A Safe Refuge: asylum And immigration
The Scottish Green Party fully supports the right of those fleeing persecution to asylum in this country according to the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees. Both Scotland and the UK are capable of offering sanctuary to those who need it.
We believe that asylum seekers should be allowed to work and claim benefits as soon as their application has been made. Permission to work will ensure that skills are not wasted, as well as reducing the cost of supporting asylum seekers.
The Scottish Green Party supports a fair asylum policy and an end to the practice whereby asylum seekers are subject to detention without reason.
Whilst recognising the contribution that refugees and asylum seekers make to this country, Greens campaign for the international policies that would reduce the need for asylum.
Green MPs will work to:
- amend the law to allow asylum seekers to work and claim benefits as soon as their application has been made;
- end the practice of making “failed” asylum seekers destitute, which drives them into the illegal economy, leaving them open to abuse and exploitaiton;
- end the practice whereby asylum seekers are subject to detention without reason beyond the fact that they are seeking asylum;
- ensure there is an independent appeals tribunal in line with international standards;
- ratify the 1990 UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families;
- honour our obligations under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees;
- promote the work of the UN in protecting refugees and stateless persons and in suppressing human trafficking.