Speaking and Writing on the ‘Illegal Migration Bill’

Updated as of the afternoon of 10 July 2023

The  ‘Illegal Migration Bill’, which UNHCR has said would, if passed as introduced, “amount to an asylum ban” continues its journey  through Parliament. It will have its Third Reading in the House of Lords on 10 July, and is expected to be considered in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the 11th of July.

Immediate Need: Contact your MP expressing opposition to the Bill and/or asking them to accept all the House of Lords Amendments

While the ‘Illegal Migration Bill’ remains deeply problematic, the House of Lords made a number of very helpful amendments. The revised Bill can be found here and our list of the amendments is here.

Anyone with an interest in protecting asylum and the rights of asylum seekers should email or ring their MP in advance of their consideration of the amended Bill. If you don’t already have your MP’s contact details, you can find out how to contact them via the They Work for You website.

If the House of Commons rejects the amendments and sends the Bill back to the House of Lords, you will wish to contact your MP when it subsequently returns to the House of Commons again, too! Email us to be included on the list for updates.

We would advocate asking your MP to accept ALL of the House of Lords amendments.

It has now been suggested that the government is likely to give concessions on a few key issues, including detention of children and pregnant women and the retrospective nature of the Bill. These are all important issues and we would hope, at the very least, to see progress in these areas.

But it is important to remember that all refugees are vulnerable – and that the Bill as a whole has been described, by UNHCR, as “an asylum ban— extinguishing the right to see protection in the United Kingdom for those who arrive irregularly, no matter how compelling their claim may be.”

It is therefore important to press not only on a few issues above but on the whole Bill.  We have advice on how to do this below.

Guides to Contacting Your MP and Help with Messaging

Time is of the essence. If you have time, please write or call your MP today.

Use your own words as much as possible: MPs will respond to what is genuinely from you more than they will to a form message.

Please note that you don’t need to write or leave a complex message: just saying something along the lines of “I want to support vulnerable people who are in need of protection and to maintain the UK’s international standing – and I would, therefore, ask you to support all the House of Lords amendments to the ‘Illegal Migration Bill'” gets the point across.

If you have a Conservative MP, you might want to try messaging such as:

I am concerned that the Government’s ‘Illegal Migration Bill’ is neither effective nor compassionate.

  • It is held up as addressing questions around migration, but refugees make up only a tiny percentage of net migration numbers.
  • Numerous bodies – from the UNHCR to the Law Society to the Children’s Commissioner – have said that the Bill’s provisions are likely to be incompatible with the UK’s international treaty obligations, leading to potential damage to our international reputation and to our ability to work with partners to find solutions to complex problems.
  • The Bill has the potential to result in the detention of large numbers of people indefinitely at the expense of our domestic spending.
  • The Bill changes limits on detention for children and pregnant women which were introduced by the Conservatives themselves, despite the known harm such detention can cause; in addition, the Children’s Commissioner has raised numerous issues about the Bill’s impact on children more generally
  • By denying support to victims of trafficking, the Bill undermines the Conservatives’ flagship work on trafficking and hands traffickers additional threats to use against their victims.

I remain concerned about the entirety of the Bill and its approach. That said, the Lords Amendments would help to alleviate or remove some of the key issues with this Bill, and I urge you to vote to accept them all.

To customise your letter further, take a look at the material below.

Further Resources

More Detail: What the Lords amendments do

The amendments are asking MPs to do four things:

  • Ensure that policy and practice are consistent with domestic law and international treaty obligation (and are not made retrospective)
    • ensuring that the provisions of the bill are interpreted consistently with the UK’s obligations under relevant international human rights treaties
    • ensure the lawfulness of immigration detention remains subject to principles established in the common law.
    • protecting the right of courts to temporarily delay the removal of a individual to a third county.
    • ensuring that the ‘duty to deport’ doesn’t apply to people who arrived before the Bill comes into force
  • Protect people who have already suffered exploitation and tackle the issues of trafficking

    • enabling victims of trafficking and unlawful exploitation to receive appropriate support
    • strengthening the ability to prosecute traffickers by recognising that people who have been trafficked or unlawfully exploited are more likely to be able to assist investigations or criminal proceedings if they are still in the UK
    • putting a legal responsibility on the National Crime Agency to tackle organised immigration crime across the English Channel
    • requiring the government to implement a ten-year strategy, in collaboration with international partners, to tackle human trafficking and refugee crises
    • requiring the government to set out its plans to allow people from abroad to enter safely and lawfully into the UK and thereby reducing the need to take risky journeys or rely on traffickers
  • Protect the most vulnerable people and groups from harm

    • protecting children from detention, from incorrect age assessments, from being taken out of care and put into unsuitable accommodation and enabling them to have their human rights and asylum claims considered, if they are unaccompanied and exempt from the ‘duty to remove’ conditions
    • protecting pregnant womenand their unborn children from detention
    • protecting LGBT+ people from being removed to countries where they might face persecution
    • protecting  people at risk of ‘serious harm’ if removed to a country from having to show that the serious harm would be ‘irreversible’ in order to challenge their removal
  • Protect people from being detained indefinitely at taxpayer expense

    • requiring the government to consider a protection or a human rights claim if the applicant has not been removed from the UK within six months of the claim being deemed inadmissible. At present, the fear (see the Refugee Council study here) is that tens of thousands of people will have their claims deemed inadmissible, regardless of their merit. In theory, they will be detained until removed, but since the only removal agreements that exist are currently with Albania and Rwanda – and the latter has been deemed unlawful – it is unlikely that the people will be able to be removed. This means that the Government will need to detain thousands of people for indefinite periods of time, at taxpayer expense (and it is worth noting that they will not be able to use Overseas Development Assistance for this purpose, as they do for refugees and asylum seekers). The risk to the mental and physical health of those detained, and the expense to the taxpayer are considerable. This amendment would enable people who had not been removed within six months to make a human rights/asylum claim.

