BIRCH Network

Home Secretary opens consultation on "earned settlement" - Free Movement The consultation document is called “A Fairer Pathway to Settlement: A statement and accompanying consultation on earned settlement”. The consultation is open

The government have revealed their plans for so-called "earned settlement". Their proposal is of a labyrinthine and draconian system that doubles, triples or quadruples routes to settlement, and embeds discrimination. We must stand against these plans.

freemovement.org.uk/home-secreta...

Home Secretary announces major asylum and other changes in new policy paper: "Restoring Order and Control" - Free Movement Following a plethora of media briefings and coverage over the past few days, the Home Secretary has officially published her policy paper on "Restoring Order

This is an excellent summary of this week's UK asylum announcements from Free Movement. freemovement.org.uk/home-secreta...

Up to 50,000 nurses could quit UK over immigration plans, survey suggests Exclusive: union leaders say proposed changes are immoral and could threaten patient safety if there is staff exodus

🚨Making it harder for migrants to settle in the UK is yet another act of economic vandalism🚨

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Biggest overhaul of legal migration model in 50 years announced Illegal migrants and arrivals reliant on benefits face waiting between 20 and 30 years to settle – the toughest in Europe.

I’m yet to digest the full detail of these proposals to make it harder for people to settle permanently, but they’re entirely an answer to a question dreamt up by the far right, as a proxy for objecting to all migration, and they should be approached in that spirit and no other

Asylum is not illegal migration – why the UK government shouldn’t conflate the two The new proposals transform settlement into something that must be continually earned. The path has become longer, more conditional and far more easily disrupted.

Asylum is not "illegal migration"
Let's start from here theconversation.com/asylum-is-no...

“They went for pensioners, they went for the disabled, and now they’re going for people fleeing war and conflict. I am furious — this government should hang their heads in shame.”

Zack Polanski on Labour’s new immigration reforms on Newsnight.

🤬🤬🤬
The below is from the government's new asylum policy statement.
The language they use to demonise and dehumanise refugees is disgusting. Any MP supporting this needs to think long and hard about the sort of country they want the UK to be.
Say it loud, say it proud, refugees are welcome here.

Shabana Mahmood puts the signs up: Britain is full. No blacks, no dogs, no Irish We had always given sanctuary to those who needed it, she said, only now we would kick them out as soon as possible

Shabana Mahmood puts the signs up: Britain is full. No blacks, no dogs, no Irish

UK charities condemn ‘immoral’ plans to force asylum seekers to volunteer Making volunteering compulsory for refugees slammed as exploitative, bureaucratic and un-British

We stand with 300+ charities who are rejecting the Home Secretaries proposals to make volunteering a condition of leave to remain in the UK for migrants and refugees.

Volunteering must stay voluntary.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Starmer braced for backlash from Labour MPs as Mahmood sets out asylum plans – UK politics live Home secretary to announce a drastic tightening of rules, including requiring asylum seekers to wait 20 years before getting the right to permanently settle in UK

Today, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood prepares to announce the latest attack on refugee rights in the UK.

A host of hostile policy changes have already been announced. We don’t yet have the full details, but we’ll keep you updated as more becomes clear.

⬇️Here’s what we know + think so far:

What can MPs do to help their constituents in immigration and asylum cases? - Free Movement I’ve worked in the busy constituency office of an MP for the last decade and I carry out the immigration and asylum casework for them. I thought it would be

New from Free Movement: What can MPs do to help their constituents in immigration and asylum cases? | Anonymous

This trustee week we are saying a huge thank you to our team of dedicated trustees.

We want to recognise their contribution and thank them for this valuable contribution and for helping us to continue with our essential work.

New commentary and report highlight persistent human rights violations against Afghans associated with the former government and international forces - Free Movement Today, Asylos has published new commentary on the UK Home Office’s Country Policy and Information Note: Fear of the Taliban. The commentary focuses on the

New from FM: New commentary and report highlight persistent human rights violations against Afghans associated with the former government and international forces | Emily Wilbourn

Concerns raised over planned second removal of Iranian who returned to UK on small boat Exclusive: Lawyers tell Home Office about health issues of man who says smuggling gangs make it too dangerous for him to go back to France

Based on timeframes, chances proper assessment of risks to health and being trafficked being carried out with the "one in one out policy" are next to zero. Home Sec has already spoken about weakening modern slavery protections to facilitate this inhumane policy.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Refugee families in the UK must have a safe route to reunite with a lost child Lord Dubs' amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill would address the heartbreaking choices faced by parents separated from th...

Two months after the Government paused refugee family reunion, Lord Kerr has written for @politicshome.bsky.social about an amendment led by @alfdubs.bsky.social seeking to ensure that refugee children can continue to be reunited with family members in the UK www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

#TalkAboutSudan:

"Children are not spared. Elderly people are not spared. Women are not spared.”

