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Skip to content You should familiarise yourself with the rights and benefits available to pregnant asylum seekers UK, as well as the obligations and factors to think about before requesting asylum or any necessary government assistance.
Get in touch with UK Immigration Solicitors via our website or by calling 02033844389 if you require any additional information or legal assistance from one of our experienced immigration consultants.
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About half of all refugee seekers around the world are women and girls, according to the UN. Of these, 4% are pregnant at any given time, which is sometimes the main reason they had to leave a safe place.
There are many risks on the journey to the UK, and since there is no way to claim asylum until someone gets there, they may have no choice but to make the trip.
If you are an asylum seeker in the UK and are pregnant, you should know about the financial and housing help that is available, as well as the medical and mental health assistance that may be needed after the events that led to the claim for refuge.
Additionally, in the UK, getting refuge can be hard to understand the law, especially if you are pregnant or taking care of a newborn child at the same time. At each step, there will be new problems and challenges that might be too much to handle without support.
Many maternity care options will make appointments for a variety of services that expectant moms need.
Also, it’s important to know your rights as a mother seeking shelter and a worker so that you can better prepare for the kinds of problems you might face while trying to get asylum in the UK. It’s just as important that you understand how to get to education as well as other non-government support services.
Anyone seeking asylum can apply for the cash help, which is given by the Home Office under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
This is a weekly subsistence allowance of £47.39 for each person, including each child. It can be used for things like food, transport, toiletries, and medicine. However, it’s important to remember that you will also be able to get extra assistance from the NHS, such as maternity care.
People who are pregnant or who have kids between the ages of 12 and 36 months get an extra £3 a week per child. Babies younger than 12 months get an extra £5 a week.
You can get a one-time maternity grant of £300 per child. You have to apply for it within 8 weeks of the due date or within 6 weeks of the birth, even if the baby was born outside of the UK. To get more maternity aid, you need to show proof of your pregnancy to the Home Office when you call them.
You will get your weekly payments on an Aspen card, which you can use to get cash from a bank or ATM.
The Home Office is also required by Section 95 to provide housing for people who need it. However, some people may be put up in full-board hotels, in which case your Section 95 payment will only be £9.58 per week.
The process of applying for Section 95 support can take weeks or even months. In the meantime, people who can show they are homeless can get emergency housing support and a £5 per day allowance through Section 98 support.
It’s important to know that the quality of emergency housing given by Section 98 support can vary a lot from case to case. Some residences have been reported to be substandard or dirty.
Asylum seekers can’t rent private property until they get accepted as refugees, so you won’t be able to choose a different place to stay if the one you were given doesn’t meet your needs. However, this won’t happen to every family claiming asylum, and you will still be safe.
During section 98 or 95 support, if your request for refuge is turned down, you can still ask for section 4 support, which will continue to pay for your housing and give you money until you can leave the country safely. Pregnant women may decide after the child is born.
A lot of non-government groups and charities will help asylum seekers, refugees, and pregnant women with their mental health if they need it after running away from violence or abuse.
Some of these groups are the NHS, the Refugee Council, and Barnardo’s. They can provide mental health care for mothers.
It is important to find the right support group for the kind of help you need because each one will have different programs designed to help with specific problems. Many will offer services like one-on-one counselling, group therapy, and classes that can help you deal with your specific problems in the most culturally appropriate way.
Most of the time, they will work with other healthcare workers to make sure you get the exact kind of medical help you need. There is a direct link between mental health and physical health, which is why it is very important to deal with the mental health problems you and your family were having when you moved to the UK.
Support workers will be able to help you get the emergency support you need, like a place to stay for victims of domestic violence.
The National Health Service (NHS) gives asylum seekers and refugees free access to all primary healthcare, and in some cases, secondary healthcare as well. This includes pregnancy-related services and meetings to check on the health of your baby.
Aside from prenatal screening tests for possible conditions, these visits will include ultrasound scans, blood tests, and other screening tests for diseases that could be harmful to your health or the health of your baby.
Postnatal care will also be offered, which will include regular checkups and vaccinations. There will also be interpretation services so that language barriers don’t get in the way of getting good health care.
The NHS may also give pregnancy classes to provide safe examples and teach about aspects of motherhood, such as breastfeeding.
The NHS provides maternal mental health care to treat the effects of adverse experiences a woman may have endured before seeking asylum, such as female genital mutilation, forced abortions, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other anxieties arising from their current asylum claim and impending motherhood.
For women seeking refuge, it is important to know that they are more likely to have perinatal outcomes and other problems during pregnancy and birth. It is also important to know what medical help is available to you and your child to stay healthy.
An asylum seeker usually can’t work until they are given refugee status after their claim is accepted. This is only true if they have been waiting for more than 12 months for their application to be answered.
You will have the same rights to maternity leave and pay as any other UK citizen if you have been given permission to work, as long as you meet the usual standards.
Women are entitled to up to 52 weeks of statutory maternity leave to bond with their babies and recover from giving birth. The first 26 weeks are called “Ordinary Maternity Leave,” and women who take them are entitled to their normal working rights and can return to their same job at the end of the leave. For at least two weeks, you have to take time off.
