Contents

Summary 4

1 What rights to work do asylum seekers have? 6

1.1 Permission can be granted for certain jobs after 12 months 6

1.2 The number of asylum seekers in work is unknown 7

1.3 Officials have some discretion in granting permission to work 8

2 History of the policy 9

2.1 Overview of how the rules have evolved over time 9

2.2 The 12-month waiting period since 2005 10

2.3 Restriction to shortage jobs, 2010-2026 10

2.4 Change to allowing all skilled jobs from 2026 11

2.5 Work ban for people whose asylum claims have been refused 12

2.6 Review of the policy, 2018-2021 12

3 Arguments for and against restricting rights to work 13

3.1 Why restrict rights to work? 13

3.2 Why allow people to work? 14

3.3 Should some people be allowed to work but not others? 15

4 Recent parliamentary interest 16

5 What do other countries do? 18