A refugee charity in Reading is calling for asylum seekers to be allowed to work sooner after one client waited 20 years for his claim to be approved.
The Refugee Support Group, based at the Reading International Solidarity Centre in London Street, was founded in 1994 and offers legal advice, English lessons and integration help. It opened The Sanctuary Café on 29 July.
Charity bosses say refugees arriving via government schemes can work, but asylum seekers who use irregular routes usually must wait 12 months before they are eligible. The group argues that delays waste skills and harm mental health.
Other countries move faster: Sweden and Canada allow work almost immediately or on application; Germany and Austria after three months; France, the USA and the Netherlands typically after six months.
The charity says asylum seekers are allowed to volunteer and many do, with some volunteers going on to work for the organisation. It warns that a slow, complex system pushes people underground and increases the risk of exploitation.
One of the groups six priorities is supporting people affected by trafficking, exploitation and abusive employment. The visit took place on 6 August.
On the same day, Reform UK Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said his party would fine companies 10 per cent of global revenues if they are found to have hired people with no legal right to work in the UK.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
