African Rainbow Family strongly condemns the Home Secretary’s announcement of a new policy that will force refugees and individuals seeking asylum to pay up to £10,000 toward their accommodation costs before they can be considered for settled status.
African Rainbow Family warns that this punitive measure will disproportionately harm LGBTIQ+ people who have fled their home countries’ state-sanctioned persecution, violence, discrimination and hate; and now, trapping them in a cycle of debt just as they attempt to safely rebuild their lives in the UK.
Aderonke Apata, Founder and CEO of African Rainbow Family, said:
“This proposal is an act of performative cruelty that completely undermines the concept of integration. Our Siblings flee extreme violence and persecution, arriving in the UK with absolutely nothing but the hope of living authentically and safely.
To slap them with a £10,000 bill the moment they get back on their feet and start working is fundamentally unjust and self-defeating. It forces a deeply vulnerable, low-income population into systemic debt, creating a direct barrier to obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain. People cannot be expected to successfully integrate into the community while treating their safety as a financial liability.”
“In the event of revisions to the 2005 regulations which will effectively remove the strict statutory duty to provide asylum support by the Home Office, the time to lift the ban and allow people seeking asylum to work without restrictions to until after 12 months of claiming asylum and waiting on decisions nor to the Shortage Occupation List is now!” Aderonke added.
The policy ignores the unique barriers LGBTIQ+ people already face in the labour market, including trauma, discrimination, and prolonged gaps in employment caused by a backlogged system. Instead of fostering economic independence, this policy imposes a heavy financial penalty on work, threatening to push individuals further into poverty and vulnerability.
African Rainbow Family calls on the government to immediately drop this counterproductive scheme from the upcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill and to focus instead on creating safe, dignified routes and fair processing of asylum. Including allowing people seeking asylum to work and sustain themselves as soon as possible.
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3rd of July 2026
Contacts:
Adeniyi Balogun, African Rainbow Family’s Advocacy and Campaigns Manager: adeniyi.balogun@africanrainbowfamily.org
Luca Dicorato, African Rainbow Family’s Media, Relationships and Communication Officer: luca.dicorato@africanrainbowfamily.org