UK charities condemn immoral' plans to force asylum seekers to volunteer

"Hundreds of charities have said they will refuse to cooperate with immoral government plans to force refugees to undertake mandatory volunteering as a condition of being allowed to settle in the UK. The charities said that compelling refugees and asylum seekers to volunteer would be exploitative, bureaucratic and un-British and would undermine a fundamental principle that volunteers give their time and skills freely."

"More than 320 voluntary organisations, including the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Charity Retail Association representing more than 8,000 charity shops, and local branches of Age UK and Citizens Advice, have signed a letter to the home secretary saying they cannot accept the unworkable proposal. Effectively making volunteering compulsory undermines its many benefits, and would create a population of people forced to work for free, under threat of having their lives in this country ripped away from them, the letter says."

"The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said in a speech to Labour party conference in September that in future people would have to prove they had made a social contribution such as volunteering for local causes to qualify for leave to remain. Volunteering was one of a number of proposed new settlement conditions flagged by Mahmood to emphasise the government's tough approach to immigration. Others included learning English to a high standard, having a spotless criminal record and not relying on social security benefits."

Hundreds of charities have pledged to refuse cooperation with government plans to require refugees and asylum seekers to undertake mandatory volunteering as a condition for settling in the UK. The government plans to publish proposals on mandatory volunteering as part of a contribution-based settlement model intended to reduce immigration. The home secretary said future applicants would need to prove a social contribution such as volunteering to qualify for leave to remain. Proposed settlement conditions also include high English proficiency, a spotless criminal record, and not relying on social security. Over 320 voluntary organisations signed a letter calling compulsory volunteering exploitative and unworkable and pledged not to report coerced volunteers.

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