The walls of the Immigration Service Midlands Reporting Centre are decorated with 28 large notices offering asylum seekers monetary inducements to leave the UK, including free travel.
However there are only three very small notices informing them that they are entitled to travel expenses when they are required to attend the reporting centre. One of the attending asylum seekers asked management at the centre, why the notices for travel expenses were so small and was told, "It is not in the interests of the Home Office to make them bigger".
However there are only three very small notices informing them that they are entitled to travel expenses when they are required to attend the reporting centre. One of the attending asylum seekers asked management at the centre, why the notices for travel expenses were so small and was told, "It is not in the interests of the Home Office to make them bigger".
All those attending the reporting Centre have received letters offering them money to leave the UK, however none of them have received a letter informing them of their rights to claim travel costs.
Dedicated Immigration Service Reporting Centres have been established to support *contact management objectives. There are currently eleven Reporting Centres - four in London, and one each at Folkestone, Solihull, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, North Shields and Glasgow. Additional Contact Management (CM) coverage is supplied by locating Immigration staff in police stations.
*Contact Management is the means by which the Immigration Service maintains contact with asylum seekers & other applicants throughout the application process.
Anyone who has to report to a reporting centre and has to travel more than three miles to get there are entitled to travel expenses, relevant guidance/law is below.
------------------------------------------
Travel expenses - for people required to attend regular reporting events
The Home Office has introduced travel expenses
under Section 69 of the NIA. This is to help
people adhere to their reporting restrictions
under paragraph 21 of Schedule 2 to the
Immigration Act 1971 (temporary admission or
release), paragraph 29 of that Schedule (bail
pending appeal) and paragraphs 2 or 5 of Schedule
3 to that Act (release subject to restrictions
pending deportation).
Contact Management Policy, Process & Implementation June 2006
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/travelexpenses
Travel Expenses Policy
1. Introduction: Contact Management (CM) is the
means by which the Immigration Service (IS)
maintains contact with asylum seekers & other
applicants throughout the application process.
The legal basis for requiring an applicant to
report to the IS, or the police, is paragraph 21
of Schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971
(temporary admission or release), paragraph 29 of
that Schedule (bail pending appeal) and
paragraphs 2 or 5 of Schedule 3 to that Act
(release subject to restrictions pending
deportation). Section 69 of the NIA states that
the Secretary of State may make a payment towards
the cost of travelling expenses to enable persons
to comply with reporting restrictions.
Dedicated IS Reporting Centres (RCs) have been
established to support contact management
objectives. There are currently eleven RCs – four
in London, and one each at Folkestone, Solihull,
Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, North Shields and
Glasgow. Additional CM coverage is supplied by
locating IS staff in police stations. Payment of
travelling expenses will be introduced by a
phased rollout to RCs with payments for reporting
to police stations being introduced at a later
date.
Where a subject reports to a reporting centre or
IS staffed police station that has not yet
commenced payment of travelling expenses and is
experiencing difficulties in reporting,
consideration will be given on a case by case
basis to amending his or her reporting regime
until such time as payment of travelling expenses
commences. Representations should be made to the
immigration office responsible for the reporting
regime.
All queries relating to this policy should be
referred to UKIS Contact Management Policy,
Process & Implementation team.
2.1 Criteria: Assistance to meet the cost of
travel will only be payable to subjects required
to regularly report as part of their conditions
of temporary admission / release. Travelling
expenses will not be paid under this provision
where people are directed to attend for an
interview in connection with their immigration
status or for other matters, unless such events
are included within an existing reporting regime.
Travelling expenses will only be payable from the
date the process is rolled out at specific
reporting centres. No consideration will be given
to any retrospective payments for reporting.
Applications for travel expenses must be made in
person at a reporting centre. Where an
application is approved at a reporting centre
subjects will receive a travel ticket for their
journey home and for their next reporting event.
2.2 Reporting Distances: Subjects living less
than 3 miles from the reporting centre will not
be eligible to receive help with travelling
expenses except in cases of exceptional need.
The 3 miles will be calculated as a radius from the reporting centre.
2.3 Reporting Centre Applications: Asylum Seekers
living 3 miles or more from their reporting
centre who receive NASS support under S95 or S4
are eligible to receive help with travel
expenses for reporting.
2.4 Restrictions: Where an application has been
approved, payment will only be made for the
person required to report. Payment for other
persons to accompany the subject will be
considered under the exceptional needs provisions.
2.5 Exceptional Needs: Where a subject does not
have automatic entitlement to travel expenses or
has automatic entitlement but has additional
requirements a claim for exceptional need can be
made.
Exceptional need claims will be considered centrally by CMPPI.
Where refused, subjects will be advised in
writing; where granted, subjects will be advised
in writing, outlining where appropriate the
length of time the payments will continue and
will also be provided with a travel ticket in
order for them to meet their next reporting event.
When exceptional need is granted it will only be
from the date the claim was decided on; no
provision will be made for retrospective payment
of travelling expenses in exceptional needs cases.
2.6 Review: When an exceptional need claim is
refused the subject will have the right of review
against the decision. The request for review will
be considered by CMPPI. If then granted on
review this will be from the date of the review
decision; no provision will be made for
retrospective payment of travelling expenses. If
exceptional need is refused the subject will have
no further right of review.
2.7 Lost and Stolen Tickets: Tickets that are
reported lost or stolen will only be replaced in
exceptional circumstances as part of the
exceptional needs provisions.
3. Payments
3.1 Claiming: Subjects entitled to travel
expenses will receive assistance towards the cost
of travel on request.
Subjects not entitled when requesting assistance
will receive a leaflet outlining the policy for
travelling expenses. The leaflet will contain
information and a claim form on how to claim
travelling expenses due
to exceptional needs.
