News
Asylum Seekers To Pay £10,000 Before Settlement In UK
- /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/United-Kingdom.jpg&description=Asylum Seekers To Pay £10,000 Before Settlement In UK', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/United-Kingdom.jpg&description=Asylum Seekers To Pay £10,000 Before Settlement In UK', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
The United Kingdom government has unveiled new immigration proposals that could require some former asylum seekers to repay up to £10,000 (approximately ₦18 million) in public support they received while awaiting decisions on their asylum applications before they can qualify for permanent settlement.
The proposed changes, contained in a new immigration bill introduced to Parliament on Tuesday, would give the Home Office legal authority to recover the cost of accommodation and financial assistance previously provided to asylum seekers who later become financially stable.
Under the proposed legislation, eligible individuals who have secured employment or acquired sufficient financial resources after being granted protection may be required to reimburse part or all of the support they received during the asylum process. Repayment would become one of the conditions for obtaining indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
The new rules would also extend to former asylum seekers who leave the United Kingdom and subsequently apply to return, ensuring they meet any outstanding repayment obligations before being granted settlement rights.
According to the Home Office, the measure is aimed at reducing the growing financial burden of the UK’s asylum system on taxpayers while ensuring that those who are capable of contributing do so once they are financially established.
Defending the proposal, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said the government had already made significant progress in cutting asylum-related expenditure but believed it was reasonable to expect beneficiaries who can afford it to help repay public funds.
She said the cost of providing accommodation and other forms of support to asylum seekers remains substantial and places considerable pressure on public finances.
According to Mahmood, while access to asylum support is an important humanitarian commitment, individuals who later achieve financial stability should be expected to contribute towards the costs incurred on their behalf.
Official Home Office figures show that accommodating an asylum seeker currently costs an average of £23.25 per person each night in standard dispersal accommodation. However, the cost rises sharply to around £144 per person per night for those housed in hotels, which have been widely used because of accommodation shortages.
In addition to housing, asylum seekers receive weekly subsistence payments ranging between £9.95 and £49.18, depending on their personal circumstances and the type of support provided.
Government employment data cited by the Home Office indicate that many refugees eventually become economically active after being granted asylum. Around one in four people aged between 16 and 64 who received refugee status between 2015 and 2023 entered employment within the same year they were granted protection.
The proportion increases significantly over time, with about half of refugees securing employment within two years of being granted asylum.
Among refugees who had lived in the UK for eight years after receiving refugee status, 37 per cent were working full-time, earning a median annual salary of approximately £23,000. The figures also show that around 40 per cent earned above the national minimum wage.
The Home Office said the proposed legislation reflects the government’s intention to make the asylum system more financially sustainable by requiring those who are able to repay some of the public assistance they once depended on, while continuing to provide protection for individuals fleeing persecution and conflict.
The Accord Party has defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polling unit of former Osun Deputy Governor and ex-APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, in the ongoing Osun State governorship election.
According to results uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), Accord secured 131 votes at Polling Unit 003, Ife Ward 1 (Moore), St. Gabriel Primary School, in Ife East Local Government Area.
The APC polled 85 votes to finish second, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) recorded 10 votes. Other political parties obtained marginal votes at the polling unit.
The result adds to a series of early victories recorded by the Accord Party as INEC continues the uploading and collation of results across the state.
Earlier, Accord also won at the polling unit of former Osun Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
The result sheet uploaded on the IReV portal showed Accord polling 125 votes, ahead of the APC, which recorded 85 votes. The ADC secured five votes.
Meanwhile, INEC has continued to upload results from polling units across Osun State as the governorship election moves into the collation stage.
Voters across the state’s 30 local government areas cast their ballots on Saturday to elect a governor for the next four years.
The major contenders in the election include the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam.
The Accord Party has won the governorship election at the polling unit of former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of the state.
According to the result sheet uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) IReV portal, Accord polled 125 votes to emerge victorious at the polling unit.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) came second with 85 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured five votes.
The African Action Congress (AAC) scored two votes, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressive Party (YPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) each recorded one vote.
Other parties, including the AA, ADP, APGA, APM, APP, BP, NNPP and PRP, recorded no votes.
The result sheet showed that 228 voters were accredited, with 220 valid votes cast and eight rejected ballots.
The election was conducted at Court Hall I, Okuku, in Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
The result comes against the backdrop of Oyinlola’s reported endorsement of the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of the election.
Oyinlola, who governed Osun State from 2003 to 2010, had publicly backed Oyebamiji despite the APC candidate running against incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The outcome at Oyinlola’s polling unit therefore puts the Accord Party ahead of the APC, with Adeleke’s party failing to secure the unit despite the incumbent governor’s participation in the election.
Voting was disrupted in Ejigbo, Osun State, after violence broke out at a polling unit during the ongoing Osun State Governorship election.
It was gathered that voters, residents and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fled the polling unit as tension escalated around the area.
According to Channels TV, people were seen running in different directions while motorcycles and vehicles moved through the area as residents attempted to escape the unfolding situation.
The immediate cause of the violence was not clear, as the chaos temporarily halted the ongoing electoral process.
The incident comes as voters come out in their numbers to partake in governorship election amid tight security.
Osun Election: Accord Defeats APC in Omisore’s Polling Unit
Osun election: Oyinlola Loses Polling Unit to Accord Party
Osun election: INEC officials take to their heels as violence erupts in Ejigbo
-
News24 hours agoUS missionary kidnapped in Niger released after nine months in captivity
-
News24 hours agoAdeleke camp condemns release of APC Assembly candidate allegedly found with gun
-
News24 hours agoASUU decries unpaid 2022 salaries, demands education review
-
News24 hours agoOsun 2026: Davido fires back at critics, says ‘I’ll be on ground before 7am’
-
News24 hours ago2027: Atiku asks court to disqualify Tinubu over names, certificate controversy
-
News24 hours agoCourt remands ex-NBA chairman in DSS custody
-
Metro24 hours agoBandits abduct 14 passengers travelling from Enugu to Abuja
-
News19 hours agoOsun decides: Ahead today’s poll, police dogs deployed to combat thugs