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
Deadline extended on Family Returns consultation
We received communication from the Home Office advising they have updated their consultation form on the changes to Asylum Support, Local Authority support and the use of force against children. In addition to some minor edits to paragraph references, they’ve changed the frame of Section B – Local Authority support, which specified appeal rights exhausted families, and changed this to ‘those without immigration status’. Potentially meaning a much larger pool of people would be impacted by these proposals. We’ve amended our guide to reflect this change. They’ve also extended the deadline to Thursday 4th June.
> Take action against these plans to impoverish children:
- Use our step-by-step guide to respond to Part 1 of consultation and share it with your local authority and urge them to respond
- Write to government and condemn the use of force against children plans they’ve laid out in Part 2 of the consultation
In partnership with BASW (British Association for Social Work) we’re delivering a lunchtime briefing on the proposed changes from a social work perspective on Friday 29th May. The event is free to members of BASW – link to booking You can also read a blog on the changes on BASW’s website here.
King’s speech – new immigration bill
On May 13 Parliament heard the King’s speech, which sets out the Government’s legislative agenda for the year. The speech and background notes set out Government’s intention to bring forward a new ‘Immigration and Asylum Bill’ intended to increase forced removals, require people seeking asylum to contribute to the cost of their accommodation and support ‘once they are able’, create a new lay appeals body replacing the First-Tier Tribunal and reform age assessments and the modern slavery framework, as well as doubling down on many of the measures already announced such as temporary protection and a ‘contribution’ based settlement model. This will be the fifth major immigration bill introduced into Parliament in the last five years. The British Association of Social Workers has already raised its objections to the anticipated proposals to remove local authority autonomy over age assessments.
> Take action against the proposed new anti-refugee laws:
- Sign the Fight for Asylum Rights pledge
- Download the guide on how to ask your local council(s) to take a stand
- Add your signature to the refugee-led petition to scrap plans to leave refugees in 20+ year limbo
Hundreds of children separated from families every month due to suspension of Family Reunion
The British Red Cross have conducted analysis of Home Office data and have estimated that between 550 and 1,360 children could remain separated from their families for every month that the suspension of refugee family reunion remains in place. Of these, between 180 and 430 each month are likely to be unaccompanied minors. Coverage here.
> Take action by using Safe Passage’s tool to write to the Home Secretary urging her to restore family reunion so families can be Together not Torn
*TRIGGER WARNING* Harmful “one in, one out” deportations leading to self-harm and attempted suicide
As reported in The Guardian, an Eritrean asylum seeker who was due to be forcibly removed to France under the “one in, one out” scheme had his ticket cancelled after making ‘a serious attempt on his life’, and ‘incidents of self-harm are not uncommon among detainees’ under the scheme. According to Medical Justice, “Of 20 of our clients detained for ‘one in, one out’ assessed by our independent clinicians, all 20 had clinical evidence of a history of torture, ill treatment and/or trafficking, and all 20 had serious mental health conditions”, raising serious questions about the safeguarding and the selection criteria underpinning the scheme.
> Take action against harmful deportations and border violence:
- Write to the airlines facilitating “one in, one out” deportations with JCWI’s easy tool
- Sign the Stop Border Violence petition
Data reveals that hundreds of children wrongly assessed as adults
For the first time the Home Office has published its own data showing that hundreds of child refugees are being treated as adults, with devastating consequences. See analysis by the Helen Bamber Foundation, which has long campaigned on these changes, here. In the second half of 2025, 325 children were wrongly assessed as adults by border officials. The final number could be as high as 700 and these children will have ended up in adult accommodation, and potentially in immigration detention and potentially with adults in adult prisons. This comes as our partners Humans for Rights Network and Jesuit Refugee Service have published a joint briefing note exposing a surge in children detained under the UK-France ‘one in, one out’ scheme (further detail in part 3 of this update).
Lift the Ban
As Refugee Week approaches (15 – 21 June), the Lift the Ban campaign is once again encouraging people to ask the government to allow people seeking sanctuary to work after 6 months of their asylum application. We have designed a Lift the Ban postcard (link here) which you can print off your own copies for your Refugee Week events, get them signed, and send them back to us to deliver to the Home Secretary. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
Communities not Camps
Wealden District Council has said it is ‘deeply dismayed after uncovering details in court papers which it said revealed that government Departments ‘had agreed amongst themselves’ to keep the camp at Crowborough, East Sussex, open until 2030 despite repeated promises that it would only be open for twelve months. The Home Office has responded saying “no final decision” has been made to extend the use of the camp. Meanwhile, the Government reported a 35% fall in the number of people placed in hotels in its immigration statistics.
Take action – the Government should work transparently with communities to ensure that everyone has a safe place to call home. Write to your MP to ask for the camps to close.
2. Government and Parliamentary updates
Immigration statistics
The ONS has released its latest migration statistics, which have shown that net migration has fallen by almost 50% in the year ending 2025 from year ending 2024. It is now 171,000. The Government has also released its latest immigration statistics, which show that the number of people claiming asylum and in the asylum system in the year ending March 2026 is also down. Analysis by Free Movement here and by the Migration Observatory here.
Chișinău Declaration on Migration
The UK was one of 46 Council of Europe member states to sign a political declaration signed in Chișinău, Moldova. The declaration focuses on a number of issues raised by member states in relation to “mass arrivals”, including the interpretation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (prohibition of torture) and Article 8 of the same Convention (right to family and private life). The Declaration is non binding but may be used by Governments to push for more restrictive interpretation of these rights. Explainer here, coverage here.
