Excerpt from Regularise’s briefing (published on 1/02/2021):
In the United Kingdom to date, 7,325,773 Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine doses have been administered according to priority groups most at risk
In England, NHS advice states that you must be registered with a GP surgery in order to receive the vaccine. Whilst proof of identity or immigration status is not required to register with GP surgeries, in practice, undocumented migrants and those with insecure status may struggle to access healthcare and have been deterred from seeking support due to charging practices and other spurious reasons, as exemplified below.
“I went to my local GP to try & register to get the vaccine when available. The receptionist told me if you don’t have visa/valid documents she can’t register me for the vaccination program. She said I have to leave the premises immediately. I [have] been living here over 12 years.”
Male, London, January 2021
There is also the aspect of fear when interacting with public bodies:
“One of my friends is very sick. He can’t breathe properly. He has bad flu symptoms but he can’t go out to see the doctor because he is afraid. It’s very hard to survive these days. I also have health problems. I have bad allergies on my legs. If I scratch my legs, blood comes out of the skin. I have a red spot on my legs. I can’t go to the doctors because they are asking us to bring documents. I have been living here for almost 10 years. I know other people as well who have health problems.”
Male, London, January 2021
A successful COVID-19 vaccination programme relies on those at risk of morbidity and mortality to be prioritised. Due to insecure immigration status, up to 1.2 million undocumented migrants face uncertainty about how they might access a vaccine, leaving them without the right to healthcare and potentially jeopardising the wider public health effort to combat COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.
The government are advised to guarantee COVID-19 vaccines free of charge to all undocumented migrants whilst providing urgent and clear assurance that local GP services will allow them to register and receive vaccines without being reported to the Home Office.
Download the full briefing from the link below.