Guidance

Refugee Employability Programme: policy statement

Published 20 September 2023

Introduction

1. The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it. We have established clear, defined routes for those in need of protection and have helped many thousands of people to find safety in the UK.

2. We welcome refugees through a number of safe and legal routes, including the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), the Community Sponsorship Scheme, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme, Refugee Family Reunion and, more recently, in response to the Afghanistan crisis, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). The UK also operates wider safe and legal routes that offer protection such as the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) visa and the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Family Schemes.

3. We believe everyone arriving in this country through safe and legal routes should be supported to integrate fully and to become self-sufficient, so they can provide for themselves and their families and contribute to life in the UK.

4. Those granted refugee status in the UK, or Indefinite Leave to Remain through a protection route, have immediate access to the labour market and to mainstream services, including benefits and healthcare.

5. Ensuring these services meet the needs of refugees is a cross-government goal. For example:

• the Department for Education supports refugees to learn English through English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision from the Adult Education Budget (AEB)
• the Department for Health and Social Care provides access to healthcare via the NHS free of charge
• the Department for Work and Pensions provides access to benefits and support in finding work
• the Home Office provides local authorities with a core tariff of £20,520 per person to support the resettlement and integration of those arriving through the UKRS, ACRS and ARAP schemes
• the Home Office provides interest-free integration loans for newly granted refugees to support them to build their new lives, repayable either through their benefits or through low repayments through the Department for Work and Pensions
• the Refugee Transitions Outcomes Fund (RTOF), is a £14m cross-Government pilot operating in four areas of the UK that aims to increase the self-sufficiency and integration of newly granted refugees
• the Home Office supports newly recognised refugees in asylum accommodation through the 28-day ‘Move-On’ period, providing advice on how to register with mainstream support

Why is it important to support refugees?

6. Refugees can face barriers to integrating into life in the UK and becoming self-sufficient. Refugees in general are over 20% less likely to be in employment than the rest of the UK population. For refugee women, this employment gap is even higher with employment rates over 30 percentage points lower than UK born women. It can take as long as 25 years for this gap to close.

7. Refugees face additional barriers to entering the labour market than the UK-born population due to, for example, a lack of awareness of how the UK job market works, language and cultural differences.

8. It is important that any government offer of support addresses these barriers so refugees can enter the labour market and contribute to the economy faster than they otherwise would. For the refugee themselves, this support builds their confidence, skills and motivation, all of which help them to find work and secure better prospects for themselves and their families.

The Refugee Employability Programme

9. We will deliver our commitment to refugee integration through the Refugee Employability Programme (REP), a new service that will operate across England. The REP will provide support for refugees and those granted protection who have arrived through safe and legal routes to fully integrate into life here, contribute to the economy and build a sustainable and long-term future for themselves and their communities.

10. We recognise the support already provided to refugees to help them rebuild their lives in the UK. The REP is not a replacement for this but is designed to complement what is delivered across mainstream services and the voluntary sector.

11. The design of the REP was developed in consultation with refugees themselves and stakeholders in the refugee support sector. It emphasises a user-centric approach and is built on an extensive evidence base for good integration outcomes, building on the approaches set out in the Indicators of Integration Framework.

12. As integration support is a devolved matter, the REP will be delivered in England only.

Eligibility for the REP

13. The REP will provide a package of individually tailored support for refugees who face barriers to employment which are not fully addressed by mainstream provision.

14. The REP is designed to support refugees and those granted protection to build their long-term lives in England. To be eligible an individual: should be a legally recognised refugee or have been granted protection in the UK; should have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or Leave to Remain with a pathway to settlement, meaning they are seeking to build their long-term life in England; and should not have had to meet any financial income or savings thresholds or pay for a visa to be granted leave in the UK.

15. The cohorts eligible for support from the REP include: UKRS, ACRS, ARAP, Community Sponsorship Scheme, Mandate Resettlement Scheme, those granted Refugee Permission to Stay and those arriving under Refugee Family Reunion.

16. At present, the REP is not open to those arriving via the Homes for Ukraine scheme, as they are currently granted temporary leave, or arrivals under the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) visa as they are required to fulfil economic conditions to be granted leave.

17. Anyone arriving under UKRS, ACRS and ARAP will be eligible for the REP. For arrivals under Mandate Resettlement Scheme and Community Sponsorship Scheme, eligibility will begin on 25 February 2021, to align with the introduction of the UKRS. Those granted Refugee Permission to Stay will be eligible if they are granted on or after 28 June 2022, when the new system as implemented by the Nationality and Borders Act came into place. Those arriving under Refugee Family Reunion will be eligible if their sponsoring refugee is eligible for the REP.

18. Decisions on eligibility will be kept under review as we deliver the REP.

19. The REP is specifically targeted at refugees who would benefit from additional support (on top of the mainstream offer) on their journey to self-sufficiency. Refugees will be accepted onto the service if they are economically active; that is willing and able to access the support offered to become self-sufficient.

Design of the REP

20. The Programme will be delivered through a case-working model. Each refugee will be allocated a Case Manager to assess their needs and work with them to develop a tailored plan to improve their employability. The Case Manager will review their progress regularly to ensure they are getting the most from the service.

21. There are three main components to the REP which are designed to support refugees on their journey to self-sufficiency. Which elements of the package a refugee receives will depend on how they have entered the UK, and what support they already receive. This will ensure that all those who arrive via safe and legal routes receive a comparable offer of integration support. Specifically, those who do not receive integration and English language support – either provided by a local authority or by a community sponsorship group - will receive these as a part of the REP.

22. The main component of the package is tailored employment support. All those accessing the REP will be enrolled onto a programme of employment activities that will be tailored to their specific needs. This could include skills courses, support with CV writing and job applications, access to employment-specific language courses, and work experience opportunities. This will ensure that refugee is supported in improving their employability in a way that works for them.

23. For those who do not already receive it, additional English language provision will be included. This will be over and above that which is available in mainstream provision. This could include providing access to formal or informal classes, providing access to online learning and resources, and providing access to conversational classes. We recognise how important language skills are to employability and furthermore to a refugee’s wider integration journey.

24. Integration support will be provided for those who do not already receive it. This could include providing support in accessing appropriate mainstream services (such as a GP or a jobcentre), signposting to local community groups, and signposting to appropriate mental health services. Providing this support will ensure that a holistic approach is taken to supporting refugees to rebuild their lives and on their journey to self-sufficiency.

Next steps

25. The REP will be delivered across each of the nine Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) (PDF, 240KB) geographical areas in England. Taking this regional approach will allow suppliers in each of these areas to form closer working relationships with local services, enabling more effective partnership working.

26. The Home Office is running a competitive procurement to secure suppliers for each of these areas. The service is expected to be live in 2023.

27. We will deliver the REP with the following contracted partners:

• North West – Maximus
• North East – Reed in Partnership
• Yorkshire & Humber – The Growth Company
• West Midlands – Maximus
• East Midlands – Twin Training International Limited
• East of England – Get Skills Employment & Training Limited
• London – Reed in Partnership
• South West – International Rescue Committee
• South East – Palladium International Limited