ASYLUM RACKET

The Government’s rule that Croydon is the only place inside Britain where people can claim asylum has created a tax burden and is exemplified by the news that 120 teenage failed ‘asylum seekers’ in that borough cost £1 million per month to house and feed. Any foreign national already present in Britain can claim asylum at the “screening unit” at Lunar House in Croydon. Other asylum seekers must claim asylum at ports of entry, either at airports or border crossing points.

According to the UKBA website, a person applying in Croydon can make use of the “walk-in-service.” Asylum seekers are asked to bring their identification documents, which are helpfully described as “identity cards, birth/marriage/school certificates and membership cards.” Furthermore, anyone claiming asylum at Lunar House “under the age of eighteen please ensure that they are accompanied by an appropriate adult.”

Figures released by Croydon council show there are at least 120 of these ‘asylum seekers’ who have been refused permission to stay in Britain but who simply refuse to leave. The council gives them benefits and accommodation because they are not allowed to work, being failed asylum seekers. They all came to Croydon when under the age of 18 to apply for asylum. The council is reimbursed for looking after them until they are 18 but after that it gets no money at all, forcing local taxpayers to foot the bill.

The number of people in this situation has tripled in just two years, with the cost of looking after them quadrupling from £250,000 in 2007 to an estimated £1 million for 2009. The council argues it has a statutory obligation to provide support for these teenage ‘asylum seekers’. According to the UKBA, an asylum seeker has the “right” to “have access to support and accommodation if you meet the requirements for it, have access to free health care from the National Health Service (NHS), and have legal representation. Free legal help may be available, depending on the applicant’s income and the case.”

It does not end there. The UKBA tells asylum seekers that if they are not able to support themselves and their family while the UKBA considers the application, “you may apply to us for money and somewhere to live. However, if you did not apply for asylum until sometime after your arrival in the United Kingdom, we may not be able to help you with support unless it is necessary to do so to prevent a breach of your rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).”

“If you meet the requirements to receive support, you will be given suitable housing and your case owner will arrange for you to collect money from a post office near where you live. The money will enable you to buy essential things such as food, clothing and toiletries. If you do not require accommodation but need money for essential things, or you need accommodation but not money, we will be able to give you this partial support.”

In addition, the UKBA pays cash to all asylum seekers at the following rates

* Qualifying couple (married or in a civil partnership): £69.57 per week;

* Lone parent aged 18 or over: £42.16 per week;

* Single person aged 18 or over, excluding lone parent: £35.13 per week;

* Person aged at least 16, but under 18 (except a member of a qualifying couple): £38.18 per week;

* Person aged under 16: £50.81 per week.

If the asylum seeker is a pregnant woman or has children under the age of three, they are entitled to extra money. A baby under the age of 12 months earns an extra £5 a week while pregnant women and children aged between one and three years receive an extra £3 a week. Finally, a pregnant asylum seeker receives a once-off £300 maternity payment as well.

All children of asylum seekers are legally obliged to go to local schools. The UKBA tells asylum seekers that the “organisation responsible for providing education in your area is the local council. It must make sure all children living in its area receive full-time education, regardless of the child’s immigration status.” (Source: BNP, Oct/09)