Asylum support

If you're a carer seeking asylum and you have children of school age who are also seeking asylum, you have a responsibility to ensure they receive full-time education, usually by sending them to school.

Even though you are waiting for a decision on your asylum application, your children have the same right to education as children who are UK citizens.

By law, all children between the ages of 5 and 16 must attend school. Children start school the term after they turn 5 and continue until June of the year they turn 16. All state schools are free and your child may be eligible for free school meals.

You must contact your local authority (also known as local council) to arrange for your children to be enrolled at a school.

The local authority is responsible for ensuring all children living in their area receive full-time education, whether or not they are seeking asylum or have permission to remain in the country.

The education must be appropriate for the age and abilities of the child, and take into account any special educational needs the child might have. You can talk to your case owner (the person handling your asylum application) about this.

Employment

You will not normally be allowed to work in the UK while your asylum application is being considered. This is because the laws governing coming to the UK to flee persecution differ from those governing coming to the UK to work.

However, you may ask for permission to work if you have waited more than 12 months and have not received an initial decision on your asylum application. If this is the case, and you have not been given a reason for the delay in a decision being made, then the UK Border Agency will generally grant you permission to work.

If you receive permission to work, you're not allowed to be self-employed or to do certain kinds of work. You may be allowed to work voluntarily without being paid, but you will need to discuss this with your case owner. It is against the law to beg.

If you do not have a case owner, you can contact the asylum support customer contact centre on 0845 602 1739 between 9am and 9pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.

If you're homeless and have no money to live on, you can apply to the UK Border Agency for asylum support for help with living expenses and somewhere to live.