Illegal migrants urged to come forward in UK's Covid-19 vaccine amnesty

Move is part of government’s aim to build herd immunity

A patient receives AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine at Copes pharmacy in London. Getty

Illegal migrants in Britain are being asked to register with a doctor to have a Covid-19 vaccine, with promises they will face no questions about their immigration status nor repercussions from authorities.

The government move is to help Britain reach herd immunity and accelerate the easing of lockdown. But being immunised does not give migrants permission to stay in the UK.

National Health Service trusts have been told not to check the immigration status of patients who come forward for vaccination.

The same already applies to anyone having a coronavirus test or treatment for Covid-19.

“Coronavirus vaccines will be offered to everyone living in the UK free of charge, regardless of immigration status,” a government spokesman said.

“Those registered with a GP [general practitioner] are being contacted at the earliest opportunity and we are working closely with partners and external organisations to contact those who are not registered with a GP to ensure they are also offered the vaccine.”

Last year, a National Audit Office report found the government has not had accurate figures for immigrants in the UK illegally in 15 years, when estimates stood at 430,000. The NAO said independent research had since put the number at more than a million with “irregular status”.

They could have entered the UK illegally or overstayed a temporary visa.

“Once people are in our country, it’s in all our interests to contain the virus,” said Natalie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover on England’s south coast.

“Vaccinating everyone whose turn it is on public health grounds, in the end, will protect us all.”

More than 12 million doses of the vaccine have been issued, hitting 1,000 per minute during one hour last weekend.

Health Minister Edward Argar said the virus “is not worried about immigration status”.

He said vaccinations would still be issued in priority order, which targets the most vulnerable first, but that everyone living in the UK should be immunised.

“What we’ve said throughout with this disease is, this disease is interested in looking for victims, it’s not worried about their immigration status, or anything else,” he told LBC radio on Monday.

“We’ve said that those people will be entitled to the vaccine at the right time.

“Just as we’ve said that people who have a Covid test or need treatment we are not going to chase up their immigration status around that.”

The government also plans to undertake publicity campaigns aimed at reaching “hard-to-reach groups” and non-English speakers, encouraging them to take the vaccine.

“We can see the common sense behind this at a time of national emergency when as many people as possible must be vaccinated,” said Alp Mehmet of pressure grou MigrationWatch UK.

“But it is a matter of regret that successive governments have been reluctant to come up with solid research on how many people there are in this country with irregular status.

“It would be short-sighted and a wasted opportunity if the government does not now keep thorough records of how many illegal immigrants come forward.”

Meanwhile, United Nations agencies have warned that migrants are in danger of becoming an afterthought in the international effort to vaccinate against Covid, with many too scared of authorities to accept a shot.

There are also concerns around compiling data on refugees and migrants, many of whom are reluctant to engage with officials due to a lack of trust.

Dr Jaime Calderon, the senior migration health adviser at the International Organisation for Migration’s regional office in Vienna, says governments must take steps to ensure refugees and migrants are not left behind, and go beyond simply procuring adequate vaccine doses.

Governments should “reduce the number of administrative hurdles for migrants to access health care and vaccines by making sure it is affordable, if not free, and that no particular proof of residence, work or identity is required in order to get the shot,” he said.