[insert your group name here]STAR
Volunteer induction handbook
What is STAR?
Student Action for Refugees (STAR) is the national network of student groups working to improve the lives of refugees in the UK by:
· Promoting positive images of refugees
· Volunteering for local refugee projects
· Campaigning for refugee rights
· Fundraising for the STAR network
STAR has been going for 16 years and is made up of over 5,000 students at 30+ universities across the UK. And we are continually growing! To find out more visit our website www.star-network.org.uk.
Volunteering with STAR
Starting a new life in an unfamiliar country can be very difficult. Life as a refugee in the UK can be full of loneliness, upheaval and uncertainty. Volunteering for local refugee projects is a great way to provide practical support and make a difference to lives of refugees in your local community. You can support people during a difficult time and help them build a new life in the UK. In return, you will get to know lots of interesting people, have loads of fun, learn new skills and get a better understanding of the lives of refugees in the UK. This handbook gives you the basic information you need to get started.
Contents:
1. Refugees in the UK – the basics of the UK asylum system
2. Volunteering with STAR
3. STAR Volunteering Project Information (for your STAR group to fill out)
4. Useful contact details (for your STAR group to fill out)
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Refugees in the UK
There is a lot of confusion about refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. So it’s a good idea to make sure you know who is who and what is what.
Definitions
Refugee
A person who is forced to leave their country of origin and seek protection in another country because of
“…a well-founded fear of persecution… for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
The 1951 UN Convention on Refugees
Asylum Seeker
A person who has made an application for asylum and is waiting for the government to decide if they will be recognised as a refugee.
The UK asylum system
How many people claim asylum in the UK?
19,894 people claimed asylum in the UK in 2011. There has been a 50% drop in asylum applications since 2003. The highest numbers in 2011 came from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka.
The UK hosts less than 3% of the world’s refugees, over 80% of refugees are living in developing countries, often in camps across the border from conflict areas e.g. Pakistan hosts millions of refugees from the conflict in Afghanistan
Most people claiming asylum know very little about the UK system. They come because they have family connections, can speak the language, or because of the UK’s reputation as a safe country. Many others pay agents to get them out and to safety and therefore did not choose to come to the UK.
What do asylum seekers get?
Depending on their financial situation, asylum seekers may be eligible for support from the Government while their case is being considered, including:
· Cash — A single adult currently receives £36.62 per week for living expenses.
· Housing — Applicants cannot choose where to live and will be sent wherever housing is available outside of London and the South East.
· Education — Children of asylum seekers have the same right to education as all other children in the UK and must be in full-time education between the ages of five and 16. For further and higher education, however, entitlements to financial support are restricted.
· Healthcare — Asylum seekers and their dependents receive free primary and secondary healthcare from the NHS. However, it can be difficult to register with a GP due to confusion amongst healthcare staff over who is eligible. A&E treatment is free to all. Refused asylum seekers who are not receiving any support from UKBA are not eligible for free secondary healthcare and will be charged.
Asylum seekers are not allowed to work except in some cases where the UKBA takes more than a year to make an initial decision on a case and only in a very limited range of jobs.
The Asylum Process
How does someone become a refugee in the UK? Here are the basics of the process an asylum seeker goes through when they seek protection.
Application process
All asylum claims are processed by the UK Border Agency, which is part of the Home Office. Asylum seekers have permission to stay in the UK while their claim is being decided.
Asylum claims can be made to an immigration officer as soon as an asylum-seeker arrives in the UK. Once a person has passed through immigration control and is inside the UK, they must claim asylum at the offices of the UK BorderAgency in Croydon (in south London).
Asylum applicants should find a lawyer to represent them as soon as possible to help them during the asylum application process and they can apply for legal aid for this work. However, due to recent legal aid cuts this is becoming increasingly difficult.
Each case is assigned a UKBA staff member who is known as the ‘case owner’ and who oversees the process.
Interviews
Asylum seekers go through a two-step interview process and must report regularly to the UKBA while their claim is under consideration. The UKBA first conducts a screening interview to collect the applicant’s personal details and check whether he or she has claimed asylum in the EU before. Fingerprints, a photograph and other physical identification information are collected and the applicant is given an application registration card.
At this stage some applicants are detained whilst their application is ‘fast-tracked’, with the aim of completing the application in just over a week. This might be because they come from countries that the Home Office thinks produce unfounded asylum claims, or they have already claimed asylum in another safe country.
The remainder of applicants attend a more in-depth screening interview within a few weeks where they are asked to describe why they fear persecution in their home country. Applicants do not always have legal representation, though interviews are sometimes delayed to allow them to obtain legal advice.
How the UKBA decides
The UKBA case owner considers the evidence submitted by the applicant, information on the political and human rights situation in the person’s country of origin, previous legal decisions on asylum and the applicant’s personal credibility.
If the claim is successful
If a refugee claim is successful, the claimant is granted refugee status for five years. After five years the person will be able to apply for ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’ in the UK to stay permanently.
Once someone is granted protection, they have the right to work, receive benefits and be re-united with their spouse and children (under 18). However, a child who is recognised as a refugee does not have the right to be joined by his or her parents or siblings.
