41. Supplementary memorandum
submitted by the Zimbabwe Association
WORKING ILLEGALLY IN THE UK—WHY DO
WE DO IT?
SOME ANECDOTAL
ACCOUNTS
1. As a failed asylum seeker you are homeless,
unemployed, no family or friends to support you and you cannot
go back to your country. This kind of situation puts any one in
a difficult position. It forces people to do illegal things like
working on forged papers, working on someone's documents, turning
to crime like pick pocketing and house breaking in order to be
alive.
During the time when my NASS support was stopped
I was fortunate enough to have someone I knew in London who accommodated
me. The person knew my crises and my political story. He had a
vision that if Home Office were to look at my case carefully they
must at least help me. He accommodated me, fed me, clothed me
and I was basically one of his children now. As a grown up person
myself I was not happy about this arrangement. During that period
I was required by the Home Office to report every Monday. By reporting
every Monday, meant that I have to travel by tube train to central
London. My friend had a duty now of giving me £10 every Sunday
evening so that I can make it to the reporting centre. This kind
of life made me to try other ways of getting money such as trying
to work.
2. Mrs V is from Zimbabwe and a failed asylum
seeker with two children and Mugabe killed the husband. She is
not getting NASS support and she cannot even return to Zimbabwe.
She is doing illegal domestic jobs in order to pay for her rent
and feed her family. She had difficulties in trying to get a place
to stay because she had no valid papers as most landlords demand
identity papers. Mrs V was lucky to come across a Zimbabwean who
has a permanent stay and the person listened to her plea and offered
her a room at a reasonable rent.
According to the laws of this country Mrs V
and the landlord had broken the laws of the land, but they broke
it for the good cause. Mrs V is still signing every week. She
has a duty again of making sure that the kids get the education
and daily needs. It is very difficult to raise a family as a working
parent. Mrs V has to raise her own children as single mother,
failed asylum seeker and lastly as a non-working person. Section
4 of NASS only applies for a short period of time.
3. Mrs M didn't want to be pitied. "I
know I am able bodied, hard working, able to do things and I didn't
need people's pity." The Methodist Church and Red Cross helped
her when support was stopped in October 2003 but she started working
to pay her own rent, support her own children in Zimbabwe who
were with grandparents, pay for her own food. Mrs M's appeal hearing
was adjourned numerous times. Witnesses travelled from London
to the far north on several occasions wasting their time and money
as her case was adjourned again and again. After two years the
Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) decided at the end of 2005
that a legal error had been made and that she should be granted
asylum. The Home Office appealed against that decision. The AIT
refused them permission to appeal. We are waiting to see if the
Home Office goes to the Court of Appeal. The case continues. Mrs
M still receives no support so she works.
4. Z. is working because he is a failed
asylum seeker who needs cash for sufficient food to go with his
medication. He needs shelter. He needs to keep his starving family
alive in Zimbabwe. Some people are being forced into prostitution
and other bad things like stealing but most people like Z. would
prefer to be caught working than doing such bad things.
5. X says most people just want somewhere
safe for a bit. People are running from political troubles to
the UK thinking they will be assisted, but the time it takes pushes
them into illegal things like working. X says "If things
get all right I am ready to be the first one to go back."
23 March 2006
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