Asylum seekers’ family well-being as a challenge for immigration policies (a case study of Kosovan families in the East End of London, 2003-2004)

Janusz Balicki, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University
Anne Wells, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University

The purpose of our paper will be to look at the impact of the UK immigration policies on the well being of families of asylum seekers (Kosovan/Albanian) and answer the question: what are the challenges facing immigration policies regarding asylum seekers families? Our Paper will be based on a case study within two East London Boroughs, one of the most ethnically diverse areas in London. Using the ‘snowballing’ method for finding interviewees, we interviewed fifty people who responded on behalf of their families, between January 2003 and October 2004 and held a limited number of in-depth interviews. We can make the general conclusion that the challenge facing the State is to form and evaluate policies for asylum seekers families by different criteria to the Immigration policies regarding individuals. It’s very harmful for those families and for the host society if the process of integration takes too long.