With Parliament now in recess, we’re going to take a short break from these updates over the summer. We hope that lots of you manage to enjoy some well-earned rest over the summer.
In the meantime, contact us if you’d like to discuss anything in this bulletin.
1. Advocacy and campaigning initiatives
2. Resources, events, jobs and training
3. What we’re reading, watching and listening to
1. Advocacy and campaigning initiatives
Fight For Asylum Rights: Blueprint to fix the asylum system
More than 200 organisations have sent a letter to the new Prime Minister, sharing a clear blueprint to fix our broken asylum system. The letter was sent to Andy Burnham on his first day in the job, and was covered in The Mirror newspaper. It’s wonderful to bring so many voices together to offer real, concrete solutions – but now it’s time to make sure the message gets through.
- Share the blueprint & the MP action on social media: You can find a range of different social-media ready graphics sized for Instagram here and square for Facebook/LinkedIn/Bluesky etc here
New asylum bill passes second reading – Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026
The Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026, had its second reading on 13th July, and was passed by 264 votes to 90, with its supporters including the now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The main proposals within the bill include:
- To create a new Independent Immigration Appeals Authority.
- To tighten the application of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
- To reform the modern slavery legislative framework to set out the government’s obligations.
- To create new law enforcement measures to tackle exploitation and provide for the identification of and support for children.
- To replace asylum/refugee and humanitarian protection claims and grants of leave with a single ‘core protection’ model.
- To establish a mechanism to require people receiving asylum support to make a contribution payment once they are financially able to do so. This has been widely described as a “refugee tax” and has attracted significant media attention.
The House of Commons Library has produced a research briefing on the bill which can be found here and Free Movement have produced an explainer on the contents of the bill found here.
- TAKE ACTION: Use the JCWI tool to write to your MP and ask them to oppose the new bill.
Religious leaders call for “fresh start” on asylum policy
Among the calls on the new Prime Minister to change course on asylum policy is a fantastic letter from 39 Muslim, Jewish and Christian religious leaders. It tells him: “This is a moment to choose what kind of country we are. Guided by our values, we stand ready to work with you to build that future together.”
- Read about their appeal to Andy Burnham here
Public consultation on the expansion of Haslar IRC open until August 6
In 2025, the government reopened Campsfield House, near Kidlington, as an immigration removal centre (IRC) for up to 160 men. Now the Home Office has applied to add a further 240 places, more than doubling its current size. In this blog Right to Remain explain what’s being proposed, how it’s being pushed through, and how it fits a wider drive towards more detention and removals. But these plans are not yet decided, and there is a way to be heard. A public consultation is open until 11:59pm on August 6 2026, through the Planning Inspectorate’s Crown Development portal, and anyone can submit a written representation.
- TAKE ACTION: use the Right to Remain detailed guide to prepare your own submission to the consultation.
Communities not Camps
Over 40 migrant justice, asylum and refugee support and human rights groups have written to the Home Secretary condemning the placing of people seeking safety in ex military sites, including placing as many as 16 people in a room, the placement of survivors of torture and trafficking in the camps and a lack of access to justice. Coverage here and here. Meanwhile, a judicial review on the use of the site at Crowborough is underway, and Parliament’s Home Affairs Select Committee has published correspondence with the Immigration Minister which reveals that the Government does not have a performance framework in place to hold providers to account for the operation of the facilities.
- TAKE ACTION: Use our easy-letter writing tool to write to your MP and ask them to demand that people seeking safety are housed in communities, not camps.
Lift the Ban:
The Lift the Ban coalition are sharing a series of meaningful ways you can support the campaign this summer. Here are a few actions you can take:
- Print your own postcards to send to the Home Secretary – download and print today, and send us a photo of yours, or simply get in touch if you’d prefer us to handle the delivery for you
- Write to your MP asking them to support #LiftTheBan campaign
- Write to your Local Councillor(s) and Council (especially if they are newly elected)
- Write to your local Trade Union Branch
- Write to a local Business
- Download and print your own Lift the Ban posters
- You can also reach out to local churches, universities, charities and community organisations to introduce them to the campaign, and sign up for campaign updates by ticking the ‘Lift the Ban’ box here
Please feel free to adapt the above templates as it is always powerful to share your own personal experiences or the impact lifting the ban could have on your own community.
Stop Border Violence – public inquiry now
STOP BORDER VIOLENCE is a new campaign from Humans for Rights Network, Project Play and Asylum Matters calling for an inquiry into how UK funding at the border in northern France has contributed to increasing state violence and fatalities. We’ve just launched a new website with details about the campaign – visit it and share it, or share our posts on social media, to encourage people to get involved.
- TAKE ACTION: Visit https://stopborderviolence.co.uk/ to find out more about the campaign and sign the petition calling for a public inquiry
2. Resources, events, jobs and training
Casework Solidarity Forum – 29 July
Join HMSC for a day of collective problem-solving, strategy sharing, and solidarity building with others on the frontline of migrant support. This year’s sessions include topics like earned settlement, the legal aid crisis and how we connect what we see every day in casework to campaigns. Date: 29 July. Time: 9am-4.30pm. Location: Grassroots Resource Centre. Register here.
