Shutting down the UK asylum…

Editorials

Shutting down the UK asylum system: the new immigration bill

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 of the British nationality…

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…

End of an era: fresh uncertainty for EU nationals

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 they still be able…

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…

Our report exposes harrowing impact of Covid-19

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 in the asylum process;…

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…

EU citizens are the guinea pigs of the new digital border system

We are gravely concerned by reports of the Border Force’s treatment of EU nationals at the UK border in recent months – especially as the Home Office gears up to introduce a fully digital border by the end of 2025. Last week, the Guardian reported on the stories of EU nationals detained upon entry to the UK, despite having the right to be in the country. This included a German citizen who was detained at Heathrow airport, even though he had Settled Status, Indefinite Leave to Remain and had applied…

We are gravely concerned by reports of the Border Force’s treatment of EU nationals at the UK border in recent months – especially as the Home Office gears up to…

Asylum plans signal the end of protection as we know it

The Home Office’s New Plan for Immigration on their proposals to overhaul the asylum system is part of a worrying trend across Europe: the end of protection as we know it. These proposals would create a two-tier system that punishes those who manage to find their own route to safety and condemns them to a life in limbo with restricted rights. Indeed, the UK government’s plans effectively seek to criminalise the act of seeking asylum, by making it easier to deport people who are seeking sanctuary in this country –…

The Home Office’s New Plan for Immigration on their proposals to overhaul the asylum system is part of a worrying trend across Europe: the end of protection as we know…

Protecting protection

Home Secretary Priti Patel’s proposed “biggest overhaul of the UK’s asylum system in decades” is based on false premises – particularly on the actual availability of legal routes – and tears apart the principle of the right to claim asylum. The proposals create a two-tier system that punishes those who manage to find their own route to safety and condemns them to a life in limbo with restricted rights. People fleeing persecution and death have the right to seek sanctuary. That is the starting point, and no policy should undermine it. We are…

Home Secretary Priti Patel’s proposed “biggest overhaul of the UK’s asylum system in decades” is based on false premises – particularly on the actual availability of legal routes – and tears apart the…

UK's asylum housing shame

The appalling conditions for asylum seekers housed at the Penally Camp and Napier barracks have been exposed in a damning report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration and the prisons inspectorate. This can come as a surprise only to those who do not listen to migrant voices. It’s shocking nonetheless. The report says that the Home Office disregarded advice by Public Health England and Public Health Wales that the dormitory accommodation was not Covid-safe (up to 28 in a room at one point); did not give contractors time to prepare the…

The appalling conditions for asylum seekers housed at the Penally Camp and Napier barracks have been exposed in a damning report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration and the prisons…

Vaccination: it’s about health, not immigration

We welcome the government’s announcement that everyone in the UK is entitled to receive Covid-19 vaccination regardless of their immigration status. However, in order for everyone to come forward, including an estimated million undocumented migrants, they need to trust that the government will not use any information collected to take immigration enforcement action against undocumented migrants. The government must introduce a system that is completely independent, with the sole aim of protecting public health and saving all lives. People living in the UK without documents need to be assured that…

We welcome the government’s announcement that everyone in the UK is entitled to receive Covid-19 vaccination regardless of their immigration status. However, in order for everyone to come forward, including…

Undocumented migrants must have access to the vaccine too

While we welcome the rapid rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in the UK, we are concerned that there are many UK residents who have no idea if, when or how they will have access to the vaccine: they are undocumented migrants, who live and work among the rest of us, but who don’t have the same access to healthcare and may be too afraid to seek out the chance to be vaccinated. In the UK, the vaccine is being distributed based on information held by GP surgeries. Theoretically, every person…

While we welcome the rapid rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in the UK, we are concerned that there are many UK residents who have no idea if, when or…

The UK media has a lot to learn

In a society where two-thirds of migrants say that media and political discourse has an impact on their sense of belonging, it’s important that the media landscape is constantly scrutinised, including the question of who gets to speak. This becomes even more important during unprecedented situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic, when social inequalities – many of which disproportionately impact migrants – are exacerbated. Back in March 2020, as the first lockdown kicked in and we all sat glued to the news on our phones, we at Migrant Voice decided to…

In a society where two-thirds of migrants say that media and political discourse has an impact on their sense of belonging, it’s important that the media landscape is constantly scrutinised, including…

Shutting down the UK asylum system: the new immigration bill

Editorials