Asylum Matters

'Migrant workers like me aren't here to take, we just want stability' Writing for The Mirror, care worker Riffat Fahad says new migration laws are

"All I hope is that one day, the country I care for will look at us and care for us in return."

Riffat's incredibly powerful words express how many feel about appalling plans to rip up settlement rights. She, and refugees like her, must be listened to.

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

Asylum seekers attacked with eggs and threatened in city centre Perth and Kinross councillors slammed the incidents and reaffirmed the city was a 'welcoming, inclusive place for all'.

Horrific. This is what happens when national leaders continue to scapegoat and dehumanise people seeking sanctuary for political gain.
Real violence, real racism and real fear for real people in our communities.

Today's migration figures show that most people arriving on small boats are fleeing crisis & conflict in places like Sudan, Eritrea & Afghanistan.

Deterrence policies won't end people's need for safety. The government should focus on expanding safe routes & helping refugees to rebuild their lives.

Major thing most people get wrong about immigration - and why PM hasn't helped A report published today found that 56% of voters believe net migration rose last year - when in fact it halved - thanks to constant 'crisis messaging' about migration and asylum

Of course people over-estimate migration rates when politicians them as a crisis.
But until our leaders have the courage to focus on people, not numbers, no figure will ever be low enough for some.
It's the narrative, not the numbers, that must change.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Great to hear Rachel Reeves acknowledge that "there are many reasons why people choose to have children then find themselves in difficult times. The death of a partner. Separation. Ill health. A lost job. I don’t believe that children should bear the brunt of that."

So why should migrant children?

New asylum policies making homeless refugees “targets for the far right” Labour’s abrupt return to the 28-day move-on period is pushing vulnerable people into rough sleeping and exposing them to fraud and abuse.

Could you rebuild an entire life in 28 days? Open a bank account, get a job, find somewhere to rent?
It's an impossible task for most refugees, and it's leaving many people homeless and at risk.
Important piece by @theleaduk.bsky.social 👇

We're proud to partner with the wider sector in challenging this madness.

Volunteering must remain VOLUNTARY.

Read about our open letter to the Home Secretary 👉 www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

'Immoral new asylum plans will mean more children dying in the Channel' Louise Calvey, executive director of Asylum Matters, argues that Keir Starmer's decision to end refugee 'golden tickets' removes a vital safe route used by women and children

Most families will do anything to be together if they've been separated. No Government can change that.
The only choice the Government has is whether to give families a safe path to reuniting, or force children to risk their lives in the Channel.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Stealing refugees' jewellery won't make anyone's life better.
Deporting children won't make anyone's life better.
Making people wait 20 years to settle won't make anyone's life better.

If Government chooses hostility over helping communities, more division and racism are the only possible results.

Labour Peer Who Fled The Nazis Condemns His Party's Immigration Crackdown Lord Dubs said he was "lost for words".

If there's anyone the Government should be listening to on asylum policy, it's @alfdubs.bsky.social not Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour...

Leaving refugees in 20 years of limbo; ripping up human rights protections and stopping families from reuniting.

The Government isn't addressing hatred and division - it's giving in to extremists.

New anti-refugee laws put asylum rights under more threat than ever - Asylum Matters New asylum law changes announced by the Home Secretary put refugee rights at risk - here's what we know so far

Stripping possessions from people who've already lost their homes; forcing families apart; refusing refugees stability and denying support to people who are destitute.

Here's what we know so far about today's new raft of terrifying anti-refugee laws 👇

asylummatters.org/2025/11/17/n...

Helpful thread on the barrage of hostility being announced today. There's lots we don't know - but what we've heard so far is profoundly worrying.

This Govt has yet again failed to learn that performative cruelty neither reduces the number of people who need protection nor appeases those driven by hate. People fleeing for their lives need stability and security to rebuild, especially after being forced to leave behind everything they know.

“Under this Government, the fundamental principle of protection for refugees, put in place after the horrors of the Second World War, are now under more threat than they’ve ever been. “Just a week after the Prime Minister expressed fears about racist rhetoric tearing Britain apart, his Government is proposing radical anti-refugee laws that can only be an attempt to placate extremists. “Most Brits, whatever their concerns about the asylum system, don’t want survivors of war or torture to be left in limbo for 20 years, unable to settle or integrate, facing threats to be sent back to the countries they fled every two years. After slamming shut one of the last remaining safe and regularised routes by suspending family reunification - these plans now further punish those who flee here irregularly, despite this often being the only means available.

Today's asylum reforms put the basic principle of refugee protection under threat.

