Home Secretary’s announcement that asylum support would be revoked for those who “have the ability to support themselves” risks pushing people who simply cannot work towards homelessness, poverty & losing access to legal aid.
Our response: www.helenbamber.org/resources/la...
Some in Government insist that modern slavery claims are being used to get in the way of deportation attempts.
This narrative misses that in fact, claims of experiencing modern slavery are met with huge barriers in immigration detention.
Text on a textured background reads: "A 30-month stay is not a life, it is a countdown. After 12 years in limbo, my family deserves a decision, not another temporary permit. My children grew up here. We are a part of this community, and it is time the law recognized our right to a stable future." - Bsmah, Ras Voice campaigner. The text is enclosed in a green outline.
Text on a dark textured background reads: "We flee wars created by men only to face a new battle: a thousand questions. In the search for protection, misfortune is met with suspicion instead of sanctuary." Below, it credits Anusha - Ras Voice campaigner. The text is enclosed in a light green rectangular border.
Text on a dark textured background with a bright green border. Quote reads: "It is a vicious cycle: The UK foreign policy contributes to push factors that force people to flee, yet we respond with draconian measures like the 30-month stay." Attributed to Yanick M - Ras Voice campaigner.
The image features a quote on a dark, textured background with a green border. The text reads: "Our lives should be defined by our human rights, not by 30-month countdowns. Safety is not a temporary luxury. It is a fundamental necessity for survival." It is attributed to Rene, a Ras Voice campaigner.
The policies that are made in the grand building of parliament impact real people all around the country.
Yanick, Rene, Anusha and Bsmah have all experienced the asylum system first hand. They are members of our community. They campaign for justice. And we share their outrage.
Our research shows that refugees & trafficking survivors who face constant threats to their immigration status experience worsening anxiety, depression & PTSD. Extending the wait for long-term protection will deepen trauma, increase destitution & delay recovery.
www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...
This cruel change, which deliberately keeps people’s lives in limbo, will not deter men, women, children & families fleeing war, conflict & persecution from seeking protection in the UK.
What it WILL do is trap people in a constant state of instability & profoundly harm their mental health.
Amir was left homeless after being wrongly assessed as an adult following flawed age assessment. In a legal first, we supported Amir to win compensation from the local authority for the harm the assessment caused him.
Read article written by our Policy & Campaigns team here
Thank you @rcpsych.bsky.social for inviting our Medical & Research Director and Housing & Welfare Manager to speak at the Faculty of General Adult Psychiatry Winter Conference yesterday about the barriers impacting survivors’ ability to access essential services.
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/events/confe...
Refugees experience profound psychological distress when separated from their families, many of whom remain in active conflict zones. Family reunion can be a matter of life or death.
We're representing @safepassageintl.bsky.social in this vital legal challenge.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
From yesterday: New report calls for overhaul of flawed age assessment process for unaccompanied children | Jasmine Quiller-Doust
The conversation about housing is all wrong.
For decades, governments haven’t built enough social homes. People are struggling. Yet refugees get blamed.
Our new video flips the narrative and focuses on the real issue.
Watch it. Share it. Let’s change the conversation.
We've repeatedly warned that hundreds of children seeking asylum in the UK are wrongly treated as adults, denying them the support & protection they need.
Flawed Home Office decisions put them at significant risk & harm their mental health. This MUST change.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
The proposed Earned Settlement framework is cruel and divisive. We urge the government to scrap the retrospective application of these proposals.
Read our response here: www.atleu.org.uk/cases-news/e...
#EarnedSettlement #ProtectSurvivors #EndTrafficking
Another harrowing reminder of why asylum hotels are not suitable for anyone.
Community accommodation is safer, more dignified and far, far cheaper than either hotels or military camps. Everyone deserves a real home in a community.
inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
We're deeply concerned about the UK government's proposed changes to settlement. These plans are incompatible with the UK’s international obligations and would push migrants, refugees and stateless people towards insecurity, poverty and exclusion. 👇
Tying protection to narrow definitions of ‘worthiness’ or ‘productivity’ ignores the lived realities of people seeking safety in the UK and undermines our moral and legal obligations to protect those who have fled for their lives.
Read more here: www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...
We support many survivors who cannot work due to mental or physical health conditions caused by violence they have endured. Even when they start work, trauma often prevents them from continuing, and we regularly help them apply for disability and health-related benefits.
The proposed ‘earned settlement’ model links permanent protection to factors like English proficiency, stable employment & not claiming benefits.
Yet, the government’s own asylum reforms make these requirements harder to meet.
The government’s plan to make refugees ‘earn’ protection by proving their ‘contribution to society’ makes their safety and stability in the UK dependent on their economic ‘worthiness.’
These are men, women, children & families who have fled conflict, torture, trafficking & extreme violence. 🧵
Children need their families. Refugee children are no different.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Refugee homelessness has risen 400% in just four years.
Instead of fixing the crisis, the government is cutting support for people seeking asylum and refugees, leaving more people on the streets.
Safe housing is a human right & the Home Office is failing to protect it.
We have supported at least three clients whose children died, in some cases mere days, before they were able to be reunited.
For children experiencing war, conflict & persecution, refugee family reunion visa can be a matter of life and death.
Read more here: www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...
Labour peer @alfdubs.bsky.social is right to call for the restoration of family reunion rights so that children in need of protection can reach the UK.
In the year ending June 2025, 93% of family reunion visas went to women & children, over half to children.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
What is particularly concerning about detention under the UK–France scheme is the combination of harms
1/
What we need is free bus travel in London so people seeking asylum can access support services, integrate into communities & improve their wellbeing. It would reduce pressure on health services & give people the independence & dignity they are often denied. 3/3
www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...
The Home Secretary says that she will "stop at nothing to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain."
It's insulting to suggest people fleeing war, conflict and persecution are just looking for a taxi to the doctor. 2/3
This performative hostility helps no one. In our experience, people seeking asylum rarely use taxis for medical appointments & the £6 a week they receive for travel is entirely insufficient to access medical care, food & education. 1/3
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Rather than focusing on creating integrated communities in the UK, the government's asylum reforms will divide people and create a second-class group living with constant insecurity and limited prospects.
Learn more about the impact of these proposals: www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...
3️⃣ Evidence from Denmark shows that temporary refugee protection makes it harder for refugees to pursue education or invest in meaningful careers.
In fact, tightening settlement rules has reduced refugees’ employment levels rather than improving them.
2️⃣ A longitudinal study in Sweden found that each additional year spent waiting for legal recognition reduces the likelihood of employment by 4–5%.
This limits refugees’ ability to build stable lives and contribute to their host country.
1️⃣ A study in France found that people waiting for permanent status are up to 10% less likely to form positive relationships with people in the host country.
The stress and anxiety of living in limbo put lasting strain on refugees’ relationships, with effects that can be felt for a long time.
