UK Government Earned Settlement Open Consultation
The UK Home Office has launched an open consultation on ‘how the current settlement scheme should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented.’
There are details here.
The Malvern Welcomes Management Team and Trustees have studied the proposals and completed and submitted the questionnaire.
We all agreed that the consultation form was full of ambiguous questions making it impossible to select responses which reflected our views as we found the proposals unacceptable. After careful discussion we submitted our responses to the questions.
This is our response to the final question where there was a limited opportunity to provide our own comments.
‘Do you have any final comments on the potential impacts on your organisation in relation to the proposed changes to settlement?’
The consultation questions are unclear and misleading, making it impossible to convey our views accurately .These proposals are cruel and lack compassion. They display no understanding of what people, who have made perilous journeys to find safety, have endured. Our charity, Malvern Welcomes, has gained considerable experience. We have supported 12 resettled refugee families and engaged with a number of individuals and asylum seekers who tell us that these proposals are already creating deep anxiety.
It is extremely unfair that some families have acquired their citizenship whilst others, who arrived at a similar time and are equally valued members of our community, may have to wait 10 years or more to ‘earn’ their settlement. No consideration has been given to the detrimental impact on the well-being and mental health of people. Moreover, the insecurity and uncertainty which the proposals, if implemented, would create for people will be too damaging for their prospects – in terms of starting a family, studying, employment and career progression. In effect, the proposals would restrict the capacity of many to engage in UK society and “contribute” to the economy.
