Common challenges for trainees seeking Asylum

<This page is currently under revision>

Finances

Bank accounts for U.K. asylum seekers

It isn’t illegal for someone seeking asylum to have a bank account – but it will depend on the stage they are at with their application for asylum.

If the claim for asylum is rejected and all right of appeal has been exhausted then the person will not be ‘legally resident’ in the UK and the position changes.

The Immigration Act 2014 & 2016 prevents banks from offering accounts to ‘disqualified persons’. Under the Act a ‘disqualified person’ is:

(2)A person is within this subsection if he or she— (a) is in the United Kingdom, and (b) requires leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom but does not have it.

This is why we pay for all course related expenses; it is important for our trainees to know that we do have support in place.

Further reading:

https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get