Migrant Workers and PeopleSeeking Asylum - Facts and Myths

Information for young people in Somerset

Understanding the difference betweenMigrant Workers, Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Illegal Immigrants

Migrant Workers are people who have moved from one place to another to look for work, oftenwith their families. Most workers coming to Britain are from within the European Union (EU). Theymay also come from other countries but only if they hold an appropriate visa. Many British peopleare also migrant workers, moving to other countries on a short or long term basis to work there.Perhaps you know people who have moved to other countries to do this.

An Asylum Seeker is a person who has fled their owncountry and applied to the government of anothercountry for protection or refuge. They are known as‘asylum seekers’ while they are waiting to find outwhether they will be granted refugee status. They haveasked for protection and the right not to be returned totheir own country where they would face danger. Thiscould be because of war or because they face politicalpersecution. The majority of asylum seekers are notallowed to work, with only a minority having specialpermission to do so. They do not get any specialbenefits.

A Refugee is a former asylum seeker who has been recognised by the government as meeting thedefinition of a refugee, as set out in the United Nations Convention on Refugees in 1951. Refugeesare allowed to work but must have a National Insurance (NI) number and pay taxes and NationalInsurance just like anyone else. Refugees also have the right to register as a NHS patient at a GPsurgery. The refugee definition is very strict and asylum seekers have to prove they meet it beforethey are granted refugee status. They must prove they have a ‘well founded fear of beingpersecuted’ if they were to return to their country.

Illegal Immigrants are people from outside the EU who do not have a current visa and have nolegal right to be in the UK. They are not allowed to be employed as they will not be registered witha NI number. Illegal immigrants are not entitled to housing or any benefits. They cannot register asa NHS patient and will only be treated in an emergency by a hospital or GP.

Myth: Migration to Britain is something new

FactFor thousands of years people have moved from other countries to Britain. This includes the Celts,Romans, Saxons, Angles, Vikings and Normans.

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In recent centuries, there have been large scale migrations from many countries, for example:

• France – Huguenots fleeing persecution• Ireland – fleeing famine• Germany – fleeing the second world war• Hungary – fleeing the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1956• Uganda – Asians fleeting persecution• Indian, Pakistan and the Caribbean – seeking employment, often responding to

recruitment drives by British employers

We are all the descendents of peoplemigrating to Britain at some time in the past!

Migration of people to Britain often reflects our historyand alliances. In the Second World War for example,Polish people fought alongside British soldiers andPolish pilots became famous for their skill and braveryin the Battle of Britain. After the war, many Polishpeople were unable to return home because of thecommunist regime in their country and settled here.There have been Polish clubs, schools and churches inmany parts of Britain since then.

The English language reflects these great movements of peoples and the way that English peoplehave learned from other cultures – for example:

• Alcohol (from Arabic) • Husband (from Scandinavia)• Anorak (from Inuit) • Jungle (from Hindi)• Barbeque (from the Caribbean) • Ketchup (from Chinese)• Brick (from Flemish in Belgium) • Pal (from Romany)• Bungalow (from Bengali) • Robot (from Czech)• Chocolate (from Mexico) • Tattoo (from Tahitian)• Fog (from Danish)

Many traditions that we think of as typicallyBritish have in fact been brought here bypeople from other countries. This includesfish and chips (thank you to the Huguenots!)

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Myth: We are being swamped with migrant workers

FactMost so-called large-scale immigration has occurred since 2004. In a typical year like 2006:

• 591,000 people arrived to live in the UK for a year or more• 157,000 of those who arrived came to study• at the same time, 400,000 people left the UK for a year or more

This means that net long-term immigration to thecountry in 2006 was around 43,000 people. In terms ofan overall increase in the population this is a drop inthe ocean!

There are fewer migrants in the UK than inGermany, France, Canada or the US.

Myth: Our public services can't cope with the influx ofmigrant workers

FactWithout migrant workers our public services would be in real trouble. Migrant workers make up:

• 19% of social workers (22,000)• 16% of care workers (105,000)• 11% of housing/welfare workers (19,000)• 10% of nursing assistants (23,000)• 8% of education assistants (29,000)

(source: UNISON Communications)

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Myth: Schools are badlyaffected by the children ofmigrant workers and asylumseekers

FactSomerset County Council, like other local councils, has a dutyto ensure that every child has equal access to educational andlearning opportunities. Schools get extra resources andsupport from the County Council to help them meet children’sneeds, for example to help children learn English. There is alsotraining and support for school staff.

Many children and young people have particular needs, which schools will meet, for examplethrough extra support, at some time in their school life. This includes far more children than justthose learning English as an additional language.

Schools in Somerset do a very good job supporting children who move here from abroad, helpingthem understand the curriculum and fully contribute to the school and community. Most childrenfrom abroad adapt to their new school life and learn English quite quickly. Many are very welleducated in their home country and learn so fast that they do very well in tests and examinations.

Many schools also see children from abroad as a benefit. All children and young people gain fromhaving other pupils in their school from different backgrounds as they learn about other cultures andshare their own culture with children who have newly arrived. Our world is getting smaller and inour adult lives we will socialise and work with people from many different places – so getting toknow more about other cultures when we are young can help us get on with our social and workinglives. Many schools have falling numbers of pupils and are at risk of losing staff – admitting childrenfrom migrant worker families often helps them keep staff and avoid difficult decisions about how toreorganise classes.

