Refugees face £10,000 support bill to be allowed to remain

People granted asylum in the UK could face having to pay back £10,000 towards support costs, under government proposals.

Those who are earning would be expected to pay the full amount, provided they have sufficient funds, to be eligible to settle permanently. This would be in addition to any other taxes that would normally be due on income.

Monthly instalments will be taken once their income is above a set financial threshold, similar to student loans.

As the proposed law is debated in the House of Commons, asylum seeker Wahib is concerned about the additional pressure.

He has yet to hear back from the Home Office about whether or not he can work.

“I want to start to live because my life is going, my age is going now,” he told STV News.

“I don’t have kids yet and I don’t have the simple things for life, even like home.

“I see my people dying; I see myself dying inside. How can I start life and with debt to pay.”

Wahib has lived in Aberdeen for over a year, after fleeing the civil war in Sudan and had to leave his family behind.

He said that he didn’t want to leave his country, but was forced to.

“You see people shot in front of you, and if they take anything, you can’t say anything,” he said.

“I tried my best to be there.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said the cost of asylum accommodation on the British taxpayer is too high.

“Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility,” she said.

“Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.”

The Scottish Refugee Council has opposed the plans.

Colin Macfarlane, director of external affairs, told STV News: “The Government’s proposals to charge people seeking sanctuary £10,000 pounds is performative cruelty, it’s a punishment tax

“They will be contributing once they’re allowed to work back into the system by paying taxes.

“There are questions for the UK Government to answer as well, how much is it going to cost the taxpayer to administer this system, how much money does the government think it’s going to get, none of those questions have been answered.”

The UK Government believe the Bill will create a fairer asylum system.