Cynthia Orchard

'Manufactured panic': Immigration not near top of most people's concerns, poll suggests The cost of living, health, crime, and housing are much higher on people's lists of personal worries, a YouGov survey has suggested.

Migration makes for political deflection and migrants an easy scapegoat, but most "concerns" around immigration are flat out false and driven by hostile rhetoric.
Reality is, on a day to day basis, people are more worried about how they'll get through to the next payday.
news.sky.com/story/manufa...

Dependants of Gaza students can come to UK, government says - BBC News The decision is a reversal of the original policy which only supported the evacuation of the students themselves.

Dependants of Gaza students can come to UK, government says - BBC News share.google/t80nEhE0ny44...

Share your views on a Tory MP’s proposal to deport large numbers of legally settled UK immigrants We’d like to hear from people who may be affected by the policy proposal of Katie Lam MP to revoke the right to remain from many legally settled immigrants in Britain

Share your views on a Tory MP’s proposal to deport large numbers of legally settled UK immigrants | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian share.google/MXRiscppRri7...

Use your country expertise to help inform asylum decisions - Train as an expert witness for asylum cases - Register now for our next session on 5 December 2025.

Early bird rates available until 6 November - register here: rli.sas.ac.uk/study-us/sho...

#ExpertWitness #RefugeeLaw #AsylumClaims

ICJ orders Israel to allow aid into Gaza and says restrictions breached international obligations UN’s top court also finds Israel failed to justify blocking Unrwa and other relief agencies

ICJ orders Israel to allow aid into Gaza and says restrictions breached international obligations | The Guardian

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

UK Hongkongers rue the rockiness of their ‘lifeboat’ after threatened visa changes People who fled Chinese territory are angry after London looks at doubling length of time required to gain citizenship

You may have heard about UK ministers' plan to double to 10 years the time needed to reached settled status in the UK. But did you realise that it threatened access to pensions for the 180,000 people who came from Hong Kong on the UK government's visa scheme? My dispatch: www.ft.com/content/8b91...

New on the #RLI podcast:

'Fit for the future? Climate change, global crises and the capacity of refugee law' which was part of the ⁠16th International Refugee Law Seminar Series: The Future of Refugee Law⁠.

Listen here:
rli.sas.ac.uk/podcasts/fit...

#ClimateChange #RefugeeLaw #Podcast

Stronger protection needed for human rights defenders in exile, participants say at ODIHR event

#WarsawHDC ⬇️ buff.ly/1o446FY

Vacancies - SLRA For all roles, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals, and those who are migrants or refugees, and who have lived experience of the hostil...

Excellent opportunity for the right person: CEO of South London Refugee Association - apply by 9 November. www.slr-a.org.uk/get-involved...

Movie on hate and healing in focus of Roma and Sinti event in Warsaw The film That Boy, screened today at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, follows the journey of Toby, a former Roma refugee, and Mirek, a former neo-Nazi, as they confront the roots of hate and…

Movie on hate and healing in focus of Roma and Sinti event in Warsaw

#WarsawHDC ⬇️ buff.ly/JtiMRcg

Gaza PhD student ‘heartbroken’ as family blocked from entering the UK Manar al-Houbi’s husband and children refused entry despite her winning a scholarship to cover tuition fees, living costs and housing for them all

Gaza PhD student ‘heartbroken’ as family blocked from entering the UK www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook by Mark Bray Booksplease | Millions of books

This is his book

booksplea.se/antifa-the-a...

Interesting article:

"Asylum Interviews in the UK:
The Problem of Evidence and the Possibility of Applied Anthropology"

in Social Anthropology/Anthropologie sociale

By @judithbeyer.bsky.social

www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journal...

Jewish and Palestinian people gather in London for peace - BBC News People join together in central London each month to share their hopes for peace.

Nice to see this example of Jewish and Palestinian people gathering in London for peace - BBC News share.google/Oh4aMmKU9cus...

Register now for our next seminar:

Funding crisis, UN reform and the future of humanitarian work, 6 November, 6pm-7pm, Bloomsbury Room, G35, Ground Floor, Senate House

rli.sas.ac.uk/events/fundi...

