People who claim asylum in the UK are prohibited from working or claiming mainstream benefits. Many of the asylum seekers GMIAU represents rely on a small amount of cash and accommodation provided on a no-choice basis by the Home Office – this is called Section 95 support. People who have their asylum claim refused may have access to limited, cash-less support known as Section 4. GMIAU’s Asylum Support and Housing Advice (ASHA) service – operating out of Greater Manchester Law Centre – provides support, advocacy and advice for asylum seekers who need support to avoid becoming homeless and destitute.
We believe that no one should be destitute as a result of their immigration status.
Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit and Greater Manchester Law Centre have put this guide together to help people in asylum accommodation who are receiving either a grant of refugee status, which includes full entitlement to work, housing, welfare benefits and healthcare, or a refusal of their claim for asylum. There…
Last month, on the 15th of December, an important High Court judgement made in Manchester found that the Home Secretary had been in breach of her statutory duties for several months by failing to increase asylum support to the legal level required for people to avoid destitution. This is an unusual…
The past year and the Covid-19 pandemic has shone new light on the collective need to keep our communities safe. We’ve seen measures, like the Everyone In campaign, protect more people from destitution and homelessness than was thought politically possible. This is because it was understood that homelessness is a…
In March, the UK government announced a pause in the evictions of people who had had their asylum applications refused (and who do not have an outstanding appeal). Now, this measure has been lifted and the government has announced that evictions will begin again. People who have been refused asylum…
Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraising appeal to raise vital funds for GMIAU’s destitution project (ASHA). ASHA (Asylum Support Housing Advice) is a very busy service which helps people who are seeking asylum or who have been refused and are facing destitution and homelessness and sees over 1000…