Asylum Aid

Charities take Home Office to court over ‘prison-like’ overcrowded migrant hotels Government accused of forcing trafficking and torture survivors to share rooms with strangers in case that comes as it faces growing criticism over sweeping plans to overhaul UK’s asylum system

🚨 Today we’re in court challenging changes to the Home Office’s 'Allocation of Asylum Accommodation' policy which force more trafficking & torture survivors to share rooms with strangers. These were introduced with no consultation or warning. 🧵

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

New government measures won’t deter people fleeing danger but they WILL cause significant harm. Forcing refugees into decades of limbo, tearing families apart & restricting support in the name of 'deterrence' will only worsen mental health and leave people at risk.

asylumaid.org.uk/resources/ne...

All in the Mind - Asylum hotels and mental health - BBC Sounds Claudia discusses the evidence for the mental health impact of living in an asylum hotel.

"I was isolated and it was very re-traumatising..."

Our client speaks to @claudiahammond.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4's All in the Mind about his experience of being placed in an asylum hotel & the harmful impact it had on his mental health.

📻 Listen in!

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Rule changes from 11 November to affect family members of stateless people - Free Movement Until 10 November 2025, family members of sponsors who hold leave as a stateless person can continue to apply for family reunion under archived part 14 of the

In case you missed it: Rule changes from 11 November to affect family members of stateless people | Djamilla Hitchins

Legal advice is vital for survivors to navigate complex asylum systems. But many are unable to access it.

Ambassadors for Change, a group of campaigners with experience of the UK asylum system, write about the barriers in getting free, quality legal advice 👇

www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...

Migrant Help to provide training to staff after admitting trafficking policy breach - Free Movement Migrant Help, one of the main subcontractors responsible for providing trafficking support to victims under the modern slavery victim care contract, has

Latest post from us: Migrant Help to provide training to staff after admitting trafficking policy breach | Monika Glowacka

Hundreds of asylum seekers to be moved to two UK military sites Barracks in Inverness and East Sussex will house about 900 men as government aims to end use of hotels

Yesterday, a parliamentary committee report warned that housing people seeking asylum in large sites is harmful.

The response?

Today, the government announced plans to accommodate hundreds in two ex-military sites.

This is cruel & inhumane.

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

"It is unacceptable that significant amounts of taxpayers’ money is being used to house often vulnerable people in sub-standard accommodation."

This is YET another warning that asylum accommodation is harmful & eye-wateringly expensive. Here's what the Home Affairs Committee report found🧵

⏰ One week before the deadline! ⏰

Applications are open for the next cohort of Compass: The Asylum Aid Advisor Development Programme. This free programme offers 5 IAA Level 2 trainees in-depth training, shadowing opportunities, supervision & a peer support network. 👇

Refugee family reunion saves lives. Last year, over half of those reunited were children fleeing dangerous situations & joining their parents.

But the suspension of family reunion until next spring & plans to tighten rules afterwards could turn temporary separation into permanent loss for many. 1/3

"You are not the same person after you experience torture."

Ambassadors for Change, a group of survivors of torture, trafficking & persecution, share their experiences & recommendations for better systems with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture 👇

helenbamber.org/resources/re...

On #AntiSlaveryDay, let's remember that thousands of confirmed trafficking victims are still being left at risk.

In 2024, only 4% were granted permission to stay in the UK, leaving 96% facing poverty & possible re-exploitation.

Read our latest blog for more ⬇️
www.helenbamber.org/resources/la...

REMINDER: Asylum hotels are NOT places of luxury. They are often dilapidated, squalid & overcrowded. Being forced to live there for months (even years) causes profound harm to people.

Those seeking safety in the UK must be housed in communities where they can rebuild their lives with dignity. 👇📽️

Applications are now open for the next cohort of Compass: The Asylum Aid Advisor Development Programme!

This free programme offers 5 IAA Level 2 trainees in-depth training, shadowing opportunities, supervision & a peer support network.

Find out how to apply here: asylumaid.org.uk/what-we-do/c...