The crisis in #Sudan is catastrophic.

Watch as Michael Lawson, Humanitarian Representative to #Canada, updates Parliament. #cdnpoli

UK registered social workers & SW students.. Want to stand in social work solidarity with people impacted by borders?

We are holding an online info session about volunteering THIS SATURDAY 10-11:30am. We'd love to see you there!

Find out more & register: socialworkerswithoutborders.org/917-2/

Headline from the Mirror newspaper reads "refugee and migrant groups join with hundreds to warn again 'politics of division'

When irresponsible politicians try to divide our communities, what do we do? We speak up, we stand together, we stay strong.

We are, and always will be, an island of solidarity, not of strangers.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

I'm speaking as part of this online event on November 12 organised by the NYU Migration Network, focused on global questions around migration, detention & deportation. Anyone can join & here is the link to register: nyu.zoom.us/meeting/regi... @nyukevo.bsky.social

Asylum housing: Changing the conversation | Freedom from Torture A guide on talking about refugees and torture survivors in asylum accommodation

🏠 Everyone needs somewhere safe to call home.

But asylum accommodation is failing people seeking safety and causing huge harm.

All while private contractors make MILLIONS in profit.

Read more in this vital report by @freedomfromtorture.bsky.social

stories.freedomfromtorture.org/changing-the...

Farage’s plan to scrap ILR would be blocked in the courts, lawyers say Exclusive: Tory former solicitor general and justice secretary warns plan ‘runs counter to our British values’

“People have the right to depend upon the law and not changing that substantially retrospectively. It undermines the basic rule of law if you can change the law at any time and apply it retrospectively.” Bethan Lant, lawyer at Praxis

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Why housing asylum seekers in military camps is an expensive mistake Julia Savage, campaigns manager at Asylum Matters, writes about why housing asylum seekers in military barracks is wrong.

Human being belong in communities, not camps. And our Government knows it. They said they'd shut the camps and stop wasting millions making people seeking sanctuary suffer - so why are they bringing this failed plan back now?

"The UK's upfront immigration costs now vastly exceed other leading research nations, so the UK is struggling to compete. EU countries can more easily attract talent from the EU due to free movement, and from non-EU countries due to their relatively low visa costs. "Non-EU countries are also attractive to global research talent due to lower comparative immigration costs than the UK." British scientific institutions are having to spend huge sums on visa costs for cancer professionals they wish to attract and recruit. The Francis Crick Institute, one of the world's leading biomedical research centres, is now spending more than £500,000 a year on visas for cancer scientists. Cancer Research UK institutes are spending almost £690,000 a year, up 44% from £470,000 in 2022-23.

Another report on how our high visa costs deter top R&D talent
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Age assessments: what happens when a child arrives in the UK?  - Free Movement The Home Office does not publish statistics regarding children who are wrongly assessed as adults on arrival nor regarding the number of initial age

New from FM: Age assessments: what happens when a child arrives in the UK? | Francesca Sella

Text graphic reads "£1.6bn the amount the Government could boost the UK's GDP by if it lifted the ban on work for people seeking asylum - National Institute for economic and social research"

Your regular reminder that we all miss out on £1.6bn a year to our economy, just so our Government can keep cruelly denying people the right to work while they wait for the results of their asylum application.

Think that's ridiculous? Join us at: lifttheban.co.uk/

Interested to write messages of solidarity to ppl in immigration detention? Join @sdvisitors.bsky.social Justice & Peace Scotland, Glasgow Solidarity Stall -18 Oct (The National Day of Solidarity to End Immigration Detention)
tickettailor.com/events/scott...
#nooneisillegal #thesewallsmustfall

@loucalvey.bsky.social @diane-writer10.bsky.social @zoejardiniere.bsky.social @jcwi-uk.bsky.social @refugeeaction.bsky.social @brumschofsanctuary.bsky.social

@rainbowmigration.bsky.social @africanrainbowfam.bsky.social @humansforrights.bsky.social @right-to-remain.bsky.social @bvscbirmingham.bsky.social @microrainbow.org @restoreuk.bsky.social @storiesofhome.bsky.social @refugeestogether.bsky.social @asylummatters.bsky.social

📢📢Job in refugee sector📢📢

Our friends at Journey LGBT+ Asylum Group are recruiting for their first paid post - a Member Coordinator to support their members and volunteers. Find out more here: journeylgbtasylumgroup.co.uk/current-vaca...

Please share widely!

People seeking asylum are given only seven days to challenge their removal to France. Predictably, the system in place to provide legal support for people in detention is failing. Some are unable to obtain legal representation and end up missing crucial deadlines.