Children and young people from one country will often enjoy spending time with each other andtalking in their home language. That is natural – English people often do the same when they areabroad! Young people in British schools can sometimes feel uncomfortable about this because theydon’t understand the conversation, but it is important to remember how we might feel if we were inthe same situation. Friendships between people from different language backgrounds are the bestway to overcome any feelings of this kind.

Having pupils who speak different languages in schools is also an opportunity for all of us to start tolearn other languages and some schools even add new languages into their curriculum, which helpscreate a more inclusive school community. Links between communities can be strengthened bylanguage learning and there may be opportunities for overseas exchanges. International trade isgrowing and there are many job and business opportunities for people who speak more than onelanguage, so learning languages can be good for all of us!

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Myth: Migrant workers causeunemployment

FactThere is no fixed number of jobs in the UK – migration hasincreased the number of jobs, not reduced it.

Put simply, immigration increases the size of the economycreating more jobs for everyone. That's not to mention the taxesand National Insurance that are paid into the UK economyproviding more resources to better fund our public services.

A study by the University of Leicester found thatmigration does not have a negative impact on theemployment of UK-born workers, including groupsthat might be considered vulnerable, such as youngpeople, the low paid and those in rural areas.

Myth: Migrant workers take our social housing, benefitsand get priority in NHS services

FactA study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission revealed that new migrants made up lessthan 2% of those in social housing throughout the UK.

Migrant workers do not get priority in housing over local people and do not jump to the top of thewaiting list. Reasonable preference is given to people who are statutorily homeless, living inunsatisfactory living conditions or people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds,providing they have a local connection to their chosen area. Generally applicants should be 18years of age or over.

There is no automatic entitlement to benefits for migrant workers. They have to apply for benefits inthe same way as everyone else. There are extra tests that a migrant worker will have to pass toqualify for benefit. If they do qualify, they will receive the same level of entitlement as a localperson.

Council Tax is based on the value of the house and therefore a house where migrant workers live ischarged exactly the same as a house where local people live.

Migrants do not get priority in health treatment over local people and do not jump to the top ofwaiting lists. Care is provided to all equally and is based on need.

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Myth: Migrant workers undercut our wages

FactMigrant workers do not generally take jobs at alower wage than someone else doing the same job.They do however tend to work in the lower paidjobs and some employers may lower wages if theythink that they will still be able to find people towork for them, especially for casual work.Nevertheless, employers are still required to offerthe legal minimum wage.

Migrant workers are sometimes exploited by aminority of unscrupulous employers who take advantage of their limited language and/orknowledge of employment rights. This can undercut the wages of domestic workers but thesolution is to improve the enforcement of employment rights to protect all workers.

Myth: Migrant workers come to the UK as it's a softtouch for benefit scroungers

FactMigrants contribute more to the UK tax and benefits system than they claim fromit, and make a proportionately greater contribution to it than UK citizens. The Home Office has estimated that in 1999/2000, migrants made a netcontribution of £2.5 billion.

Most migrant workers do not have any entitlement to non-contributory benefits until they havecompleted one year of uninterrupted employment in the UK, during which time they will be payingfor taxes for services they can’t yet access. This can mean that some migrants end up destitute inthe UK without any right to public funds and services.

Accommodation for people seeking asylum is often in the poorest areas of towns andcities. They are not allowed to work and adult asylum seekers are only entitled toa weekly cash payment, for food and other needs, equivalent to 70% ofnormal Income Support (in 2008 this was about £42 per week).

Asylum seekers have often fled their home countries in verytraumatic circumstances, fleeing war or other violence, oftenbreaking families apart. Asylum seeking young people are often‘unaccompanied’ – having fled here with no parents or other adults tocare for them, often experiencing long journeys under very difficultconditions.

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Myth: Migrant workers mean increased crime

FactIt is more likely for migrant workers to become a victim of crime rather than to commit a crime.There is however a small percentage of migrants who do commit crimes, the majority of which tendto be against other migrants. If caught committing a crime, migrant workers are dealt with andpunished as any UK citizen would be.

Myth: The number of asylum seekers coming to the UKis going up and up

FactOver the last few years the number of people claiming asylum inthe UK has reduced dramatically and is now less than a fifth ofwhat it was in 2002. Britain takes in only about 3% of the world’srefugees and far fewer than many other European countries, incomparison to our population size (we rank only 8th).

Budgets for asylum seekers in Europe have decreased since2000 and less money is spent in the UK than several othercountries including Belgium, Italy, France and Germany. Manymore people go to countries around the world which are muchpoorer and so have much more limited resources available tohelp refugees.

Acknowledgements

Information in this document comes from several sources, principally publications by:

• UNISON Communications• Boston Borough Council• South West Trades Union Congress – ‘Who makes up the South West?’ (2009)

Advice was also given by staff at Equality South West and Somerset Racial Equality Council. For additional copies, please contact: The Equalities and Diversity Team, Children and YoungPeopl’s Directorate, Somerset County Council. 01823 356644

Working together for equalities

If you have difficulty reading this publication we can supply it in large print,on audio cassette, arrange translation or provide a member of staff to

discuss details.

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