UK Government urged to consider pilot giving asylum seekers right to work in Scotland

The UK Government is being urged to consider a pilot that would give asylum seekers the right to work in some parts of Scotland before they had been in the country 12 months.

Scotland’s equalities minister Kaukab Stewart has written to Westminster calling for the pilot proposal that would give people seeking asylum the right to work in parts of the country sooner to be adopted.

The Scottish Right to Work Pilot Proposal proposes several changes to current UK policy, including enabling the right to work from six months instead of twelve months and removing restrictions on the types of work people can undertake.

Those on the pilot would have access to support around key topics such as employability and language learning.

A report from the Scottish Government’s independent Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population, published in December 2023, shows that granting people who are seeking asylum the right to work at an earlier stage could improve their wellbeing and integration, reduce their risk of exploitation, and have longer-term benefits to our economy and public service delivery.

Stewart said: “Scotland has a long history of welcoming refugees and people seeking asylum. We believe that giving people seeking asylum the right to work from an earlier point can have a positive impact on them, their families and our communities.

“This means that following a positive decision they will be better equipped to support themselves and their families.

“These measures would also enable asylum seekers to integrate more quickly, making a positive contribution to our workforce and economy by reducing the cost and demand on our public services.

“We ask that the Home Office engages with us to take forward this pilot proposal, in collaboration with our partners.”

However, the UK Government has said that allowing asylum seekers the right to work in some parts of Scotland before they have been in the country for over a year would “undermine the wider economic migration policy”.

Home Office spokesperson added: “Allowing asylum seekers the right to work would undermine our wider economic migration policy, by enabling migrants to bypass established work visa rules.

“There is no intention to change the existing rules in any part of the UK, and asylum seekers remain eligible to apply for permission to work if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own.”