Labour leadership hopefuls indicate support for Government’s immigration reforms
It has been reported in The Guardian that two of the leading candidates expected to challenge for the leadership of the Labour Party are supportive of the Home Secretary’s radical overhaul of the immigration system. Allies of Andy Burnham told the paper that he is backing the Government’s controversial changes to immigration policy, whilst Wes Streeting told the paper in an interview that he was broadly supportive of them, but added there were some “sharp edges” he would want to look at again, backing ‘earned settlement’ but singling out temporary refugee status as something “we need to look at a bit more carefully”.
3. Reports and research
HFRN/JRS briefing note: Age-disputed children detained under the ‘one-in-one-out’ scheme
A new joint briefing published by JRS UK and Humans for Rights Network (HFRN) reveals a growing pattern of unaccompanied children being wrongly identified as adults, detained in immigration removal centres, and in some cases forcibly removed to France under the UK-France “one-in-one-out” agreement. The briefing highlights systemic failures in screening, safeguarding, and access to legal support, resulting in vulnerable children being subjected to prolonged detention in conditions described as “prison-like” and profoundly harmful. Since the scheme began in August 2025, NGOs have identified at least 141 age-disputed young people detained, despite children being explicitly excluded from the scheme and legally subject to strict limits on detention. Of these,at least 64 have later been recognised as children by local authorities, and at least 18 have already been removed to France. The briefing warns that these figures likely underestimate the true scale of the issue, as many children may never be identified before removal. Download the full briefing note here.
British Future: After the Fall: Why hasn’t falling immigration changed public attitudes?
This report from British Future highlights a striking disconnect between public understanding and reality on immigration, with 49% of the public believing that immigration increased in the last year, despite a sharp decline. It also finds that people massively overestimate the proportion of immigration which is due to asylum claims, and that the settlement reforms the Government is proposing are not what most people feel is fair. Read more here.
Border Forensics Agency report: How ‘stopping the boats’ kills
A digital counter-forensic investigation of the human cost of the UK’s externalised border in the Channel has been published in a report titled How ‘stopping the boats’ kills. It presents findings from a year-long collaborative investigation by researchers at the ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures at the University of Bristol, and Border Forensics, an independent research agency based in Geneva, Switzerland. The report demonstrates how the UK government’s ‘Stop the Boats’ policies, and over £625 million given to the French to prevent departures, have directly contributed to a sharp rise in deaths of people attempting to cross the Channel in so-called small boats. Download the full report here
4. Resources, events, jobs and training
NEON messaging training applications open
Applications are open for NEON’s next round of Messaging Training. The sessions will take place online: 9am-1pm BST on Thursday the 25th and Monday the 29th of June 2026. Deadline for applications is: 9am on Thursday 4th of June. Apply here
Open Rights Group: 3D Workshop – Digital Rights, Digital Hostile Environment, and Digital Sanctuary
Open Rights Group are introducing their concept of Digital Sanctuary through a workshop, sharing knowledge about the Digital hostile Environment, what they mean by Digital Rights for migrants, refugees, and people seeking safety, and the future they are looking to build together. They are offering three workshops, with the same content at different times: 26 May, 1st June, 8 June. Register here
Migrant Rights’ Network: Migrant Justice and the Far Right Summit 2026
Join MRN for two days building collective power to combat the rise of the far-right in communities. They will be uniting minds from across migrant and racial justice movements, as well as community defence networks and organisers from across the housing, trade union and climate movements to build unified strategy and collective action to stop hatred in its tracks. Dates: 13 & 14 June 2026 (provisional new date – TBC soon) Time: 9.30am – 5pm Location: Central London, exact location to be emailed to participants directly. Register here
Scottish Refugee Council: free training sessions
Scottish Refugee Council have a couple of free, introductory training sessions coming up with spaces still available:
- Introduction to Refugees: Asylum and Resettlement – taster session
To mark Refugee Festival Scotland 2026, we are holding a free, hour-long version of our Introduction to Refugees: Asylum and Resettlement course. This session will explore key issues around asylum and resettlement, including definitions, rights and entitlements, and some of the key processes involved.
Thursday 18th June, 11am – 12pm
Online (Zoom)
Register here - Introduction to Working with Interpreters – taster session
This session will introduce the core principles for working confidently and effectively with interpreters, and you’ll have the chance to apply your learning through group activities and reflecting on real world scenarios. Whether you’re new to working with interpreters or just looking for a refresher, please join us.
Thursday 9th July, 11am – 12pm
Online (Zoom)
Register here
Mapping Our Journeys: A Creative Workshop on Belonging
Across the Border have an upcoming workshop. This session is a creative and reflective space exploring migration, memory, identity, and belonging through storytelling and collaborative mapping activities. Whether you’ve moved across countries, cities, cultures, or simply experienced the feeling of searching for home, this space is for you. The workshop is designed to be gentle, interactive, and community-led. No artistic experience needed at all. Location: Chelsea Library, London. Date: Saturday 30th May 1pm – 3pm. Register here
Jobs
- NEON is hiring a Head of Digital. Deadline 28th June.
- Lewisham Migrant Network is hiring a Billing Coordinator to also provide support to Barking & Dagenham Citizen’s Advice Bureau and Cardinal Hume Centre. Deadline 9am 8th June.
5. What we’re reading, watching and listening to
- This piece from the April issue of Race & Class published by the Institute of Race Relations
- This opinion piece in Big Issue by Daniel Sohege arguing that the government’s hostile asylum policies are a dangerous waste of money
- This blog from UK in a Changing Europe which argues that shifting asylum support from a ‘duty’ to a ‘power’ will push even more asylum seekers into destitution
- This comment piece from the Institute for Government which argues Shabana Mahmood’s retrospective action on immigration could undermine trust in government