If the claim is refused
If the UKBA decides that an asylum seeker does not meet the criteria for refugee status, the person may still be allowed to remain in the UK under a different status.
é ‘Discretionary Leave’ (DL) can be granted for up to three years and can be extended if the person cannot return home. Many people granted are uasc Discretionary Leave is typically granted to children.
é ‘Humanitarian Protection’ (HP) can be granted for five years if removing them would breach the rights outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights, for instance if they would be tortured upon returning to their home country.
Those granted Discretionary Leave or Humanitarian Protection have the right to work, be reunited with their immediate families and receive benefits.
Appealing a decision
Applicants whose cases are refused may have the right to appeal to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, which is independent of the UKBA. Applicants are allowed to remain in the UK during the appeals process.
Asylum seekers have only 10 days to make an appeal and they should be heard within two months of the initial decision. Asylum seekers are only entitled to legal aid to pursue their appeal if it is judged to have a 50% or higher chance of success.
It is also possible to make a second asylum claim (also known as a ‘fresh claim’) if new evidence comes to light, or if the UK’s asylum law has changed since the original case.
Voluntary return
If a claim is unsuccessful the person will be expected to voluntarily leave the UK. If they do not, they may be forcibly removed.
Asylum seekers who agree to return to their home country may be eligible for assistance from Refugee Action. Assistance can include help setting up a business, obtaining education or training, or getting a job in their home country.
What happens when asylum claims are refused?
When all appeal rights have ended, refused asylum seekers are expected to leave the country and their support is cut off after 21 days.
Many people remain in the UK because they are too scared to return or cannot return for reasons e.g. there is no safe route into the country or they are too sick to travel.
Asylum seekers whose applications have been refused and had their support cut off can apply for a basic support package known as “hard case” or “Section 4” support if their circumstances meet the narrow eligibility criteria. The support consists of accommodation and a subsistence allowance on a payment card (Azure Card) that can only be used in specific supermarkets. In order to receive this support most applicants must agree to return to their country of origin as soon as they are able. This means many people do not apply for it as they are too afraid to be returned.
Detention and removal
The UKBA may detain an asylum seeker at any time during the asylum process. There are 13 detention (immigration removal) centres around the country.
If an asylum seeker’s application and appeals have been denied and they have not voluntarily left the UK, the Home Office will inform them in writing that they intend to remove them. Thereafter the Home Office may detain refused asylum seekers and their families without warning until their removal can be arranged.
Problems with the UK asylum system
There are many problems with the UK asylum system, such as:
é The initial decision on whether to grant someone asylum is made very quickly and often without sufficient evidence. As a result UKBA often get it wrong with many of their negative decisions being overturned on appeal (26% of appeals were successful in 2011)
é Almost all asylum seekers are prohibited from working, they are not able to choose where they live and struggle to access further and higher education. This makes it incredibly difficult for people to rebuild their lives and plan for the future
é The speed of the asylum process, particularly for people in the “detained fast track” means that there is often not enough time to give or collect the evidence needed to support the claim.
é It very difficult for asylum seekers to find and keep a solicitor to assist with their claim
é The system of dispersing asylum seekers across the country means they can become cut off from the communities and support they need to help rebuild their lives
é Most asylum seekers receive support of just over £5 per day, far below what is required to meet essential living needs
é Refused asylum seekers, who do not qualify for section 4 are left completely destitute. They are not able to access any kind of government support, yet are still not allowed to work and have no access to free secondary healthcare. To find out more and to take action to end the destitution of refused asylum seekers go to http://stillhumanstillhere.wordpress.com/
For more information
To find out more about all of these issues go to the STAR website (http://www.star-network.org.uk/index.php/refugees/who_is_a_refugee) where you can find lots of information and links to useful websites and reports.
Volunteering with STAR
You can make a real difference by volunteering and you will get loads out of it as well. You’ll learn new skills, have fun and meet really interesting people. Here’s how to make it work well.
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DO
é be reliable and turn up on time. If you can’t attend let the volunteering coordinator know in advance.
é find out who is in charge and what you should be doing
é although you are volunteering you should treat your role in the same way as you would a job, so be professional and don’t forget you are representing STAR
é think before you say ‘Yes’!
é be aware that gender relations are often very different in different parts of the world so be sensible about the way you interact with people to avoid misunderstandings
é think about what you wear – you are probably going to be volunteering with people from lots of different cultures so make sure your clothes are appropriate e.g. low cut tops and short skirts for women may make people embarrassed
é tell other volunteers if you think their behaviour is not appropriate or if you are not comfortable doing this speak to a project worker or STAR volunteer in charge
é think about what your personal boundaries are and don’t take on too much – it’s not helpful for anyone if you get stressed out or promise to do things that you don’t have time to do ask for help if you need it - if you feel stressed, out of your depth, have been upset by something that you have heard or been made to feel uncomfortable, by something someone has done or said, speak to the project staff, other volunteers or STAR national.
é Enjoy yourself!
DON’T
é give out personal information about yourself, other volunteers or the people you are working with
é give out your personal phone number – it can raise false expectations that you will always be able to help and it means you can be contacted at any time day or night.