Under “Additional Maternity Leave,” an extra 26 weeks can be taken if desired. What you might get from taking this extra time off work might change.
Workers who are qualified can get statutory maternity pay for up to 39 weeks. For the first six weeks, they can get up to 90% of their average weekly earnings. For 33 weeks, the rate will go down. To be eligible, you must have worked for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before the week you are due to give birth.
You may also get extra help from Occupational Maternity Pay, which is given by employers, or Maternity Allowance for people who don’t qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay but have worked at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before giving birth.
If your claim for refuge is turned down while you are on maternity leave, you will lose the right to work in the UK. Your leave will also end, but if you are getting Statutory Maternity Pay, it will continue for the full 39 weeks.
It’s important to know that fathers may also be able to get paid family leave after birth if they fulfil the criteria.
You will have a lot of rights as a worker, which can make it hard to tell when you are being taken advantage of or treated unfairly at work. You may also have trouble showing the Home Office and your employers that you are pregnant in order to get the benefits you are entitled to.
To get more assistance, call our immigration solicitors at 02033844389.
In the UK, every child has the right to a full-time public school education. This includes the children of people seeking safety or with refugee status. A strong education system that all children can receive is essential for starting a new and happy life.
This will assist people learn more about British culture and language, which should make it easier for them to fit in with the rest of British society.
Asylum seekers’ kids between the ages of 5 and 18 will have to go to school. However, families that are having a hard time may be able to get benefits like free school food and extra help in class.
Asylum seekers of all ages may be able to take language classes to improve their communication skills. This will greatly assist them in getting the best help from medical and legal pros, as well as from people overall.
People who are 18 years old and want to go to college but haven’t yet been granted refugee status may have to pay university fees at a foreign rate. If they do get refugee status, they would only have to pay fees at a domestic rate of no more than £9,250 per year.
Even so, people seeking asylum might still be able to apply for scholarships and funds to help them pay for school.
Applicants for asylum in the UK cannot work or get benefits once they have filed for asylum. Everyone gets the same amount of money every week: £37.75. Pregnant women, people with kids younger than three, and people with babies younger than one get an extra £3 for “healthy food” and a $5 extra for babies younger than one.
The Home Office says that processing a refugee claim in the UK usually takes six months. However, because so many cases are waiting to be processed, it can take a year or more.
Financial help must be made available as soon as possible, but there are cases of payments being held up, leaving pregnant asylum seekers UK to go through their pregnancies without any help.
You can get a one-time maternity grant to buy things for the baby or kids. This person might be able to get a £300 payment if the baby is coming in the next eight weeks or if the baby or babies have already been born and are less than six weeks old. This amount stays the same whether there are twins or triplets.
If an asylum seeker’s claim has been turned down, they can still request a one-time baby payment, but only for £250.
When an asylum seeker mother gives birth in the UK, her child does not instantly become a British citizen. The mother’s immigrant status might not change because of the birth.
If the Home Office turns down pregnant women for refuge, either during their pregnancy or after giving birth, they and their child(ren) will not be sent back to another country for six weeks after the birth.
Usually, babies are born in the country of their parents. However, if discrimination and persecution force people to flee, this might not apply because the parents won’t be able to record the birth. When children are born to refugees in exile, they may not have a country to call home. If you are concerned about your child’s right to citizenship, you should talk to a lawyer.
Our lawyers have successfully helped more than 5,000 people apply for asylum, and they are still working hard to get people seeking safety from abuse and discrimination asylum in the UK.
Women who are pregnant are at great risk of mental and physical harm from having to seek refuge. To help lessen the damage, they should get professional help as soon as possible.
Asylum seekers can get help from our team as they go through the process. For women who are especially at risk, we can also help them find other support systems and connect them with groups where they can get help from each other. You can call us at 02033844389, or you can email us, to start taking steps to protect your family’s future.
Most of the time, a child needs a visa in order to live in the UK. For instance, if their parent is a foreign national working or studying in the country, the child may need a Child Dependant Visa.
Women migrants who are seeking refuge can’t be sent back to the country where they are:
Apart from maternity care, other possible health perks include free prescriptions for some medicines from a General Practitioner (GP), dental care, eye exams, and emergency services.
You will still be able to use basic health services even if your asylum claim is turned down. However, you may not have as much access to free care as people who are refugees.
If a refugee claim is rejected and the person is found not to be able to stay in the UK, they can be sent back to their home country with their baby even after the baby is six weeks old. It is advised to appeal denied applications as soon as possible to avoid relocating a young child.
The Illegal Migration Bill is a new law that you should know about. It makes it more likely that someone will be sent back to their home country if they are caught entering the UK illegally or from a safe third country. Asylum seekers now have to deal with an extra set of problems and stresses, which is why it is best to get professional legal help.
Each year, the UK takes in hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge. However, you should still be aware of the effects of this recent change in the law and the news that the Home Office is closing down hotels for migrants.
People who come into the country illegally can be detained, but the rule that pregnant women must be freed within 72 hours of being detained was passed in 2016 and is still in effect with the new Illegal Migration Bill.
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