Reform UK has opened up a fresh row over the entitlements of asylum seekers after accusing Vodafone of supplying free SIM cards to migrants who cross the Channel on small boats.
The party’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, has said he wrote to the Vodafone board, accusing the British telecom giant of “facilitating the invasion of Britain” and threatening the company’s leadership with jail time under a future Reform government, after learning it issues free SIMs to charities supporting migrants.
The company is reported to have supplied refugee charity Care4Calais with more than 2,000 SIMs, according to the charity’s annual accounts. The charity also provides refugees clothing and hygiene products alongside informal peer support and social activities.
Vodafone has defended the initiative after Reform’s criticism, saying it works with registered charities helping the most vulnerable.
Such assistance is separate from that asylum seekers receive from the state. The entitlements available to migrants has previously been subject to widespread misinformation on social media.
Here’s a breakdown of the main support on offer in the UK.
Accommodation
Asylum seekers are entitled to accommodation, which could be in a flat, house, a hotel or a hostel, or bed and breakfast.
Those seeking accommodation cannot choose where they live, and currently, the North West of England accommodates the largest share of asylum seekers in the UK.
At the end of March, 97,519 people were receiving asylum support. Of these, 72,768 were in non-hotel accommodation, including initial, contingency accommodation.
The quality of accommodation has previously been criticised by refugee organisations such as Refugee Action, which cites problems including damp, poor maintenance, and infestations of bedbugs and vermin.
Putting up asylum seekers in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) – such as a flat or house – is estimated to cost around £23 per night. The Home Office estimates the cost of migrant hotels is much higher at around £145 per night, where as larger accommodation such as military barracks costs an average of around £130 per night.
Cash support
People receiving asylum support receive £49.18 per week to cover essential expenses like food, clothing, and toiletries. This works out at £7.02 per day. This money is loaded on to a debit card which can be used to withdraw cash from an ATM.
However, if the accommodation provides meals, this allowance is drastically reduced to £9.95 per person per week, or £1.42 per day.
Pregnant women and mothers with young children receive additional payments to cover the costs of buying nutritious food. Pregnant mothers, and those with children aged one to three receive an extra £5.25 per week. Mothers with a baby under one years of age receive an extra £9.50.
There is also a one-off maternity payment offered to mothers due to give birth in fewer than 11 weeks, or whose baby is under six months old.
These payments are separate from mainstream benefits such as universal credit, which people seeking asylum are generally not eligible for while their claim is being considered.
Healthcare
Asylum seekers may receive free healthcare on the NHS if they need to see a doctor or get hospital treatment.
They are also entitled to free prescriptions for medicine, free NHS dental care, free eyesight tests, and help towards the cost of glasses.
Providing free healthcare to asylum seekers is estimated to cost the government between £200m and £300m a year.
Employment
In most cases, people seeking asylum are banned from working while their claim is considered. Instead, they must access support through the Home Office.
After a year of waiting for their decision on a claim, asylum seekers are allowed to apply for permission to work, provided the delay is not through a fault of their own.
Rules of work changed in March, and now applications to work are restricted to skilled occupations listed on the Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 6. This means graduate-level or professional roles which include scientists, engineers and further education teachers.
Asylum seekers are allowed to volunteer while their claims are being considered. The Home Office actively encourages volunteering, saying it can support local communities and help with integration.
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