They won't stop irregular migration. But they would make us a country that has given in to extremists and abandoned vital protection principles set up after the horrors of the Second World War.

The numbers that prove the one-in, one-out migrant policy isn't working Limiting asylum seekers arriving in the UK on small boats is a key issue for the Government

There's a far more important number. It's missing because the Government refuses to record it.

How many people have died in the Channel trying to reach safety since this failed policy was launched.

1-in-1-out will never stop dangerous journeys, because it doesn't create a real, safe alternative.

Banning people from work has never made sense. The House of Lords couldn't understand it, and we don't either.

The Government is prepping asylum reforms RIGHT NOW. They must hear voters want an end to this absurd ban - not more irrational hostility:

📣 bit.ly/LTB-act

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

People from all over the world give so much time & skill to the UK already. People seeking asylum, particularly, already volunteer a huge amount while banned from paid work.

Enforcing volunteering to 'earn' settled status is both immoral & impractical.

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

It’s been 100 days since the UK-France deal came into force. Every day, our Casework Team sees the serious harm it’s causing to people seeking asylum. Beyond the government's failures, detention harms people — even more so for those fleeing war, torture and persecution.

Fury as asylum seekers fleeing war zones housed near police firearms test site The government plans to house asylum seekers at a military training camp in East Sussex - but campaigners fear its proximity to a police firearms test centre could be re-traumatising

This is cruelty by design.

Military barracks are not safe or appropriate for people who have survived violence & persecution. Housing refugees in camps next to sounds of shooting and dogs is shamefully reckless. #CloseTheCamps

@asylummatters.bsky.social @care4calais.org @refugeeaction.bsky.social 

‼️ Most people seeking safety in the UK are banned from working.

This traps people in poverty, long periods of inactivity, and wastes their skills.

This policy is nonsensical.

Tell the Government to #LiftTheBan now: lifttheban.co.uk/email-the-ne... @asylummatters.bsky.social

And when you've done that, follow @4refugeewomen.bsky.social, who conducted this research, for more on how our asylum system harms women - and how to build a system where women can rebuild their lives on their own terms.

Guardian newspaper headline reads "Work ban forcing 10% of UK female asylum seekers into sex work"

There are so many reasons the work ban has to end - and this is one of the most important ones.

The good news is, pressure to end this unjust and illogical ban is building. Add your voice now, and tell the Government it's time to let people work:

bit.ly/LTB-act

Fury as asylum seekers fleeing war zones housed near police firearms test site The government plans to house asylum seekers at a military training camp in East Sussex - but campaigners fear its proximity to a police firearms test centre could be re-traumatising

Everyone deserves to be housed in a community, not a camp, and the sound of gunfire and explosions are just one of the many ways that accommodation at Crowborough is utterly unsuitable for people seeking sanctuary.

#CommunitiesNotCamps

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

Fury as asylum seekers fleeing war zones housed near police firearms test site The government plans to house asylum seekers at a military training camp in East Sussex - but campaigners fear its proximity to a police firearms test centre could be re-traumatising

For £23 a night, people can live in a community home where they can start rebuilding their lives. Or for £123 a night, they can share barrack rooms with strangers & endure traumatic reminders of war.
It shouldn't be a difficult choice.
#CommunitiesNotCamps
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

Graphic reads "people seeking asylum are ... [followed by a long list of professions]... talented, resilient people banned from work"

People seeking sanctuary come from all walks of life - and have so many different skills. Banning them from working makes no sense.

Tell the Government to Lift The Ban NOW: bit.ly/LTB-act

#LiftTheBan

The 200 areas where Home Office payments to asylum seekers to leave hotels won't work The Home Office is considering offering migrants £100 a week to leave asylum hotels

Or... you could just LET PEOPLE WORK!!! 🙄

#LiftTheBan

inews.co.uk/news/200-are...

The Government recently announced that hundreds of people seeking asylum will be moved to military sites as they aim to end the use of hotels.

🧵1/6

Letting people work is one of the most obvious ways to transform asylum in the UK.

All parties must see that letting people pay tax and start rebuilding their lives as soon as possible just makes sense.

Agree? Tell the Asylum Minister to #LiftTheBan now:
bit.ly/LTB-act

UK to announce plans to emulate stringent Danish immigration system Shabana Mahmood’s proposals draw scorn from some Labour MPs, while others want government to go further

According to a major study, Denmark has the worst family reunion policy among 54 other countries. What kind of example is this?

The UK government should be learning how to treat people seeking safety with compassion, not how to make their lives even harder.

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