Online meeting, 29 July: oppose the expansion of Haslar detention centre!
Right to Remain will be hosting an online meeting on Wednesday 29 July at 7pm, where they will look at the proposal and the planning process, and think collectively about how we can build effective opposition. The meeting (open to everyone, whether you’re new to the issue or already involved in campaigning against immigration detention) will include:
- The Home Office’s plans to expand Haslar and why they matter
- Outline the planning consultation process and the key issues people can raise in their objections
- Practical guidance on how individuals and organisations can submit objections before the consultation deadline
- Space for questions, discussion and connection
Register here. Tickets are free, and you are encouraged to share the event with your networks and communities.
British Future webinar – South Asian Heritage Month
British Future and the British South Asian Bridgers Project will be convening a webinar during South Asian Heritage Month, titled ‘25 Years Since 9/11: Changing British South Asian and Muslim Identities’. Date: Thursday 30th July 2026, 12:00 – 13:00. Please register via Eventbrite here to receive the Zoom link.
Free webinar on interview skills and wellbeing through the job search – Experts by Experience Employment Initiative – 12 August
Registration is now open for the second webinar in EBEEI’s Pathways to Leadership series – ‘Interview Skills & Wellbeing Through the Job Search’. This webinar will help refugees and migrants build the confidence, interview skills, and resilience needed to succeed throughout the recruitment process. Participants will learn how interviews in the charity sector differ from those in other sectors, how to answer interview questions confidently using the STAR method, and how to protect their wellbeing while navigating the ups and downs of job searching. Date: Wednesday 12 August 2026. Time: 12.00pm – 13.00pm. Format: Online. Register here.
Scottish Refugee Council free online training sessions in August
Scottish Refugee Council are delivering a series of free online taster training sessions this August! All are welcome to join, not just those based in Scotland – colleagues across the UK are welcome. Register here for any and all of the sessions below:
- Introduction to Refugees: Asylum and Resettlement – taster session.
Tuesday 11th August, 11am – 12pm on Zoom
This introductory session explores the key concepts around asylum and resettlement. You’ll learn about important definitions, rights and entitlements, and routes that people take to seek safety in the UK.
- Introduction to Working with Interpreters – taster session
Thursday 13th August, 10 – 11am on Zoom
This practical session introduces core principles for communicating effectively through spoken language interpreters. You’ll take part in group activities and reflect on challenges that can arise when working with interpreters.
- After an asylum decision: positive and negative decisions – taster session
Thursday 18th August, 11am – 12pm on Zoom
This new session looks at what happens after an asylum decision. We’ll explore how rights and entitlements change following a positive or negative decision, and next steps for those who receive a refusal. Note: this session does not cover the asylum process itself. If you are unfamiliar with the process, please consider attending the Introduction to Refugees: Asylum and Resettlement session first.
From Heathrow to Miami: Immigration Enforcement in action – Thursday 6th August from 6:30pm-8:00pm.
HIAS+JCORE are hosting an online webinar examining the policies that shape immigration across the US & UK and their practical impact on refugees and asylum seekers, offering a unique transatlantic perspective on immigration enforcement practices, challenges, and opportunities for reform. Sign up here
Submit your nomination for the 2026 Dubs Awards
HIAS+JCORE are delighted to announce that their 2026 Lord Dubs Awards are now open for nominations. The awards celebrate incredible work being done with refugees across the UK. This year, they’re pleased to again be welcoming nominations in two categories: The Dubs Award for Outstanding Commitment, and the Dubs Legacy Award for Emerging Leaders. The deadline for both awards is 31 August 2026, and winners will be publicly announced at a special ceremony during HIAS+JCORE’s annual reception in November 2026. Visit the HIAS+JCORE website to find out more and submit your nominations.
Jobs:
- Migration Museum are looking for community curators in five areas across the UK to help design displays exploring migration in their local areas . The role is paid but reimbursement in high street vouchers is also available and they are open to working with people currently seeking asylum with compensation structured to meet all regulatory requirements – deadline August 23.
- JCWI are looking for a freelance talented content creator for a short-term project on countering misinformation, racism and hate online. To apply: Send a quote, CV and some examples of your work to [email protected]. Rolling deadline.
- Manchester Refugee Support Network are recruiting for a Senior Supervising Caseworker – applications reviewed on a rolling basis but applying as soon as possible is encouraged.
- Action Foundation are looking for a Communications and Campaigns Officer in Newcastle Upon Tyne – deadline Thursday 30th July
3. What we’re reading, watching and listening to
- The amazing Lily MacTaggart from Humans For Rights Network and Project Play on Bold Politics with Zack Polanski – listen to her speak about the reality of life for people on the move in Calais and the UK government’s complicity in and funding of violence on our border.
- Hyphen’s investigation into appalling conditions in asylum dispersal accommodation and calls for Awab’s Law to apply to homes for people seeking sanctuary.
- This Guardian story about what the Government’s push to close hotels means for the people who’ve been living in them.
