The UK has an ongoing commitment to Refugee resettlement, offering places of safety to vulnerable Refugees in need of protection. Cherwell District Council have been resettling Refugee families for a number of years. The Council’s Resettlement Service only works with Refugees whose cases have already been decided by the Home Office. We work to resettle vulnerable people displaced by conflict, and we are grateful for the support from our residents who are also working hard to make Cherwell a place of safety for Refugees.
We are mindful that Refugee families and individuals can be the most vulnerable in our society and may have experienced war, torture, witnessed the death of family members, and in most cases suffered horrific passage to the UK leaving behind families and friends. Our role is to work with prescribed Refugee families on one of the national Refugee schemes, as determined by the Home Office to help them to feel welcomed and safe in our communities, enabling integration and successful resettlement.
Resettlement Schemes in the UK are entirely designed and funded by the Home Office. Cherwell does not provide housing for asylum seekers. Once an individual has been granted Refugee status, they may apply for support, join the housing waiting list and apply for employment support.
What is a Refugee?
In the UK, a person becomes a Refugee when government agrees that an individual who has applied for asylum meets the definition in the Refugee Convention they will ‘recognise’ that person as a Refugee and issue them with Refugee status documentation.
A Refugee is a person who has fled their own country because they are at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution there. The risks to their safety and life were so great that they felt they had no choice but to leave and seek safety outside their country because their own government cannot or will not protect them from those dangers. Refugees have a right to international protection. They have had their status as a Refugee recognised under the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
A Refugee is entitled to the same social and economic rights as any UK citizen. Refugees have full access to medical treatment, education, benefits, housing and employment.
A Refugee:
- has proven that they would be at risk if returned to their home country
- has had their claim for asylum accepted by the government
- has permission to stay in the UK either long term or indefinitely
Cherwell receive some funding from government to support Refugee families and community cohesion.
Should you require further information about our support programme, please email your request to the Resettlement team
Unless it is regarding information that would be better provided through a Freedom of Information request, then please see our how to page
What's an Asylum Seeker?
Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Government and handled by the Home Office. An asylum seeker is a person who has asked a government to recognise their Refugee status and is waiting to hear the outcome of their application.
A person seeking asylum:
- flees their home
- arrives in another country, whichever way they can
- makes themselves known to the authorities
- submits an asylum application
- has a legal right to stay in the country while waiting for a decision.
- has no recourse to public funds
You can find out more in the Home Office national statistics on asylum and on the Refugee Council website
What is a migrant?
There is no internationally accepted legal definition of a migrant. Migrants are generally people staying outside their country of origin, who are not Asylum Seekers or Refugees.
Some migrants leave their country because they want to work, study or join family, for example. Others feel they must leave because of poverty, political unrest, gang violence, natural disasters or other serious circumstances that exist there. Lots of people don’t fit the legal definition of a Refugee but could nevertheless be in danger if they went home.
A migrant:
- has moved to another country, for example to work, study or join family members
- may be living there temporarily or permanently depending on their situation.
You can translate this page into different languages using Google Translate. Cherwell District Council is not responsible for the content or accuracy of external websites.
You may need to install Language Packs to view some of the languages correctly.