Policy & practice seminar: UK asylum seeker right to work policy

The UK has one of the strictest bans in Europe on asylum seekers' right to work. Asylum seekers can only apply for permission to work after 12 months, and even then they face significant restrictions on the types of jobs they are permitted to take. Despite sustained opposition to these rules and a substantial body of evidence highlighting the benefits of policies that support immigrant integration, immigration remains a highly politicized issue. As a result, proposals to liberalise restrictions on the right to work are often perceived as politically unpopular. 

• What effects would lifting the ban on the right to work have on the UK labour market and National Insurance contributions?
• What is the current political landscape surrounding this policy?
• And how can effective policies be designed to promote refugee integration while treating people with dignity?

Bringing together a panel of scholars, journalists, and activists, this event will explore these questions and reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing UK immigration policy. 

Meet the speakers
Nathan Phillips is the Head of Campaigns at Asylum Matters, a UK-based charity and non-profit organization advocating for the rights and welfare of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. 

Chrisann Jarrett is CEO of We Belong. Chrisann works to improve the lives of young people by advocating for systemic change and improving the quality of life for migrants in the UK.  She has worked alongside the Deputy Mayor of London on Social Integration and has spoken at the United Nations on the topic of mainstreaming youth in global migration governance. In 2020, Chrisann became a Trustee for the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, supporting young people in their work on UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and in 2022, she received an MBE at the Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to children and young adults. Chrisann now sits on the Advisory Council for the UCL Policy Lab and the Ordinary Hope Project. 

Chair: Moritz Marbach is Associate Professor in Data Science & Public Policy at UCL, and an affiliated faculty member with the Immigration Policy Lab at Stanford University and ETH Zurich.

This event will be recorded and the video will be uploaded to our YouTube channel. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when the recording is uploaded.

Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis. We cannot guarantee you a seat, but it is very unusual that we have to turn someone away.

• The corridor outside the lecture theatre(s) is sufficiently wide enough (150cm+) to allow wheelchair users to pass.
• There is step free access into the lecture theatre(s).
• The door opening width(s) is/are 75cm+ for the lecture theatre.
• There are designated spaces for wheelchair users within the lecture theatre.
• The designated spaces for wheelchairs users are located at the back.
• There is space for an assistance dog.
• There is a hearing assistance system for the lecture theatre.
  

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2026 is the year in which we celebrate UCL’s Bicentenary, marking 200 years since UCL’s establishment as the first University in London.

UCL Political Science and School of Public Policy are celebrating with a programme of seminars that relate to one of UCL’s core research themes: Fairer Futures

This event is co-organised with UCL Policy Lab. Bringing together extraordinary ideas and everyday experience to tackle the challenges facing us all.