1. Advocacy and campaigning initiatives
2. Government and Parliamentary updates
3. Reports and research
4. Resources, events, jobs and training
5. What we’re reading, watching and listening to
1. Advocacy and campaigning initiatives
Fight for Asylum Rights
Temporary Protection Status for Refugees Enforced
In a dark day for both refugee rights and common sense, on Monday 2nd March the Government announced it would commence issuing temporary protection status for refugees. From Monday onwards, new asylum applicants will receive a 30-month protection period if granted. There will be an exemption for unaccompanied children, and the changes will not apply to anyone who already has refugee status, or who applied for asylum before Monday.
Legal Challenge Launched to Restore Family Reunion
Safe Passage Intl is taking the Home Office to court after the government suspended Refugee Family Reunion last September, which was a lifeline that allowed refugee children, parents and spouses to reunite safely. We believe closing the Family Reunion route was unlawful, breaches children’s best interests, and increases the risk of trafficking, dangerous journeys and prolonged family separation. Permission has been granted by The High Court for a judicial review that could restore this vital safe route. Read the full article here, and take action below.
Take Action:
- Donate what you can using this link to help Safe Passage reach its £75,000 target and challenge this harmful suspension in court.
- Please share their appeal with your networks to help protect children’s right to reunite with their families safely.
Join the Call for a Statutory Inquiry into UK Border Abuses
Two powerful reports from Project Play and Humans for Rights Network expose the deadly consequences of UK-funded border securitisation, documenting how policies at the UK–France border have contributed to violence, trauma and the deaths of at least 22 children in 2024–25 alone. The two reports, Nowhere Safe and You can’t stay, but you can’t go show how UK funding has intensified policing, evictions and dangerous enforcement practices that put lives at risk, and call for urgent accountability. Take action below:
Take Action:
- Back this campaign by adding your name on this petition link here.
Urge your MP to sign EDM 2486 on border violence
Following a recent parliamentary reception we need to keep parliamentary momentum and attention on the harms of UK taxpayer-funded border violence and the deaths it is driving by securing more signatures to EDM 2486.
- TAKE ACTION: Write to your MP with this easy letter-writing tool to urge them to support the motion on border violence.
Extending the Refugee Move-On Period to 56 days
Campaigners and young refugees at Young Roots are urging supporters to write to their MPs within the next 2 weeks to demand that the Government makes the 56 day period which it has been piloting for move on for new refugees permanent ensuring that people have adequate time to secure housing, open bank accounts, and access Universal Credit.
Take Action:
- Write to your MP to support a permanent 56-day move-on period.
Communities Not Camps
Permission for judicial review of the decision to place people seeking safety at Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex has been denied to a group of residents, on the grounds the challenge was brought before a final decision to use the camp was taken – a further claim may follow.
TAKE ACTION: Write to your MP to tell them people should be housed in communities, not camps and never in harmful, expensive military sites.
2. Government and Parliamentary updates
Asylum Claims Fall as Small Boat Arrivals and Enforced Returns Rise
New Home Office data shows that while overall asylum applications fell by 4% in 2025, the number of people arriving via small boats increased by 13% to over 41,000. During the same period, the asylum decision backlog reached its lowest level since 2020, accompanied by a 21% increase in enforced returns for those without the legal right to remain.
Backlog Shifted to the Courts: Tribunal Appeals Reach Decade High
New figures from the Ministry of Justice (Tribunal Statistics Quarterly, Oct–Dec 2025) confirm that the outstanding caseload at the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) has now reached its highest level in a decade, with nearly 70,000 people waiting for an appeal decision.
Asylum Status Shifted from Permanent to Temporary
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced that all new asylum applicants if accepted as refugees will now receive only 30 months of “temporary protection” rather than the traditional five years, with cases reviewed at the end of each period to determine if individuals can be returned to their countries of origin. This overhaul effectively ends the “age-old assumption” of permanent settlement for refugees and aims to double the time required to gain residency rights, which could extend the path to permanent security to 20 years for some individuals.
Legal challenge on refugee move on
In a significant development, the Home Office has settled a case brought by newly granted refugees about its policy and practice in relation to the 28 days ‘move on’ period for new refugees. The case challenged: the sudden pause of a pilot scheme to extend the period to 56 days, a failure to extend discretion to extend asylum support, a failure to notify refugees that the discretion existed and a failure to extend support to the individuals concerned – more details here – and congratulations to all who worked on this case!
