Migrant Voice: Successes in a…

Editorials

Migrant Voice: Successes in a difficult year

THURSDAY 23 DECEMBER, 2021 End of year message from Migrant Voice director Nazek Ramadan What a year! Globally, there were political upheavals from Afghanistan to Myanmar, from Yemen to Ethiopia, and “silent” crises in regions such as the Sahel — all forcing millions of people to flee for their lives. Nationally, there were drownings in the Channel, massive changes in Britain’s migrant population as the impacts of Brexit began to be fully felt, and continuing ramifications of the inhumane, unjust and often unlawful “hostile environment”, not least in the new…

THURSDAY 23 DECEMBER, 2021 End of year message from Migrant Voice director Nazek Ramadan What a year! Globally, there were political upheavals from Afghanistan to Myanmar, from Yemen to Ethiopia,…

A dangerous Bill – how do we go forward?

THURSDAY 9 DECEMBER, 2021 “Shocking”, one of our members said. “I can't believe it's happened. I still have hope that this will be reversed. The system is already too hostile as it is.” The Government’s controversial Nationality and Borders Bill was voted through the House of Commons 298 to 231 on 8 December. Another member said: “This is an extremely dangerous power-grabbing Bill, that would make people think that they do not actually belong to this country. This Bill will cause immense human suffering to some of the most vulnerable…

THURSDAY 9 DECEMBER, 2021 “Shocking”, one of our members said. “I can't believe it's happened. I still have hope that this will be reversed. The system is already too hostile…

Channel Crossings: What about the people?

It's about time we talked about people. These are human beings. We are sad and heartbroken about the deaths in the Channel. But above all we are angry. Angry because the deaths were unnecessary and avoidable: they are the latest dreadful tragedy in a chain of events that stem from politicians’ preference for posturing over practical policy and humanity. Angry because all the focus of the government is on securitisation, militarisation, violence, fences, walls, barbed wire and very little focus on the people at the centre of this. The government(s)…

It's about time we talked about people. These are human beings. We are sad and heartbroken about the deaths in the Channel. But above all we are angry. Angry because…

We need a five-year route to settlement for everybody

THURSDAY 4 NOVEMBER, 2021 A five-year route to settlement would provide a faster and fairer route to settlement for tens of thousands of people living in the UK. We welcome recent news from the Home Office that some young people brought up or born in the UK without immigration status will now be able to apply for settlement after five years instead of ten. But there are more than 170,000 migrants in the UK whose pathway to settlement is ten-years or more. This change in rules will only benefit a…

THURSDAY 4 NOVEMBER, 2021 A five-year route to settlement would provide a faster and fairer route to settlement for tens of thousands of people living in the UK. We welcome…

Border pushbacks endanger lives

FRIDAY 24 SEPTEMBER, 2021 Is this what protection looks like now? In the latest, tragic example of migrants dying at Europe’s borders, this week, four migrants died of hypothermia and exhaustion at the border between Poland and Belarus. All they had sought was safety and protection - and they have lost their lives because of it. We recently signed a letter in solidarity with our colleagues in Lithuania, criticising the Lithuanian government for its treatment of migrants, which has violated their human rights. Such is the concern for migrants at…

FRIDAY 24 SEPTEMBER, 2021 Is this what protection looks like now? In the latest, tragic example of migrants dying at Europe’s borders, this week, four migrants died of hypothermia and…

Channel crossings: time to change course

Tuesday August 31, 2021 It’s time to change course. The ill-thought-out strategy of trying to deter asylum seekers from crossing the Channel, pursued by this and previous governments over the past many years, doesn’t work. The many restrictions introduced – measures to try to deter asylum seekers from reaching the UK at any cost – are fundamentally wrong and merely add further risk to already dangerous journeys. The new Nationality and Borders Bill which sets out to indefinitely penalise those who make their own journey to the UK is a…

Tuesday August 31, 2021 It’s time to change course. The ill-thought-out strategy of trying to deter asylum seekers from crossing the Channel, pursued by this and previous governments over the…

Give Afghans protection now

Friday 20 August, 2021 Every Afghan whose life and rights are at risk must immediately be granted refugee protection by the UK government. The government has pledged to resettle 20,000 Afghans over the next five years, but you cannot put an arbitrary number on people’s lives. We also fear whether the government will even meet the target of its resettlement scheme, given its previous record. Of the 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children the government pledged to support in 2016, only 380 were helped. The resettlement scheme needs to be vastly scaled…

Friday 20 August, 2021 Every Afghan whose life and rights are at risk must immediately be granted refugee protection by the UK government. The government has pledged to resettle 20,000…

Shutting down the UK asylum system: the new immigration bill

Monday 19 July, 2021 Migrant Voice and Amnesty International have released a joint briefing for MPs for the second reading of the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill on 19 July. The vast majority of this Bill seems to have the purpose of shutting down the asylum system. We therefore strongly oppose most of this Bill, which will undermine the human rights of people affected by our immigration laws. The only element of the Bill we support is Part 1, which seeks to dismantle historical inequalities which have deprived some people…

Monday 19 July, 2021 Migrant Voice and Amnesty International have released a joint briefing for MPs for the second reading of the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill on 19 July.…

End of an era: fresh uncertainty for EU nationals

Tuesday 29 June, 2021 The 30th June marks the end of an era: it is the deadline for the UK’s EU Settlement Scheme. It is a symbolic day. For the millions of Europeans living in the UK, their lives will change from this point on. Indeed, for many their lives have already changed over the last few years, but from 1 July there are fresh concerns: now that they will have to prove their status at every turn, through a new digital only status, will their rights be denied? Will…

Tuesday 29 June, 2021 The 30th June marks the end of an era: it is the deadline for the UK’s EU Settlement Scheme. It is a symbolic day. For the…

Our report exposes harrowing impact of Covid-19

Monday 7 June, 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed how damaging the UK’s immigration policies and processes are for migrants and refugees. Our new report released on 6 June revealed the harrowing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on migrants with limited or insecure status. The report is part of the Building Resilience partnership project between Migrant Voice, RAPAR and Kanlungan Filipino Consortium. The Releasing Resilience and Building Networks of Resilience report involved a survey of 198 migrants across England including migrant workers with no recourse to public funds (NRPF); those…

Monday 7 June, 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed how damaging the UK’s immigration policies and processes are for migrants and refugees. Our new report released on 6 June revealed…

Migrant Voice: Successes in a difficult year

Editorials