S/L/20. Dissertation. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002: Supporting Poverty in the Asylum System

The institution of asylum faces a serious crisis in the UK, and is increasing being recognised as an alternative path to immigration. The need for reform within legal, political, economic, and social perspectives has never been more imperative, and is so frequently at the forefront of critical public debate. Throughout recent decades people have been forced to flee from their own countries as a result of persecution, armed conflict and violence, and in every part of the world governments, armies and rebel movements have resorted to removing people by force in order to maintain their political and military objectives. Asylum law continues in its attempts to adapt with the ever-changing state of asylum, but the circumstances of today's society, burdened with ongoing war, oppressive governmental regimes, and economic breakdown, makes it increasingly more challenging for the UK government to effectively control the asylum crisis. The introduction of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 is the latest attempt to reform the asylum system in the UK, yet in effect it does little to fulfil vital international obligations and assist those who have no support or protection in their own countries. In this work it will be identified the shortfalls of the 2002 Act and its inability to revolutionise the asylum system in the UK. In particular it will be focused on the adverse impact it will have on current and future asylum seekers in respect of their entitlements to welfare support and benefits. Chapter One will provide a full background of the development of UK asylum law in order to identify the route it has taken to reach its current position, and investigate the reasons why the government is demonstrating a more restrictive approach to asylum policy. Chapter Two will concentrate on the failings of the previous asylum policies discussed in Chapter one and examine why there was a significant need for reform. Chapter Three will identify the failings of the 1999 Act, in particular highlighting the controversial issues surrounding refugees entitlements to receive support. Following on from this, Chapter Four will introduce the proposed changes to the 1999 asylum system and present the revolutionary reforms for 2002, allowing particular consideration to the changes to the support system and the controversial issues surrounding the accommodation centre proposals, which will be discussed more specifically in Chapters five and six. Finally, the conclusion is drawn