Asylum Seeker Speaks Exclusively To Capital Birmingham

10 September 2015, 11:21 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Speaking exclusively to Capital Birmingham an asylum seeker who's currently in Coventry says he's met people who've been waiting nearly a decade for their applications to be processed.

The 30 year-old who wishes to remain anonymous is calling on the Prime Minister to do more to help.

He thinks the UK offering to take 20,000 refugees from Syria is too little too late and may lead to those from other countries being neglected.

The European Commission have said that 120,000 people fleeing their homelands will have to be accommodated by the continent.

The UK has opted out of the proposed quota system though.

One of the refugees being helped by the Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group told Capital those who are running away from war torn countries will have a positive impact on the UK:

He said: "It's not like most people just want to sit at home and do nothing.

"We do want to work, we do want to earn money, pay tax and you know contribute to the country.

"You can't go to college, you can't go to work, you can't do anything you know so you just have to sit for months and months and wait."

"I've met people who've been waiting for 8 to 10 years I can't imagine waiting that long I couldn't do it myself."

"I don't know it is just mentally just destroys you.

"You know it's just time wasted, your life is being wasted, you can't do anything with your life - it's terrible."