people were waiting more than a year for a decision on their asylum claims by the end of June 2023.

That figure makes up more than half (52%) of the entire backlog of asylum claims at the Home Office.

‘I can understand why the public would be outraged’

In November 2022, 51,189 asylum seekers had been waiting more than a year for an initial decision on their claim according to figures released to the Refugee Council following a Freedom of Information request, meaning the backlog is growing at an alarming rate for some immigration solicitors.

Monira Hussain, an immigration lawyer in Oldham, said that enquiries from asylum seekers requesting help with their applications for work permits are now a daily occurrence.

She told Sky News she does not know why decisions have slowed: “I can understand why the public would be outraged.”

“Ultimately what I would like to see the immigration system doing is processing their applications quicker, then we wouldn’t have this situation”, she added.

Some believe the rules need to be changed now the backlog of claims is so large.

Karl Williams, Deputy Research Director at the Centre for Policy Studies, said knowing they can get the right to work simply by waiting long enough makes Britain more attractive to migrants.

“There was perhaps a case for it when there were far fewer people in the asylum system. But at the moment it’s clearly acting as a massive pull factor for people coming here.”

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He believes for the British public, the fact that asylum seekers are working legitimately “will just enhance that fundamental sense that this is unfair”.

“These people are coming here illegally, they’re jumping the queue ahead of people who are using proper systems, and they are taking advantage of the taxpayer and the kindness and generosity of the public.”

The Home Office told Sky News: “The pressure on the asylum system has continued to grow, which is why we have taken immediate action to speed up application processing times and cut costs for taxpayers.

“Between the end of November 2022 and August 2023, the backlog of legacy cases has fallen by over 35,000.”

The government insists asylum seekers do not need to make perilous journeys in order to seek employment in the UK – and admits that Britain’s wider immigration policy could be undermined if migrants bypassed work visa rules by lodging unfounded asylum claims here.

Despite more and more asylum seekers legitimately making a living, it is still unlikely their uncertain status would satisfy the requirements for moving out of their hotel accommodation.

Whether the public likes it or not, a growing number of asylum seekers are now legally part of Britain’s workforce – but with no guarantee they will be allowed to continue their life here.

Additional reporting by Nick Stylianou.

UK

Sir Keir Starmer could be ousted as PM within months, two senior Labour MPs tell Sky News

Published

1 hour ago

July 3, 2025

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Sir Keir Starmer could be ousted as PM within months, two senior Labour MPs tell Sky News

Two senior Labour MPs have suggested the prime minister may have to go within months if the government continues to perform poorly.

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates said his sources – a member of the government and a prominent politician – have “put Sir Keir Starmer on notice”.

Both warned that, if Labour performs badly in next May’s elections across Wales, Scotland and London, it could mark the end of his time in Downing Street.

Coates added: “The level of unhappiness and despair in parts of the Labour Party is so striking that right now, on the first anniversary, I am hearing from ministers in government that Starmer might have to go in months.”

Reform UK is surging in the polls in Wales, while Labour faces a threat from left-wing parties such as the Greens in London.

It comes as the prime minister made it clear that Rachel Reeves has his “complete support” as chancellor and remains integral to his project, Sky News’s political editor Beth Rigby understands.

She looked visibly upset during Prime Minister’s Questions, with a spokesperson claiming she had been affected by a “personal matter”.

A day earlier, Sir Keir’s controversial welfare bill was passed despite a sizeable rebellion from Labour MPs, with major U-turns meaning a new £5bn black hole has appeared in the country’s finances.

One senior figure told Rigby that the pair were as “as close politically” as any chancellor and prime minister have ever been.

“She is going absolutely nowhere,” they added.

Ms Reeves’s tears sent markets spiralling, with the value of the pound and long-term government bonds falling sharply.

Later in the day Sir Keir, said Ms Reeves will be chancellor for a “very long time to come”.

The prime minister said it was “absolutely wrong” to suggest her tearful appearance in the Commons related to the welfare U-turn.

“It’s got nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with what’s happened this week. It was a personal matter for her,” he said while speaking to the BBC’s podcast Political Thinking with Nick Robinson.

“I’m not going to intrude on her privacy by talking to you about that. It is a personal matter.”

Asked if she will remain in post, he said: “She will be chancellor by the time this is broadcast, she will be chancellor for a very long time to come, because this project that we’ve been working on to change the Labour party, to win the election, change the country, that is a project which the chancellor and I’ve been working on together.”

He said Ms Reeves has done a “fantastic job” and added: “She and I work together, we think together. In the past, there have been examples – I won’t give any specific – of chancellors and prime ministers who weren’t in lockstep. We’re in lockstep.”

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, also offered a strong defence for the prime minister and chancellor.

He told Sky News this morning that Sir Keir has been “consistently underestimated” and was “of course” safe as prime minister.

And he said Ms Reeves was a “tough character” who was ” resilient” and “here to stay”.

UK

Greater Manchester Police investigating grooming cases with more than 700 victims

Published

1 hour ago

July 3, 2025

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Greater Manchester Police investigating grooming cases with more than 700 victims

Despite making “significant improvements”, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has lost the “trust and confidence” of some victims of grooming gangs, according to a report by the police watchdog.

Michelle Skeer, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said that since 2019, when GMP started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, “the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation”.

The document, published today, said police have live investigations into “multi-victim, multi-offender” child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects.

