From August 2007, many asylum seekers and refugees have been denied access to free English Language classes.
Asylum seekers who have been in the country for less than six months, and refugees who are in work, are no longer entitled to free ESOL tuition. The Refugee Council campaigned hard against these changes, and successfully protected the provision of English classes for asylum seekers who have been in the UK for longer than six months, and refugees who are unemployed or on an extremely low wage.
However, that leaves large numbers of asylum seekers and refugees without any access to classes at all. Refugees are generally desperate to learn English, being able to communicate is one of the key ways to combat the isolation and loneliness that comes with seeking asylum in a strange country.
The Refugee Council is continuing to campaign to secure free classes for everyone. As part of this, we have recently joined the Campaign Alliance for Lifelong Learning (CALL), to continue to press for better access for learning opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees.
More about the campaign can be accessed via its website.
Read the Refugee Council news story on the Campaign Alliance for Lifelong Learning