Subsequently, amendments have been made to the Home Office policy instruction on ceasing S95 support (section on reinstatements or extensions) – see here
Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) Scheme
The UK government has announced significant updates to the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme for Ukrainian nationals and their family members currently residing in the UK. Following the initial 18-month period, the scheme has been extended by an additional 24 months, allowing for a maximum stay of three and a half years.
3. Reports and research
Beyond the Border: The Lasting Impact of Hostile Immigration Systems
A newly released research paper from Cornell University, “Security at the Border? The Lived Experiences of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK,” explores how initial encounters with UK border control and immigration systems shape long-term belonging, insecurity, and wellbeing among refugees.
Mediterranean Deaths Reach Decade High Amidst Harsher Border Policies
The International Organisation for Migration reports that 2026 has seen the deadliest start to a year in over a decade, with at least 606 people confirmed dead or missing while attempting to reach safety in Europe. Faith leaders and advocates are condemning these losses as the result of “inhumane political choices,” pointing to new naval blockades and crackdowns on rescue ships as direct threats to human life. Read the full news article here.
Asylum Backlog Shifts as Grant Rates Plummet
New analysis from the Migration Observatory reveals that while faster processing has nearly halved the initial asylum decision backlog to 64,000, the number of people awaiting an appeal has doubled to almost 70,000. This “backlog shift” is driven by a surge in refusals, with the initial grant rate dropping to just 42% following stricter 2022 legislation and updated guidance for countries like Syria and Afghanistan.
4. Resources, events, jobs and training
Doctors of the World UK / Torture ID Letter Templates to Support People Seeking Asylum
These resources include a set of template letters to support clinicians in primary care to respond to common requests from people seeking asylum and refugees. They are aimed at reducing pressure on GPs and ensuring that patients receive the support they need free of charge. Access the letters, guidance sheet and accompanying video here.
Events:
Free workshop: Introduction to Right to Remain Toolkit
Join a free Zoom workshop on 10th March designed to help community groups and volunteers confidently navigate the Right to Remain Toolkit. You will learn how to use this vital resource to empower those going through the asylum system and understand the important difference between providing legal support and legal advice. Register on this link. Right to Remain are also putting on an updated Knowledge is Power workshop on Monday 23 March online from 10am-1pm on attending your asylum appeal at the First Tier Tribunal without a lawyer, which you can register for here.
Together Alliance March Against the Far Right – 28 March, London
Join hundreds of civil society organisations representing more than 7 million people and march in London as part of the Together Alliance on the 28th March 2026. Sign up and plan your journey on this TogetherAlliance link here.
Report Launch: State violence at the UK Border (26th March 2026)
Join the Humans for Rights Network on Thursday 26th March, 2026 at 5:30pm for the launch of their urgent report investigating state-organised violence at the UK-France border and its specific impact on children. This event offers a vital opportunity to hear from experts and those with lived experience about the realities of the UK-border policies and how the sector can proactively advocate for a public enquiry into these harms. Project Play is also presenting their research on the specific impacts of border violence against children. Sign in here to attend.
Jobs:
- Screen Share is recruiting for a Director of Programmes – deadline is 9th March
- Welsh Refugee Council is recruiting for a Digital Design and Media Officer – deadline 9th March at 9am.
- Detention Action is recruiting for Trustees – deadline 12th March
- Upbeat Communities is recruiting for the Head of Income – deadline is 12th March
- Right to Remain is recruiting for a Communications Officer – Deadline 23rd March, 5pm
- Caldervale Valley of Sanctuary is recruiting for a Communications and Admin Officer – deadline 24th March, 5pm
- The Bevan Foundation is recruiting for two new posts – a Policy and Research Officer (closing date 18 March), and a Communications and Engagement Administrator (closing date 19 March).
5. What we’re reading, watching and listening to
- Our East Midlands campaigns manager Allan Njanji writes in the Big Issue about what Spain’s bold migration decision means for us here in the UK.
- In the latest “Human Journeys” Instagram video, Mamadou shares a moving story of how a chance encounter with an elderly couple in their home transformed his sense of belonging in the UK, offering a powerful reminder of the deep connections that can be forged across cultures.
- Read this heartwarming interview of the community-led welcome of two refugee families to the UK. Link here.
