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The Independent ran a story last week about the length of time that people who appeal Home Office immigration decisions have to wait. Average waiting times, data shows, have increased dramatically – by 45% – over the last year.  In 2016, an appeal took on average 31 weeks. The process now takes a year (52 […]

A couple and their two daughters, who fled the Syrian conflict in 2012, were evicted from their privately rented residence in Enfield two weeks ago, the Independent reports. They have been refused housing support because they were judged “resilient enough” to face homelessness. Muhamed and Rouzeh Shouesh – trained as an engineer and a solicitor,

Last week, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) released a report reviewing the “Right to Rent” scheme.  Right to Rent is part of the panoply of measures introduced by the government to create a “hostile environment” for migrants in the UK. Its aim is to prevent undocumented migrants from accessing rented accommodation

Marks and Spencer faced calls from anti-racist campaign groups at their recent Wembley Stadium AGM to stop advertising in the Daily Mail. Shareholders were handed copies of an open letter by protesters as they went in to the meeting. Company Directors also heard directly from shareholders inside the meeting.  A mobile billboard drove to various

The government’s false promise of a 12-month immigration amnesty to people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire will leave undocumented survivors unable to access the care and support they urgently need, Liberty has warned. The human rights charity highlights key problems with the policy, including: The 12-month amnesty is at best a feeble attempt at

Long-established methods of irregular migration have become increasingly stigmatized, traveling clandestinely being perceived as an inherently — and uniquely — criminal activity, says new research from the Centre for Migration Studies. The dominate characterisation of smugglers as predators and migrants and asylum seekers as victims has often obscured the perspectives of those who rely on

A new European Social Survey (ESS) report finds that, whilst Europeans have become slightly more favourable towards migrants from the same racial or ethnic group, they have become less positive about migrants from poorer countries outside Europe. Key findings Of the 19 countries where data was also collected in 2002/03, only Austrians and those from

The cost of applying for citizenship in the UK is too high, unfair, and risks undoing the work of integration, General Synod was told at the annual gathering of the Church of England’s top decision-making body. The Synod debate highlighted the issues faced by those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK who face

Refugee Action has launched a campaign report Slipping Through the Cracks: how Britain’s asylum system fails the most vulnerable. Analysing 315 cases of people applying for section 98 and section 95 support over the past year, the charity concludes that appalling Home Office failures are leaving people homeless and hungry. The study of these files from