3.2 Non cash payments: All costs for travelling
provided to subjects will only be in the form of
travel tickets made valid for the subjects next
reporting event. Under no circumstances will
assistance for the cost of travel be made in
cash. Tickets will be solely for use on public
transport covered by a local Passenger Transport
Executive.
----------------------------
Dedicated Immigration Service Reporting Centres have been established to support *contact management objectives. There are currently eleven Reporting Centres - four in London, and one each at Folkestone, Solihull, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, North Shields and Glasgow. Additional Contact Management (CM) coverage is supplied by locating Immigration staff in police stations.
*Contact Management is the means by which the Immigration Service maintains contact with asylum seekers & other applicants throughout the application process.
Anyone who has to report to a reporting centre and has to travel more than three miles to get there are entitled to travel expenses, relevant guidance/law is below.
------------------------------------------
Travel expenses - for people required to attend regular reporting events
The Home Office has introduced travel expenses
under Section 69 of the NIA. This is to help
people adhere to their reporting restrictions
under paragraph 21 of Schedule 2 to the
Immigration Act 1971 (temporary admission or
release), paragraph 29 of that Schedule (bail
pending appeal) and paragraphs 2 or 5 of Schedule
3 to that Act (release subject to restrictions
pending deportation).
Contact Management Policy, Process & Implementation June 2006
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/travelexpenses Travel Expenses Policy
1. Introduction: Contact Management (CM) is the
means by which the Immigration Service (IS)
maintains contact with asylum seekers & other
applicants throughout the application process.
The legal basis for requiring an applicant to
report to the IS, or the police, is paragraph 21
of Schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971
(temporary admission or release), paragraph 29 of
that Schedule (bail pending appeal) and
paragraphs 2 or 5 of Schedule 3 to that Act
(release subject to restrictions pending
deportation). Section 69 of the NIA states that
the Secretary of State may make a payment towards
the cost of travelling expenses to enable persons
to comply with reporting restrictions.
Dedicated IS Reporting Centres (RCs) have been
established to support contact management
objectives. There are currently eleven RCs – four
in London, and one each at Folkestone, Solihull,
Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, North Shields and
Glasgow. Additional CM coverage is supplied by
locating IS staff in police stations. Payment of
travelling expenses will be introduced by a
phased rollout to RCs with payments for reporting
to police stations being introduced at a later
date.
Where a subject reports to a reporting centre or
IS staffed police station that has not yet
commenced payment of travelling expenses and is
experiencing difficulties in reporting,
consideration will be given on a case by case
basis to amending his or her reporting regime
until such time as payment of travelling expenses
commences. Representations should be made to the
immigration office responsible for the reporting
regime.
All queries relating to this policy should be
referred to UKIS Contact Management Policy,
Process & Implementation team.
2.1 Criteria: Assistance to meet the cost of
travel will only be payable to subjects required
to regularly report as part of their conditions
of temporary admission / release. Travelling
expenses will not be paid under this provision
where people are directed to attend for an
interview in connection with their immigration
status or for other matters, unless such events
are included within an existing reporting regime.
Travelling expenses will only be payable from the
date the process is rolled out at specific
reporting centres. No consideration will be given
to any retrospective payments for reporting.
Applications for travel expenses must be made in
person at a reporting centre. Where an
application is approved at a reporting centre
subjects will receive a travel ticket for their
journey home and for their next reporting event.
2.2 Reporting Distances: Subjects living less
than 3 miles from the reporting centre will not
be eligible to receive help with travelling
expenses except in cases of exceptional need.
The 3 miles will be calculated as a radius from the reporting centre.
2.3 Reporting Centre Applications: Asylum Seekers
living 3 miles or more from their reporting
centre who receive NASS support under S95 or S4
are eligible to receive help with travel
expenses for reporting.
2.4 Restrictions: Where an application has been
approved, payment will only be made for the
person required to report. Payment for other
persons to accompany the subject will be
considered under the exceptional needs provisions.
2.5 Exceptional Needs: Where a subject does not
have automatic entitlement to travel expenses or
has automatic entitlement but has additional
requirements a claim for exceptional need can be
made.
Exceptional need claims will be considered centrally by CMPPI.
Where refused, subjects will be advised in
writing; where granted, subjects will be advised
in writing, outlining where appropriate the
length of time the payments will continue and
will also be provided with a travel ticket in
order for them to meet their next reporting event.
When exceptional need is granted it will only be
from the date the claim was decided on; no
provision will be made for retrospective payment
of travelling expenses in exceptional needs cases.
2.6 Review: When an exceptional need claim is
refused the subject will have the right of review
against the decision. The request for review will
be considered by CMPPI. If then granted on
review this will be from the date of the review
decision; no provision will be made for
retrospective payment of travelling expenses. If
exceptional need is refused the subject will have
no further right of review.
2.7 Lost and Stolen Tickets: Tickets that are
reported lost or stolen will only be replaced in
exceptional circumstances as part of the
exceptional needs provisions.
3. Payments
3.1 Claiming: Subjects entitled to travel
expenses will receive assistance towards the cost
of travel on request.
Subjects not entitled when requesting assistance
will receive a leaflet outlining the policy for
travelling expenses. The leaflet will contain
information and a claim form on how to claim
travelling expenses due
to exceptional needs.
3.2 Non cash payments: All costs for travelling
provided to subjects will only be in the form of
travel tickets made valid for the subjects next
reporting event. Under no circumstances will
assistance for the cost of travel be made in
cash. Tickets will be solely for use on public
transport covered by a local Passenger Transport
Executive.
----------------------------