#Funding #FundingCrisis #UN80 #IOM #UNHCR #Displacement #Refugees #IDPs #InternallyDisplacedPeople

Asylum hotel provider makes £180m profit despite claims of inedible food and rationed loo paper Asylum seekers and charities tell BBC of

You should be angry at private companies making massive profits from our taxes to house the most desperate people in appalling conditions... And NOT the people forced to live in them.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

📄 @enstatelessness.bsky.social new briefing highlights issues for #stateless #Palestinians in the UK, including family reunification, detention & expulsion. It is designed to support lawyers & advocates working to uphold the #RightToNationality👉https://tinyurl.com/wktnjka2

The Agreement Between the UK and France on the Prevention of Dangerous Journeys [Eric Fripp is a Barrister at 36 Public & Human Rights, part of the 36 Group, Gray’s Inn, London and Senior Visiting Fellow for the Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, University …

Helpful summary and analysis of the UK's 1-in-1-out deal with France, by Eric Fripp.

opiniojuris.org/2025/10/03/t...

Briefing: is the modern slavery identification system in the UK being misused? - Free Movement The Home Secretary has claimed (as have many of the last several of them) that the modern slavery identification process is "being misused" and has used this

From last week: Briefing: is the modern slavery identification system in the UK being misused? | Sonia Lenegan

Kenyans win case to prove UK soldiers are their fathers - BBC News Commercially available DNA databases were used to identify unknown fathers, who had served in Kenya.

Kenyans win case to prove UK soldiers are their fathers - BBC News share.google/WhWtfFSsk9LG...

Black History Month 2025 Film Screening - We Were Here: The Untold Story of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe. Directed by Fred Kuwornu.

The University of London is hosting various events to honour Black history month.

8 October: Film Screening - We Were Here: The Untold Story of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe: ials.sas.ac.uk/events/black...

More info here: www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/sect...

Structural displacement and enforced immobility: Palestinian refugee history in Gaza since 1948

University of London Institute of Historical Research event: 28 October, 5.30pm: 'Structural displacement and enforced immobility: Palestinian refugee history in Gaza since 1948'

www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

WEBINAR Protecting the rights of stateless Palestinians in the UK

📢 Register now for a @enstatelessness.bsky.social webinar (Thurs 23 Oct, 12:00 UK) on protecting the rights of #stateless #Palestinians in the UK. The session marks the launch of a new legal briefing and will share key findings. Register here👉 tinyurl.com/ydu3k9ph

“My father used to say, when someone has citizenship, it opens thousands of doors....”

In our latest guest blog, @cynthiaorchard.bsky.social presents a report which encourages OSCE-participating States to take action to prevent childhood statelessness.

Read more: buff.ly/qQHtprf

The report, 'Opening Doors for Children: Prevention of Childhood Statelessness - Good Practices in the OSCE Area', was prepared in collaboration with colleagues at @odihr.pl and High Commissioner for National Minorities (HCNM), and the Office of @unhcr.org.

#Statelessness

On a dark yellow background, white text reads: "For Palestinians, the stakes are existential: to be recognised not as a problem to be managed but as a people entitled to dignity and a future. - We interviewed our Community Advisory Board who helped develop our new legal briefing on the rights of stateless Palestinians." On the lower right of the image, there are two hands in the air with a Palestine flag painted on them.

In our latest interview, we spoke to one of our Community Advisory Board members, who provided guidance and feedback on our new legal briefing on Palestinians' right to protection in the UK.

Read more: buff.ly/B6RZ3Qu

#Statelessness #Palestinians #HumanRights #Interview

My recent blog article about how we can work to prevent childhood statelessness....

Register NOW for the RLI's 2026 #ResearchMethods in the Refugee and #ForcedMigration Field short course running from from 2-6 March 2026 at Senate House, University of London.

Visit our website to learn more and to hear what students have said about this course: rli.sas.ac.uk/study-us/sho...

When people are asked about what impacts their daily lives, the cost of living and the NHS eclipse immigration. Sadly... (64%) feel they can’t afford essentials and save for a rainy day, or enjoy a few luxuries.

... 79% of people want more funding for the NHS instead of an insurance-style system.