Scrap policy that gives refugees with leave to remain 28 days to find housing, say UK groups Halving time asylum seekers have to leave Home Office accommodation will make thousands homeless at time when ‘racist sentiment’ is on the rise

With 63 other expert orgs, we’ve written to the government to strongly oppose the reduction in the length of time newly-recognised refugees get to move on from asylum accommodation. This could leave thousands more refugees destitute & on the streets this winter.

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

We cannot stress enough how harmful asylum hotels are — contrary to the perception that they are 'luxurious'. They must be closed urgently but not be replaced with crumbling, overcrowded & isolated large sites. 

Thanks @benchu.bsky.social for dispelling the myths around asylum hotels 👇

We have been witnessing the fear, sadness & disappointment among the people we support over the last few weeks.

The horrific attacks on asylum hotels are a direct outcome of the constant scapegoating of people seeking safety in our politics & the media. This must stop immediately.

Our response 👇

📢 New vacancy: We're looking for a Legal Administrator and Training Programme Coordinator to provide vital casework support, manage files and administration for our teams and training programmes.

📍 Based in London
📅 Deadline: 5pm, 27th August

We’d love to hear from you. 👉 ow.ly/m6az50WISzR

UK plans to use AI to determine ages of child asylum seekers | The National Britain wants to use technology as 'cost-effective' fix for problems in asylum system

The plans to use facial recognition technology to assess the age of children seeking asylum are concerning, unless significant safeguards are put in place.

Replacing poor human decision making with inaccurate AI will not prevent children being put at risk.

www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2025...

Thousands of families with children arrive in the UK every year to seek protection. But they are pushed into extreme poverty by the Home Office.

Two months ago, the government froze the rates of financial support given to people seeking asylum.

This has a devastating impact on children. 🧵

‘Every human being deserves dignity’: asylum seeker in Essex hotel calls for understanding Man housed at hotel targeted in protests writes letter urging people not to resort to harmful stereotypes

"I did not come here seeking wealth or running from poverty. In fact, I had a stable life back in my country, Yemen.

"What forced me to leave was not economic hardship, but persecution and fear for my safety and the safety of my family."

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

Many survivors stay silent due to trauma, stigma & fear of retaliation. We must build trust, create safe reporting channels & remove barriers so they can seek help without fear.

On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we call for systems that protect & support survivors.

#EndHumanTrafficking

❓Did you know that hundreds of thousands of people are forced to wait over 10 years for the right to permanently settle in the place they already call home?

And it’s about to get worse. 🧵

🚨 We welcome the government's decision to scrap 'scientific methods' of assessing age of children seeking asylum. X-raying children to decide their age is inaccurate, expensive & potentially harmful.

But we remain concerned about the Home Office’s use of visual assessments & plans to use AI. 🧵👇

🚨 Thousands of trafficking survivors continue to be denied permission to stay in the UK despite their critical need for safety and support — a new report by @helenbamber.bsky.social, ATLEU & @ecpatuk.bsky.social reveals.

Instead survivors are left in fear and at risk of further exploitation. 🧵1/3

🎧 Second episode of Lawmanity podcast featuring our Executive Director Alison Pickup just dropped! 📻

Listen in to this insightful conversation on securing justice for people seeking asylum and some career advice for aspiring human rights lawyers 👇

🚨 For the third year in a row, our data shows that HUNDREDS of child refugees, who come to the UK alone, are continuing to be incorrectly treated as adults after a visual assessment of age at the border.

They are placed with strangers in adult accommodation & even adult prisons. 1/2

📻 Our Executive Director Alison Pickup speaks on Lawmanity podcast about Asylum Aid's vital role in successfully challenging the Conservative government's Rwanda plan.

Want to know more about went behind this critical legal challenge?

Listen in! 🎧 pnc.st/s/lawmanity

On #WorldRefugeeDay today, we celebrate the friendships, solidarity & joy among our clients, who attend our community groups every fortnight. They bond over shared experiences & fun activities & often inspire us with some extraordinary talent. 🌿🥗🎼🎨🧶

#RefugeeWeek 🧡

Remove decisions on lone child asylum seekers from Home Office, report says Call for root-and-branch reform of treatment of children, many of whom are wrongly classified as adults

🚨 We found that, in the first half of 2024, over HALF of young people seeking asylum were initially assessed as adults by the Home Office but found to be children after being referred to local authorities – at least 262 children.

This cannot continue. 1/2

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