Campaign

Right to Asylum

Kind Economy

Defending dignity, unlocking potential

We are the Kind Economy

We are asylum seekers, refugees, local organisations, local businesses, community groups, families, and artists, who believe in an alternative vision for Belfast and beyond, one based on kindness, not hostility.

The UK Government’s ‘Hostile Environment’ seeks to make conditions in the UK so challenging for new arrivals that they would deter people from seeking safety here. Families waiting for a decision on their asylum application face months of indignity, living off around £9 a week in hotels or £49 in houses, often in cramped and poor quality accommodation. They are banned from working, and school places for children are not always guaranteed. Even for those with the right to work, lack of access to English lessons and training opportunities means that many are unable to find work. Meanwhile, organised racist groups target Black and Brown families in their homes and attack businesses owned by refugees.

What we want

An end to the work ban
The UK Government must Lift the Ban that prevents those in the asylum system from working, preventing destitution and enabling people to make a contribution to their new home.
International protection for asylum seekers
The UK Government must protect the internationally recognised right to seek asylum, including by reversing the recent guidance preventing recognised refugees who arrived by small boats from gaining UK citizenship.
Educational provision for young asylum seekers
Northern Ireland’s Department for Education and Education Authority must provide dedicated and tailored education programmes for young asylum seekers, especially those aged 16 plus, who currently find it almost impossible to access a school or college place.
Zero tolerance of racism
The Executive Office, the Department for Justice, the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive among others, must take all available steps to address racist attacks on Black communities in the north, including by systematically analysing data to identify patterns in attacks.

The Kind Economy seeks to build a resilient network to challenge the impact of the UK Home Office's Hostile Environment regime.

The Hostile Environment in Numbers

2632

The number of people seeking safety in NI, awaiting an asylum decision.

47

The profit Mears PLC made in 2024, partly off the back of the asylum accommodation contract.

1150

Number of race hate crimes in Northern Ireland in 2024. This is the highest recorded numbers of race hate crimes since the data began to be collected in 2004/05.