Asylum seekers
What if I am an asylum seeking young person?
Whilst you wait for a decision from the Home Office on your asylum application, we will help you plan for different options for you future, which will include:
Planning for what will happen if you get leave to remain in the UK;
Planning for what will happen if you don’t get leave to remain but want to stay in the UK;
Planning for what will happen if you don’t get leave to remain and want to return to your country of origin.
When you are offered your Substantive (or big) Interview by the Home Office, as part of the asylum application process, we will arrange for your foster carer or key worker to attend with you, or come with you ourselves, if you’d prefer that.
As long as you are happy for us to do this, we will liaise closely with your solicitor, to support you through the application process and make sure you’re kept up to date about what is happening.
If you would like us to, we will work with you to try and trace family members who you have lost contact with, for example, through the Red Cross family finding project, or social media.
Financial Help
Whilst you are waiting on a decision from the Home Office, you are not able to claim benefits and we will financially support you with subsistence payments equivalent to what you would receive in benefits up until a decision is made, or up to your 21st birthday.
Bank Account
You may find it difficult to open a bank account, so if you do, we will provide you with a pre-payment card that can be topped up weekly for you to use on subsistence and travel.
Integration
We will support you to access social and fun activities, in order to help you make friends and integrate into life in the UK.
We will explore with you if you might benefit from a mentor, to help you improve your English language skills and navigate British society and culture, and help you find one if you’d like us to.
If you receive a negative decision from the Home Office
If you receive a negative decision from the Home Office and are appeal rights exhausted (which means you have no further routes to challenge their decision), we will complete a Human Rights Assessment before making a decision about whether to withdraw our support.