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I have just seen a new client whose JSA has been suspended.
He's from Afghanistan, was in the Sangatte holding centre in France and came to the UK in December 2002 as part of Project Concorde. Has been on JSA continuously since soon after arrival. JSA has now been suspended, apparently because DWP think he has no recourse to public funds. They have not disallowed benefit yet, but are looking into it. He has been told that benefit is likely to be disallowed.
I'm not sure what his immigration status is. He doesn't seem to have any letters from the Home Office granting any kind of leave, but he has an entry clearance visa, issued in France, which seems to grant him entry for four years. It also gives him the right to work, and he has been issued with an NI number, apparently when he was given the right to enter the UK. He definitely isn't an asylum seeker.
My understanding is that people from Sangatte were generally given exceptional leave to remain. I've never seen exceptional leave with a public funds condition, so I assume he has the right to claim JSA.
Does any one know what immigration status people from Sangatte were usually given? Once I'm reasonably sure what his status is, I can probably get his benefit sorted, but I don't want to start firing off faxes to DWP if I'm not sure what the position is.
Thanks
Keith Venables
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