GovWire

The United Kingdom welcomes refugees through safe and legal routes. We support them to resettle, integrate and become self-sufficient, so they can provide for themselves and their families as well as contributing to life in the UK.

The Refugee Employability Programme (REP) is a Home Office initiative for the specific needs of refugees, to give them the support they need to find work and build their lives in the England. The REP aims to remove barriers which cannot be fully addressed by mainstream services.

The REP provides three types of support:

Employment support

Ensuring an appropriate level of support is provided to refugees to build their skills and talent in the workplace, including:

• CV writing classes
• sector specific training
• interview practice

English language

• English Language classes, including English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL)
• invitations to formal and informal conversation clubs
• lessons to support learning capacity such as literacy

Integration support

Helping refugees to integrate and settle into their local communities by signposting services such as:

• community groups
• healthcare
• childcare

Who is eligible?

You are eligible to apply for the Refugee Employability Programme if you came to the UK by one of the following routes.

If you arrived at any point under:

• UK Resettlement Scheme
• Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme
• Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy

If you were granted on or after 28 June 2022:

• Refugee Permission to Stay

If you arrived on or after on or after 25 February 2021:

• Mandate Resettlement Scheme
• Community Sponsorship

If your sponsoring refugee is eligible:

• Refugee Family Reunion

In addition, you must either:

• have Indefinite Leave to Remain, also known as settled status, or
• be on the 5 year pathway to settled status

You do not need to fulfil any economic conditions. The REP is available to anyone who has come through the New Plan for Immigration.

How to apply

The REP will be officially launched in summer 2023, and will be delivered across each of the nine Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships.

You will be able to apply by filling out an Expression of Interest form, which will assess your suitability for the REP. If you are successful, the service provider will then get in contact with you to discuss the next steps of the programme.

See the policy statement for a list of service providers.