In 21st Century Britain, the state lays the blame squarely at the doors of single mothers, benefit claimants, and in this case, immigrants. As far as the state – and many mainstream media outlets – is concerned, illegal immigrants come to this country purely for the welfare state; to steal our jobs, use our taxes to claim free healthcare, and act as a drain on housing and education resources. The reality is far different. Those arriving in the UK to seek asylum face a lengthy wait to find out if their application is successful, made worse through the circumstances in which they are forced to survive. Those asylum seekers who are not held in detention centres while their applications are being processed are allocated housing across the UK. These are not the five bedroomed local authority funded houses described in the Daily Mail, but ‘hard-to-let’ housing in which citizens have no interest in living. This accommodation is often damp, expensive to heat, and inadequate for living. These individuals survive on state benefits of as little as £5 a day, often expected to stretch to an entire family. Furthermore, the money is distributed through vouchers only valid in certain large supermarkets and chains, and cannot be used for transport, while applicants cannot work while awaiting the outcome of their application. For those arriving in Scotland, the same applies, but to put forward their asylum application they must travel to London. Moreover, most asylum seekers actually know very little, if anything, about the welfare system upon their arrival, and do not expect to receive financial help, despite not having means to live themselves.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 17:28:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015