NASS AND ASYLUM

SEEKERS
Refugee Voices
✧ “I slept in a graveyard,” … “I didn’t like to be in the city where
people could see me. …“People don’t see how bad it is.  It’s
incredible, how big your problems are when you are homeless in
a strange city or strange country, you don’t understand the
language. It’s so much worse than you can imagine”

✧- Darius
Refugee Stories
✧ “I will never forget when I was first taken to my Section 4
accommodation. …I remember we reached the accommodation at
night and all I had was food utensils in a black bag. The house
was really dirty. There were insects on the carpet… and my
daughter was crawling.”
✧ -Anna
Asylum support – section 95
✧ Those with an on-going asylum claim who are also destitute/facing destitution are
entitled to section 95 support - through Immigration Act 1999 (plus secondary
legislation and policy).
✧ A ‘dependant’ can be a husband/ wife/ civil partner, an unmarried couple (if
living together for more than 2 of the last 3 years), a child under 18, or a member of
the household who is over 18 and is in need of care and attention due to disability.
✧ Entitles claimant and dependants to basic cash support and accommodation.
✧ As of 10th August 2015, current rates are £36.95 per person regardless of age (NB
this is subject to challenge with our on-going Judicial Review in the Court of Session)
✧ Accommodation is allocated on a no choice basis (i.e. anywhere in UK).
Section 98
✧ Emergency support – for those waiting for decision on section 95 – same
definition of destitution
✧ Extra payments available for those in receipt of section 95:

✧ Pregnant women entitled to extra euro 3/week during pregnancy

✧ Babies under 1 year old are able to claim extra euro5/week
✧ Children aged 1-3 years can claim extra euro3/week
✧ One off maternity grant - one-off euro 300 maternity payment if your baby is
due in 8 weeks or less, or if your baby is under 6 weeks old.
Section 4
✧ In addition to being a failed asylum seeker who is destitute/acing destitution
applicants must also show:
✧ They are taking all reasonable steps to leave the UK or place her/himself in a position in which
s/he is able to leave the UK
✧ They’re unable to leave the UK because of a physical impediment to travel or for some other
medical reason
✧ They’re unable to leave the UK because in the opinion of the Secretary of State there is no viable
route of return
✧ They have applied for judicial review of the decision on her/his asylum claim and has been
granted permission to proceed
✧ The provision of accommodation is necessary to avoid breaching a person’s human rights
Health Care
✧ Those in receipt of section 95 are exempt from paying health care charges
✧ Services which are free to all:
✧ Seeing a GP or a nurse
✧ A & E treatment
✧ diagnosis and treatment of a number of communicable diseases, including HIV,
TB and also STIs
✧ services for the treatment of a physical or mental condition caused by: torture,
female genital mutilation, domestic violence, sexual violence