LONDON – In early February, the UK government announced that anyone living in the country, regardless of their immigration status, could get a coronavirus vaccine for free. Public health experts praised the decision, which is necessary to keep everyone safe while others sound the alarm over the prospect of non-citizens jumping ahead of legitimate Britons.
“Nobody’s going to get their vaccination out of line,” said Edward Argar, a UK health minister, in an interview. The disease, he added, was “looking for victims, not worrying about immigration status”.
As in much of the world, the virus has devastated immigrant communities in the UK, many of whom tend to the bulk of frontline grocery and home care workers. Many immigrants also live in overcrowded multi-generation homes where older family members were exposed during the pandemic. The government’s so-called vaccine amnesty should encourage those without legal status to come forward and get vaccinated.
But more than a month after the announcement, many undocumented immigrants said they continued to fear that asking for a vaccine could risk arrest or deportation. Others said they have been denied registration at local medical offices, which often ask for ID or proof of address – although neither is required for access to primary care.
The most common response, however, was confusion or confusion about what services were available – the lasting effects of years of “hostile environment” policies aimed at forcing illegitimate people to leave the country by blocking their access to jobs. Bank accounts and free medical care.
“It’s all very good to say, ‘Anyone can get a vaccine,” said Phil Murwill, director of services at Doctors of the World UK, preventing people from getting access to any type of care, and we are seeing it now. “
External estimates suggest that the number of undocumented immigrants in Britain ranges from 800,000 to 1.2 million, or just under 2 percent of the population. (The UK government has not estimated the size of this population since 2005, when it was estimated at 430,000.) It is a significant group that includes many vulnerable workers and one that epidemiologists refer to as a vaccination campaign – which so far is the Case was Almost half of the population needs at least one dose if Britain is to safely end the pandemic.
This month Ghie Ghie and Weng, two undocumented domestic workers from the Philippines, walked arm in arm to the Science Museum in London, one of more than 1,500 vaccination centers across the country. (Like other undocumented individuals interviewed for this article, the women asked to be identified only by their first name for fear of arrest.) Ghie Ghie had gotten her first shot of the vaccine last weekend and was hoping Weng might get hers .
Both women, ages 40 and 51, were younger than the eligible age groups but had booked an appointment online in the Health and Social Worker category, which the government calls “Doctors, Nurses, Midwives, Paramedics, Social Workers, Nurses” defined and other health and social care workers on the front lines. “(As of last week, people aged 50 and over are eligible in England.)
There was no reference to housework and they hoped no one would ask for it. Other domestic workers they knew had been turned away at vaccination centers that required proof of employment.
Updated
March 30, 2021, 9:52 a.m. ET
“My employer was concerned; She kept asking me to get my vaccine, ”said Ghie Ghie, who looks after four children, three of whom are back in school. “But they wouldn’t write me a letter, they don’t want to interfere. They ask you to do it, but they don’t support you. “
Efforts are being made in the United States to prioritize vaccination of those who work mainly by undocumented immigrants such as farm work. However, the UK has not expanded the category of social workers to include domestic workers, a Department of Health and Social Affairs spokesman confirmed in an email.
“We care for children, the elderly and the disabled,” said Marissa Begonia, founder of the Voice of Domestic Workers. “It’s not a lie. We are social workers by our definition. “
Weng works part-time for two families and travels between households every week. “I want to get my vaccine in case the government demands it, so I can show that I am not putting anyone at risk,” she said while waiting in line at the vaccine center. She reappeared about 30 minutes later, proudly clutching the card stating that she had received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
In 2018, the Home Office, the government ministry responsible for immigration, officially withdrew a data-sharing agreement that used patient information from the National Health Service to track down people believed to be in violation of immigration regulations. (Data is still exchanged for deportation cases involving serious crimes.) The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has stated that people who undergo vaccination, test or treatment against the coronavirus would not be subject to an immigration check.
However, there are still cases of the two authorities sharing patient information, most common among undocumented immigrants with an unpaid medical debt of £ 500 (about $ 690) over a period of more than two months. Basic care, including treatment by a general practitioner, is free, but secondary care – hospital visits, operations, maternal care – is not.
Those who work for undocumented immigrants say that this hybrid health system only adds to the confusion about the benefits of undocumented immigrants. “The government must stop all billing and data sharing if it wants to prioritize the broadest possible access to public health,” said Zoe Gardner, policy advisor to the Joint Council on Immigrant Welfare.
When Huseyin, a 30-year-old undocumented cook, found out he could see a family doctor for free and eventually get a vaccine, he said he tried to register immediately. That was three months ago.
He said a family clinic in London asked for a valid passport or ID card before turning him away. A few weeks later he moved to Brighton, England to get a full time job in a restaurant. He tried a local doctor again there but was falsely informed that he needed an NHS number to register with them.
“The NHS guide says nothing about documentation, but nobody teaches you when you are in medical school about a patient’s right to see a family doctor,” said Dr. Elizabeth Bates, an Associate General Practitioner in the West Midlands. “That the NHS is there for everyone is something that many Britons are very proud of, but even some doctors fail to understand that their practice has these guidelines that prevent people from registering.”
Huseyin is now receiving help with registration from Doctors of the World UK, a nonprofit that works to ensure that people with uncertain immigrant status have access to health care. However, he is young and is unlikely to be asked about a vaccine for months.
“I want the vaccine to protect me and my community,” he said. “We’re everywhere – in shops, restaurants, factories, hotels. Undocumented people are everywhere. “
