How to become a refugee, according to the DWP in the UK

Seven of Nine

1. Be born in Britain to British Parents.
2. Never leave the country.
3. Leave home at 16, and migrate 200 miles away to another city in the same country.
4. Become a student.
5. Ask about getting a job.

Well, that's all I had to do

According to the Department of Work and Pensions, I am a refugee. From England. Living in England. I left my home country for humanitarian reasons. I now am classed as not being a British Citizen, which affects all my benefits, including those I'd get when I get a job. Basically, at the moment I have no income (what money I was getting has been stopped) and I'm not even allowed to get a job, as I'm not a British citizen. Erm, ok?

I'm going to have to sort this out...

gilbert3729 · **Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:12 pm**

wow thats horrible. Did they just make some mistake or does that happen often?

Angeldust · **Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:15 pm**

OMG!! Are you serious??? How can you not be a British citizen if you were born there??

Jeff Miller · **Thu Aug 12, 2004 2:08 am**

I know we already talked on MSN but if you need to talk more I'll be online later today for awhile.

Seven of Nine · **Thu Aug 12, 2004 2:18 pm**

Panic over- I'm no longer a refugee. Now they're trying to tell me I shouldn't have had any money from April...

Apparently, this doesn't normally happen, but the going theory is that someone got me mixed up with someone else, who is a refugee.

And I'm allowed to get a job! So I went and filled in some application forms today. I hope I get the one in the bookshop

Jeremy · **Thu Aug 12, 2004 4:25 pm**

Yeah!

That's good now. I was worried there, was born here, lived here all my life and don't have work, although I'd have to leave home within a few months now to leave at 16. I could have been one as well!