Change in immigration law means some asylum seekers will now be able to start work

A recent change in immigration law means that some asylum seekers will now be able to start work.

Asylum seekers are generally not allowed to work unless their claims for asylum have been outstanding for 12 months through no fault of their own. After this time, asylum seekers can only apply for specified jobs on the official Shortage Occupation List. Most jobs on the Shortage Occupation List are very specialist, making it almost impossible for asylum seekers to find suitable work.

However, the list has recently been expanded and now includes nursing, nursing assistants and care work, opening up the possibility of employment for some asylum seekers.

The Migration Justice Project has produced some legal information documents to explain the process of applying for permission to work.

You can check these out on our website.