Travel expenses - for people required to attend regular reporting events

The Home Office has introduced travel expenses under Section 69 of the NIA. This is to help people adhere to their reporting restrictions under paragraph 21 of Schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971 (temporary admission or release), paragraph 29 of that Schedule (bail pending appeal) and paragraphs 2 or 5 of Schedule 3 to that Act (release subject to restrictions pending deportation).

Contact Management Policy, Process & Implementation June 2006
 http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/travelexpenses

Travel Expenses Policy
1. Introduction: Contact Management (CM) is the means by which the Immigration Service (IS) maintains contact with asylum seekers & other applicants throughout the application process.

The legal basis for requiring an applicant to report to the IS, or the police, is paragraph 21 of Schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971 (temporary admission or release), paragraph 29 of that Schedule (bail pending appeal) and paragraphs 2 or 5 of Schedule 3 to that Act (release subject to restrictions pending deportation). Section 69 of the NIA states that the Secretary of State may make a payment towards the cost of travelling expenses to enable persons to comply with reporting restrictions.

Dedicated IS Reporting Centres (RCs) have been established to support contact management objectives. There are currently eleven RCs ˆ four in London, and one each at Folkestone, Solihull, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, North Shields and Glasgow. Additional CM coverage is supplied by locating IS staff in police stations. Payment of travelling expenses will be introduced by a phased rollout to RCs with payments for reporting to police stations being introduced at a later date.

Where a subject reports to a reporting centre or IS staffed police station that has not yet commenced payment of travelling expenses and is experiencing difficulties in reporting, consideration will be given on a case by case basis to amending his or her reporting regime until such time as payment of travelling expenses commences. Representations should be made to the immigration office responsible for the reporting regime.

All queries relating to this policy should be referred to UKIS Contact Management Policy, Process & Implementation team.

2.1 Criteria: Assistance to meet the cost of travel will only be payable to subjects required to regularly report as part of their conditions of temporary admission / release. Travelling expenses will not be paid under this provision where people are directed to attend for an interview in connection with their immigration status or for other matters, unless such events are included within an existing reporting regime.

Travelling expenses will only be payable from the date the process is rolled out at specific reporting centres. No consideration will be given to any retrospective payments for reporting.

Applications for travel expenses must be made in person at a reporting centre. Where an application is approved at a reporting centre subjects will receive a travel ticket for their journey home and for their next reporting event.

2.2 Reporting Distances: Subjects living less than 3 miles from the reporting centre will not be eligible to receive help with travelling expenses except in cases of exceptional need.

The 3 miles will be calculated as a radius from the reporting centre.

2.3 Reporting Centre Applications: Asylum Seekers living 3 miles or more from their reporting centre who receive NASS support under S95 or S4 are eligible to receive help with travel expenses for reporting.

2.4 Restrictions: Where an application has been approved, payment will only be made for the person required to report. Payment for other persons to accompany the subject will be considered under the exceptional needs provisions.

2.5 Exceptional Needs: Where a subject does not have automatic entitlement to travel expenses or has automatic entitlement but has additional requirements a claim for exceptional need can be made.

Exceptional need claims will be considered centrally by CMPPI.

Where refused, subjects will be advised in writing; where granted, subjects will be advised in writing, outlining where appropriate the length of time the payments will continue and will also be provided with a travel ticket in order for them to meet their next reporting event.

When exceptional need is granted it will only be from the date the claim was decided on; no provision will be made for retrospective payment of travelling expenses in exceptional needs cases.

2.6 Review: When an exceptional need claim is refused the subject will have the right of review against the decision. The request for review will be considered by CMPPI. If then granted on review this will be from the date of the review decision; no provision will be made for retrospective payment of travelling expenses. If exceptional need is refused the subject will have no further right of review.

2.7 Lost and Stolen Tickets: Tickets that are reported lost or stolen will only be replaced in exceptional circumstances as part of the exceptional needs provisions.

3. Payments
3.1 Claiming: Subjects entitled to travel expenses will receive assistance towards the cost of travel on request.

Subjects not entitled when requesting assistance will receive a leaflet outlining the policy for travelling expenses. The leaflet will contain information and a claim form on how to claim travelling expenses due
to exceptional needs.

3.2 Non cash payments: All costs for travelling provided to subjects will only be in the form of travel tickets made valid for the subjects next reporting event. Under no circumstances will assistance for the cost of travel be made in cash. Tickets will be solely for use on public transport covered by a local Passenger Transport Executive.

Tyneside Community Action for Refugees (TCAR) has called for a National Day of Action in solidarity with Asylum Seekers throughout Britain. Events will be taking place in Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, London and Glasgow.

To find out more, visit:

 http://www.frfinortheast.co.uk/

The people who dreamt this up are probably the same who decided that a building called "Electric House" is the ideal name and venue for interviewing asylum seekers. "Why are they making me go the Electric House?" one terrified refugee once asked me. "What will they do to me?"

The Bush regime's war of terror against the poor of the world is a pretext for oppressing those who justly defy globalisation. Europe's asylum crisis is a direct result.
Through its complicity in U.S. policy, our government is responsible. We we owe it to those who have sought asylum here to do all that we can for them.