The National Council of Women in Conference assembled urges Her Majesty’s Government to:
• To reduce and clarify the time asylum seekers spend “in limbo”
• To ensure that better provisions are made for this duration, including access to housing, healthcare, education, counselling and, an increase in their monetary allowance (currently at £37.75 per week with a mere additional £3-5 a week for pregnant women or mothers with children up to the age of 3).
• To define the rules of what asylum seekers can claim clearly during the period of the application in which they cannot work (currently at 12 months)- this includes expanding the list of jobs approved by the Home Office, and extending or providing other means of accessing student finance for higher education.
• Introduce free or reduced means of travel, such as bus and tram fare, to enable asylum seekers guaranteed access to support and services.

Submitted by: Tania Khan and Sibba Hadid NCW Individual Members