Employing Refugees

People recognised as refugees by the British government can be employed.

Who is a refugee?

The UK Government recognises an asylum seeker as a refugee when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) considers that he or she meets the criteria for refugee status set out in the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention).
  
Under the Refugee Convention, a refugee is a person who has a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion and is outside the country of their nationality or permanent residence and is unable or unwilling to return.

Until 29 August 2005, a recognised refugee was granted indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK.

From that date, if the IND recognises an asylum seeker as a refugee, the IND will grant the person five years leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.

The one exception to this is refugees who arrive in the UK under managed resettlement schemes such as the Gateway Programme who continue to be granted immediate indefinite leave to remain.