Asylum seekers in the North East are at risk of “destitution, detention or deportation” because of a new questionnaire, a charity and an MP have warned.
The Newcastle-based Action Foundation and Labour’s Chi Onwurah have slammed the Home Office for demanding that refugees return a lengthy questionnaire within 20 working days or risk having their asylum claim pulled. The document, which must be completed in English, has sparked concerns about the complexity of its questions and whether claimants will be able to get the proper legal help in time to meet the deadline.
Action Foundation CEO, Duncan McAuley, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Most of the people we’ve seen coming to our weekly Newcastle drop-in don’t know how to complete this form correctly, aren’t fluent in English and can’t access the legal support required in just 20 days. This leaves them facing the withdrawal of their claim without it even being assessed and ultimately destitution, detention or deportation.
