Refugee Action
1. General activities of the organization:
Refugee Action is an independent national charity that works with refugees to build new lives in the UK. Founded in 1981, Refugee Action has 26 years of experience in reception, resettlement, development and integration, and provides advice and support to asylum seekers and refugees in 10 regions across England.
Since April 2000, Refugee Action’s Asylum Advice teams have provided an independent advice and advocacy service to asylum seekers supported by the Border and Immigration Agency, as well as to successful asylum applicants who need help accessing mainstream services and accommodation.
Advice is given on a range of specialist topics including access to NASS support, the asylum application process, welfare benefits, employment, and housing. We also advise clients facing problems such as racial harassment, domestic violence and destitution. Refugee Action provided advice in more than 36 000 casework sessions last year.
Refugee Action’s Community Development services support and promote positive integration and long-term settlement of refugees and displaced people in different parts of the UK. Workers assist refugee community organisations and support groups to develop services and build their organisation to help the integration of refugees. Refugee Action also runs projects and activities around specific areas of need such as employment, gender, and families, in partnership with other organisations.
The Choices project provides confidential, independent, and impartial advice, information, and informal counselling to refugees and asylum seekers who are considering voluntary return to their country of origin. Choices aims are:
• To help clients make informed choices in a non-pressurised environment;
• to promote better understanding of voluntary return issues through outreach work to other agencies;
• to involve refugees and their communities in the development of the service;
• to lobby for the long-term needs of those considering voluntary return (resettlement grants, training and employment, ‘look and see’ provision, needs for elderly etc).
Choices does not take part in forced or involuntary return.
Choices also provides advice, information, and training about voluntary return issues to other advice organisations.
Refugee Action takes an active role in shaping policies and raising awareness about refugees and asylum seekers, both nationally and locally.
2. ERSO member is funded by:
International Organisation for Migration, with money originally given by the Home Office and European Refugee Fund.
3. Target group of the ERSO member (in the context of return and reintegration):
Asylum seekers (including rejected asylum seekers and those who have only temporary leave to remain in the UK).
4. Does the ERSO member offer pre-departure counseling?
Choices offers face-to-face and telephone counseling to people who are considering voluntary return to their country of origin. Some of these people will decide to return and some will not. Choices does not evaluate its service on the basis of how many people choose to return, but on the basis of helping people to reach a decision about return which is the best for them.
Choices advisers discuss with the potential returnee – what is their main motivation for return (if they wish to return); their immigration status in the UK; their situation and support in the UK; their health; any security concerns they may have if they return; what is their family situation in the UK or in country of origin; whether they will need any assistance in their country or origin; what travel assistance is available, what documents will be needed and what route they may take to return. If a person decides to return then Choices will help in completing the application for the Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme (VARRP) of IOM and refer the person to IOM for arrangements to be made directly with them.
Pre-departure counseling is also offered by other agencies funded by IOM: -Safe Haven Yorkshire, North of England Refugee Service and Wolverhampton Asylum Seeker and Refugee Service. IOM also offers pre-departure counseling to people who contact them directly.
5. What kind of reintegration assistance does the ERSO member offer to returnees?
Choices does not offer reintegration assistance to returnees. In the UK reintegration assistance is offered and administered by IOM as follows:-
Normally, reintegration assistance is not available as a cash grant. IOM will consult with the returnee about what sort of business they wish to set up or what sort of training they want to undergo and IOM will then pay the supplier directly, so the client does not actually receive any cash. The amount of reintegration assistance available is normally £1000 sterling.
Currently, for people who claimed asylum before 1 February 2007, there is a special enhanced reintegration package. For those who apply for VARRP prior to 1 June 2007 the package is as follows - £500 cash (payable in $US) paid to each returnee at the airport on departure. £3000, spent on returnee’s behalf by IOM as explained above.
For those who apply between 1 and 30 June 2007, the total is £500 cash on departure plus £2000 spent on behalf of the returnee by IOM.
For those who apply after 30 June the only assistance is £1000 spent by IOM and no cash payment at all.
For those returning to countries where IOM does not have a mission (Somalia and Iraq apart from Kurdistan) IOM will pay the whole amount in cash but in 3 payments over 6 months.
To qualify for the money returnees must return within 3 months of the VARRP application being approved by the Home Office Assisted Voluntary Returns team.
6. Partners in the context of voluntary return and reintegration:
National level: Pre-departure counseling: Safe Haven Yorkshire, North of England Refugee Service, Wolverhampton Asylum Seeker and Refugee Service and IOM.
Travel arrangements and reintegration assistance: IOM (though the Home Office AVR team must approve all applications for voluntary return).
EU level: Choices cooperates with other ERSO members.
Countries of origin: Choices does not currently have any partners in countries of origin.
7. Top 5 of returnees by country of origin assisted by the ERSO member in 2010:
Top 5 actual returns by country of origin
- China - 604
- Afghanistan - 479
- Pakistan - 352
- India - 314
- Iraq - 266
