UNSUPPORTED

Asylum seekers flee their country of origin for fear of persecution and apply for protection as refugees in a safe country. Following international agreements on human rights, the British government must not return asylum applicants to a place where they are likely to face torture or persecution.

The claims take months, sometimes years, to be resolved and during this time, applicants are forbidden to work. Only after 12 months, and if they are not held responsible for the delay in the decision-making, can they get permission to apply for jobs included in the ‘shortage occupation list’ published by UKBA (UK Border Agency). While they await a decision, asylum seekers are forced to become totally dependent on the state. Skilled individuals end up living in poverty, wasting their professional abilities and falling into depression or mental illness. Stress, sleeping disorders, low self-esteem are recurring mental symptoms spreading across nationalities, genders and age groups.

This portrait series depicts asylum seekers dressed according to their professional skills to highlight the potential wasted under the current system. The images were taken between 2010 and 2013. A few people got their legal right to remain in the UK after their portrait was taken.