Government rethink gives asylum seekers temporary reprieve

No asylum seekers from the 10 EU accession countries supported
by the National Asylum Support Service have been made homeless over
the weekend after a last minute reprieve, writes Amy
Taylor.

The government had previously announced that the estimated 2,500
asylum seekers from the accession countries would be denied
national asylum or local authority support from 1 May when their
countries join the EU.

However, late last week the government announced that NASS and
local authorities would consider applications for continued support
after 1 May from asylum seekers who thought that their human rights
were going to be breached.

It is unknown whether any of the asylum seekers supported by
local authorities have been made homeless.

An asylum seeker who argued that the government’s plans
will breach his human rights and called for a three-month
transitional period of support, was given the right to seek
judicial review of the Home Office policy this week.