To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to establish an interviewing point in or near Calais and to invite refugees to claim protection in Britain if they have a close family connection with this country or an urgent medical condition that can best be treated in the United Kingdom.
Answered on
22 July 2015
The Government has no plans to enable illegal migrants in another EU Member State to claim asylum in the UK. EU Member States have a responsibility to register and process all asylum claims made on their territory and it is an accepted principle of international law that an asylum seeker should claim protection in the first safe country that they reach. Any genuine refugee in France should lodge a claim for protection there.
The Dublin Regulation contains family unity provisions which may result in the responsible State being that where an asylum seeker’s close family members are legally present. If an asylum seeker is in France and can demonstrate they have close family members legally present in the UK, France may request that the UK agree to the transfer of responsibility for the asylum applicant under the Dublin Regulation.
We would not accept the transfer to the UK of an asylum seeker in France for the purposes of medical treatment. France is bound by the terms of the Reception Conditions Directive 2011/33/EU, which obliges participating Member States to ensure that applicants receive the necessary health care which shall include, at least, emergency care and essential treatment of illnesses and of serious mental disorders.