Asylum Seekers are people who flee their home country and seek
refuge in another, possibly because of war or human rights
abuses.
Asylum Seekers are not allowed to take up employment while their
applications are being processed, but they are encouraged to do
voluntary work.
The agency responsible for addressing issues of Asylum Seeker and
Refugee settlement in England is called National Asylum Seekers
Services (NASS).
For further information regarding asylum seekers please refer
to:
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and the Housing
Associations' Charitable Trust (HACT) have launched (2008) the
first
housing rights website
(ext) to be specifically aimed at answering housing rights queries
for new migrants. Visitors to the site are able enter as either
frontline housing advisers or new arrivals to receive advice and
guidance about their housing rights, including the law on
eligibility for social housing and related welfare benefits.
The site includes sections on the specific housing rights of
new migrants who are:
- Refugees
- EEA workers and other EEA nationals and family members
- A8 nationals
- Bulgarians and Romanians
- work permit holders
- people fleeing domestic violence
- people with social care needs.
Visitors are also be able to select links to relevant
documents and
websites, including DWP and the Home Office.
For further information on Immigration and nationality please
refer to the Immigration
and nationality directorate website
For information on identity cards please refer to the Identity and passport
service (ext).
When a person wishes to come to the UK and makes an Immigration request, one of the
documents they must provide is a letter from the local authority
confirming several details about the house they intend to live
in.