Grooming gangs scandal timeline

But despite recording improvements, a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) also identified:

• Various training gaps within the investigation team
• Lack of consistency in evaluating case files between social care, health and police
• Failures to initially support victims meant they had “lost trust and confidence” in police

The report was commissioned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham in 2024 to evaluate whether police, councils and health services can protect children from sexual exploitation in the future.

Its release comes days after Sir Keir Starmer announced he was launching a new national inquiry into grooming gangs after previously arguing one was not necessary,

The findings were issued as the final part of the CSE (child sexual exploitation) Assurance Review process which started in 2017. The first three reports examined non-recent child sexual exploitation in Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale.

Mr Skeer said that the force has been trying to improve its service to those who have experienced sexual exploitation, but previous failings have badly affected trust in GMP.

He said: “For some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences.

“It is vital that improvements are led by victims’ experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.”

A recent report by Baroness Casey found a significant over-representation of Asian men who are suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, adding though authorities are in “denial” more needs to be done to understand why this is the case.

Inspectors also said there were “training gaps” in some investigation teams and issues with data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to “significant delays in investigations” into grooming gangs.

It cites problems with intelligence provided by Manchester City Council, which took months to arrive and “was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words”, the report said.

GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs. Called the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT) it has about 100 staff and a ringfenced budget.

In October 2024, the force told inspectors there were 59 live multi-victim, multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations, of which 13 were being managed by the CSE MIT.

The report adds: “The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past.

“It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation.”

Separately, the Baird Inquiry published in July 2024 found officers at GMP were abusing their power – making unlawful arrests, unlawful and demeaning strip searches, sometimes treating victims as perpetrators, and traumatising those who have suffered sexual abuse or domestic violence.

UK

Wes Streeting defends chancellor and PM ahead of ‘seismic’ 10-year plan for NHS

Published

1 hour ago

July 3, 2025

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Wes Streeting defends chancellor and PM ahead of 'seismic' 10-year plan for NHS

The health secretary has offered a strong defence of the prime minister and chancellor – ahead of Sir Keir Starmer setting out his 10-year vision for the NHS.

PM ‘might have to go in months’ – politics latest

Wes Streeting dismissed suggestions the prime minister could be forced out in months following the toughest week of his premiership yet, and described Rachel Reeves as “resilient” and would “bounce back” following her tearful appearance in the Commons on Wednesday.

Overnight, two senior sources – a member of the government and a prominent politician – told Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates that they had “put Sir Keir Starmer on notice”.

The health secretary, who was speaking as Sir Keir prepares to set out his 10-year vision for the NHS, said the prime minister had been “consistently underestimated”.

Asked by Kamali Melbourne on Sky News Breakfast whether Sir Keir was “safe”, Mr Streeting said: “Of course.

“Keir Starmer has been consistently underestimated. I wonder when people will learn.

“They said he couldn’t win the Labour leadership, but he did. They said he couldn’t change the Labour Party, but he did.

“They said he couldn’t take the Labour Party from its worst defeat since the 1930s to election victory last year. And he did and now the cynics say he can’t change the country, but he will.”

As for Ms Reeves – whose tearful appearance in the Commons spooked markets after the prime minister initially failed to back her, Mr Streeting said the chancellor was a “tough character” who was “resilient and she will bounce back”.

The health secretary declined to expand on why Ms Reeves was in the chamber at all yesterday, repeating that it was a personal matter.

“Rachel Reeves as chancellor is here to stay,” he continued.

“We need her to get the economy from strength to strength, to make sure that family finances are in better health than we were when we came into office.”

Speculation about the futures of the two most senior members of the government threaten to overshadow the announcement today, which the government says is “one of the most seismic shifts” in the health service’s history.

Sir Keir will pledge three main facets of the plan: moving care into the community, digitising the NHS, and a focus on sickness prevention.

The prime minister will announce neighbourhood health services will be rolled out across England to improve access to the NHS and to shift care out of overstrained hospitals.

Sir Keir has already promised thousands more GPs will be trained, and to end the 8am “scramble” for an appointment.

He also previously said his government will bring the NHS into the digital age, with “groundbreaking” new tools to support GPs rolled out over the next two years – including AI to take notes, draft letters and enter data.

And he will promise new contracts that will encourage and allow GP practices to cover a wider geographical area, so small practices will get more support.

Unite, one of the UK’s largest healthcare unions, welcomed the plan cautiously but said staff need to be the focus to ensure people are better looked after.

‘Reform or die’

Sir Keir said: “The NHS should be there for everyone, whenever they need it.

“But we inherited a health system in crisis, addicted to a sticking plaster approach, and unable to face up to the challenges we face now, let alone in the future.

“That ends now. Because it’s reform or die.”

Neighbourhood health services

The newly announced neighbourhood health services will provide “pioneering teams” in local communities, so patients can more conveniently access a full range of healthcare services close to home.

Local areas will be encouraged to trial innovative schemes like community outreach door-to-door to detect early signs of illness and reduce pressure on GPs and A&E.

The aim is to eventually have new health centres open 12 hours a day, six days a week to offer GP services as well as diagnostics, post-operative care and rehab.

They will also offer services like debt advice, employment support, stop smoking help or weight management.

More NHS dentists

Dentists will also be part of the plan, with dental care professionals part of the neighbourhood teams.

Dental “therapists” will carry out check-ups, treatments and referrals, while dental nurses could give education and advice to parents or work with schools and community groups.

Newly qualified dentists will be required to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, which they have said will be three years.