Migration news roundup 5 December 2022

• Stories that inspired us this week
• International news
• UK borders and migration policy
• Specific migrant groups
• Cohesion and integration

Stories that inspired us this week

A Ukrainian refugee who has opened a fashion store in Leeds Trinity tells her story. (Source: Yorkshire Post)

Canada and Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies who was born in a refugee camp and is now a UN ambassador, is donating his World Cup earnings to charity. (Source: Talksport)

International news

A criminal complaint has been made against some EU politicians – they are accused of conspiring with Libya’s coastguard to push back refugees crossing the Mediterranean. (Source: the Guardian)

Kenya has passed a new law, the Refugee Act. If implemented, it could help the country move away from restrictive and limiting refugee rights to promoting better integration and encouraging refugee self-reliance. (Source: Aljazeera)

UK borders and migration policy

A man thought to belong to an organised crime gang has been arrested in relation to last year’s Channel tragedy in which at least 27 people lost their lives. An interim report from the UK investigation into the incident states that ‘some of the events’ took place in UK waters. Meanwhile, criticisms have been levelled at both UK and French authorities. (Sources: the Guardian, Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Independent, BBC)

Since the law changed at the end of June, 60 people arriving on small boats have been charged in relation to illegally entering the UK. This article focuses on the difficult conditions in Calais for people hoping to get to the UK. (Sources: Independent, the Guardian)

The media continues to report on the asylum accommodation site at Manston:

• It’s been revealed that both the UK Health Security Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control had warned about the risk of diphtheria spreading in migrant groups in crowded accommodation facilities. (Source: Independent)
• The Council of Europe’s torture monitoring body visited the site amid reports of difficult living conditions. (Source: the Guardian)
• This article describes conditions witnessed at the site, written following a visit by detention support groups. (Source: Institute of Race Relations)
• Charities have written to the Home Office asking for an independent inquiry into the site. (Source: the Guardian)
• Finally, new plans could see arrivals held at the site for up to four days - an increase from the current 24-hour limit. (Source: The Telegraph)

Conservative MPs have written to the Prime Minister asking him to amend modern slavery laws to make it easier to facilitate the quick return of people arriving from certain ‘safe countries’ such as Albania. The proposals have been criticised by refugee charities. (Source: the Guardian)

An internal Home Office report, released following an FOI request, appears to question the deterrent effect of the hostile environment, suggesting that migrants are often unaware of restrictive migration policies, and when they are, that this is unlikely to affect their motivation. (Sources: Free Movement, The Times)

On Rwanda, the Home Office published two new policy papers outlining assurances on accommodation and the asylum process. A former counter terrorism head has criticised Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s rhetoric relating to the scheme. (Sources: Home Office, inews)

National statistics show that net migration was over half a million last year, the highest number on record, while this article focuses on the question of why labour shortages are still a problem. (Sources: Migration Observatory, BBC, Sky News)

A new briefing argues that UK migration policy increases exploitation and modern slavery risks. (Source: Focus on Labour Exploitation)

New guidance has been published on how people of Chagossian descent can register for British nationality, reflecting provisions from the Nationality and Borders Act. (Source: Home Office)

Specific migrant groups

On Ukraine, refugees and hosts have petitioned the government to do more to support refugees’ access to housing and provide more clarity over rematching. (Source: the Guardian)

The Home Secretary is said to be planning to resurrect plans to fast-track removals of asylum seekers to designated safe countries on a ‘white list’. However, analysis suggests that the number of asylum claims from such countries deemed ‘clearly unfounded’ has declined in recent years. (Sources: Free Movement, National World)

Home Office guidance on age assessments has been updated to reflect provisions in the Nationality and Borders Act, including the introduction of the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) to oversee age assessments on age disputed young people. Relatedly, it’s been alleged that Home Office staff have been altering children’s ages, resulting in some being accommodated with adults at Manston. (Sources: Home Office, the Guardian)

Former universities ministers have warned that the government’s plan to put a cap on international student numbers could damage the country’s economy further and push universities into bankruptcy. (Source: the Guardian)

The Hong Kong British Nationals Overseas visa expansion came into force from 30 November - it allows young people to apply who were born after Hong Kong’s handover to China. (Source: Home Office via Twitter)

On no recourse to public funds (NRPF), those with a European Economic Area (EEA) immigration status or nationality were most likely to be referred for social services assistance last year. (Source: NRPF Network)

Cohesion and integration

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released Census 2021 data on ethnicity, nationality, language and religion and has also produced an interactive map to explore data at different geographic levels. (Source: ONS)

A YouGov poll has found that while nearly half of the people surveyed think there is too much migration to the UK, many acknowledge a need to bring in workers from abroad, leading to a call for politicians to catch up with the British public on the benefits of migration. (Sources: The Times, the Guardian)