FAQS

• I went to the post office to pick up my cash support using my Application Registration Card (ARC) but I did not get any money. What should I do?

  If, for any reason, your ARC does not work:

  • Obtain a receipt from the post office staff and try to use your card again at a later time.  You can try later that same day or the next day.

  • If your card is rejected twice, make sure that the post office gives you a second receipt.

  Once you have both receipts, you can bring them to our office where we will then be able to help you report your problem to the Home Office. 

  You must bring both receipts with you because the Home Office will require proof that you have attempted to obtain your cash support on two different occasions without success.

  Bring these receipts as early in the week as possible. If you only report the problem after a week has passed, the Home Office will not pay back any money you have missed.

  Read our leaflet about how to resolve problems with your ARC (259.3Kb, PDF)

  Read our leaflet about how to resolve problems with your ARC in another language

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• I am not sure how the health system works in Scotland. Do I have the right to get free healthcare?

  If you are an asylum seeker or a refugee living in Scotland, you can access free health care provided by the National Health Service (NHS).  We have worked with the Health Rights Information Scotland (HRIS) to develop information about your health rights and entitlements.

  Find out about your rights and accessing health care on the HRIS website

  Find out about your rights and accessing health care on the HRIS website in another language

  NHS multilingual health service videos

  The NHS has produced a series of multilingual videos on how to use the health service in Scotland that includes information on the family doctor, the dentist, the optician, the pharmacy and other NHS services. It is available in 17 different languages.

  Watch the health service video in the language of your choice on the NHS website

   

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• I am under 18, have just arrived in the UK and don’t know what will happen next. How can Scottish Refugee Council help?

  If you are under 18 and have been separated from your family, you will be appointed to someone called a ‘guardian’ who will ensure you have all of the information and support you require while going through the complex asylum process. This programme is called the Scottish Separated Children’s Guardianship Pilot (Guardianship).

  Information pack for young people

  Our online information pack for young people seeking asylum who are living in the Glasgow area provides general information about Glasgow. It also provides information about:

  • making an asylum claim

  • your rights

  • useful definitions and terms

  • a directory of organisations for young people

  • maps of places in Glasgow

  • a step-by-step guide to the asylum process

  • outline of people can support you throughout the process

  Download an information pack

  The information pack is available to download chapter by chapter:

  Introduction Table of Contents (1.5Mb, PDF)

  Welcome to Scotland English (632Kb, PDF)

  Your Asylum Claim English (1.9Mb, PDF)

  Your Rights English (1.8Mb, PDF)

  Glossary English (1.5Mb, PDF)

  Directory English (1.5Mb, PDF)

  The Big Map English (671.3Kb, PDF)

  The Asylum Process English (194Kb, PDF)

  The People Supporting You English (190.3Kb, PDF)

  Other languages

  Read our welcome pack for young people in another language 

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• I have received a letter from the Home Office (UK Border Agency) informing me that my current accommodation provider – Glasgow City Council – will no longer be providing me with support. What should I do?

  Updated Tuesday, 25 January 2011
  

  You have received this letter because on Friday, Nov 5, 2010, the Home Office (UK Border Agency) sent Glasgow City Council a 'notice of termination' on its contract to supply housing to people seeking asylum who have been dispersed to Glasgow. This means that Glasgow City Council will no longer provide housing to people seeking asylum.

  Latest progress

  January 2011
  

  Glasgow City Council (GCC) and the Home Office (UKBA) have agreed to extend the housing contract for asylum seekers by two months; it will therefore not be terminated on 2 February 2011.

  The aim is to transfer the contract so that no one will have to move accommodation and disruption will be minimised.

  November 2010

  In November a meeting took place with city council officials and representatives of organisations that work with refugees and asylum seekers, including Scottish Refugee Council, to discuss the process for transferring the UK Border Agency housing contract from Glasgow City Council to another provider.

  All participants expressed a desire to ensure that the contract is transferred as smoothly as possible, ideally without the need for anyone currently living in Glasgow City Council to have to move.

  We do not yet know when you will be expected to move or who will take over responsibility for housing the people that will be affected. However, if you are asked to move the Home Office must find you suitable alternative accommodation.

  What currently we know about the contracts

  While we are aware that there have been reports about this matter in the newspapers and through online networks throughout the last weeks, unfortunately we are unable to provide any official update until we receive information directly from the UK Border Agency. We do know that:

  • the contract was due to terminate on 2 February 2011 but has now been extended by two months, and the Home Office should attempt to find alternative accommodation within that time period;
  • you should be given 14 days notice before you are expected to move; and

  • if you have children at school,  the Home Office should make every attempt to provide you with alternative accommodation within a three mile radius of your current accommodation.

  Where to get more information

  We will provide more information on our website as soon as it is available. Meanwhile you can contact the Home Office on 0141 555 1533 or 0141 555 1553 and Glasgow City Council to ensure that your personal circumstances are taken into consideration.

  At this stage we do not recommend that you come to our office for more information. The Home Office has informed us that the letter you have been sent is general information.

  Due to the number of people possibly involved we are unlikely to be able to offer an appointment to everyone. We will focus on any people that are vulnerable or that require help because their issues are complex.

  Further updates

  When further information is available we will be able to offer advice on how we can best work with people affected by the changes. We do recommend that you act upon any further concrete information quickly.

  Please remember that accommodation offered by the Home Office is on a no choice basis and if you do not move, your accommodation support may end or be put on hold (suspended).

  Read more in our latest news section on developments in this situation. We will be updating our website as and when we learn more from UK Border Agency.

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• I came to your office for advice/help. Why have I been told that I cannot be seen immediately?

  Our advice and advocacy services are very busy and sometimes see up to 100 people per day. Therefore, generally you must have an appointment to speak with one of our advisers.

  You can call our advice line to make an appointment on 0800 085 6087 (free from landlines, not mobiles).

  Waiting times

  If you come to our office for advice and you do not have an appointment, we may be able to see you if it is an emergency but you will probably have to wait for a long time. 

  If you have an urgent deadline we will try and see you as quickly as possible.  However, if we require more information about your case, we may schedule an appointment for another day and ask you to bring the additional information or obtain evidence from your legal representative.

  If our office is extremely busy, unfortunately we will not be able to see you on the same day and will need to make you an appointment for another day. 

  We will listen to your issues but must see people with scheduled appointments first and then decide if we can see more people based on their particular needs. 

  Read our how we can help leaflet to find out about services we offer (124Kb, PDF)

  Read our how we can help leaflet in another language 

  Client Charter

  Our Client Charter outlines your rights when using our services and what you can expect from us.  It also outlines our commitment to our clients and identifies how our caseworkers can help.

  Read our Client Charter (144Kb, PDF)

  Read our Client Charter in another language

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