 

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In our March newsletter we shared links to background information on the Bill and suggestions for prayer and action. Further helpful analysis can be found in the joint Second Reading Briefing by leading refugee charities including Safe Passage and Freedom from Torture, and more detailed legislative scrutiny as national experts answer questions from the parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (video recording).

Many religious and secular groups have written in opposition to the Bill over the past months, including 1450 church leaders saying it is “incompatible with our Christian conviction that all human beings are made in the image of God” and will “foster discrimination and distrust” and cause “immeasurable harm”.

In addition, during the House of Lords debate, many Christian leaders, both ordained and lay, have made interventions.

How can I make a difference?

Once the Bill has gone through the House of Lords, it will come back to the House of Commons. In preparation for this, we would encourage everyone who can to get in touch with their MP: given the potential impacts of the Bill,  it really is worth making your voice heard.

MPs listen most fully to people who request a meeting with them. They also respond when people write them a letter which is clearly their own and not a form letter.

On this page, we offer updated resources to help you speak or write with confidence:

We can also offer additional support and training, including a checklist of things to do in preparation for a meeting with your MP. Email us for details.

If you don’t have time to meet or write to your MP, please do sign a petition, such as the Refugee Council’s campaign for a fair and humane asylum system.

Nationality and Borders Bill

Please click the link below for CCOW’s briefing on the Nationality and Borders Bill, including suggestions for prayer and action.

Nationality and Borders Bill – CCOW website post Jan 2022

Show your heart #TogetherWithRefugees

CCOW is pleased to be part of the Together With Refugees coalition. Please click the link below for the “Show your heart” leaflet which was distributed at our event in Oxford on 20th October 2021. It gives suggestions for prayer and action for refugees, people who are welcoming them in the UK, and Government policy that is more effective, fair and humane.

CCOW Show your heart leaflet

New Plan for Immigration – pray & act

 

Please click the link below for the PowerPoint slides used at our Time of Prayer for Refugees and Those Walking Alongside on 26th April 2021. They give prayer pointers and suggestions for action, including responding to the government’s consultation by 5th May 2021.

April 2021 Time of Prayer for Refugees – New Plan for Immigration

Supporting Refugees Locally at a Time of Coronavirus

Refugees, here in the UK and around the world, need our support more than ever during the coronavirus pandemic.

People who have fled their homes are often living in crowded camps or rough settlements, unable to self-isolate, practise social distancing or wash hands regularly. The majority are displaced within their own countries or in neigbouring countries, many of which have healthcare systems unable to cope with COVID-19, through the effects of war or longterm economic weakness. With borders closed many are trapped, such as on the Greek islands, unable to continue their journey.

Those who are now in the UK often find themselves isolated, as their social networks are still limited and refugee charities have been forced to scale back their services. Access to appropriate housing, healthcare and vital supplies and services is now a problem for many, particularly for asylum seekers and others with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). Many people, including the Mayor of London and migrants’ rights charities are calling for a suspension of NRPF, and the Home Office is rethinking this policy but the Home Secretary’s current position is that since people with NRPF are eligible for some of the government’s Covid-19 support measures and some individuals can apply to have their NRPF restriction lifted,this is sufficient. Refugee Charities are also calling on the government to increase asylum support payments in line with the increase in Universal Credit which was made in response to the pandemic. With regards to healthcare, whilst treatment for COVID-19 has been made free to everyone, treatment for underlying health conditions would still need to be paid for by some people, deterring them from seeking medical care. So Doctors of the World, the BMA and refugee charities are calling on the government to suspend NHS charging regulations.

What can we do?

Pray

  • for measures to help protect refugees from COVID-19 to be implemented

  • for those in the asylum process whose immigration interviews have been suspended at this time and those for whom the process of family reunion has stalled

  • for those in need of a safe place to live – give thanks that those in UK asylum accommodation have been permitted to stay there for the next 3 months, that all those on the streets are to be housed by local authorities and that many have been released from immigration detention centres. Pray for all who are still in shared accommodation.

  • for those with No Recourse to Public Funds and those prevented from accessing healthcare due to NHS Charging Regulations

  • for refugees who are qualified health workers but have not yet completed the process of registration in the UK – give thanks that they can now work in the NHS as Medical Support Workers, but pray they may soon get registration so they can use their full skills at this time of urgent medical need.

…and act

What can I do to support refugees? – Information for churches in Oxford

Material Support

Fundraise for a local refugee support group or charity

Hold a concert, sale, tea dance, quiz night … (the possibilities are endless) or take part in a sponsored challenge event, with the proceeds going to a local charity or group supporting refugees, e.g. Asylum Welcome, Refugee Resource, or Sanctuary Hosting. Ask for the charity’s support in organising this.

Luci Ashbourne, Asylum Welcome (www.asylum-welcome.org)

development@asylum-welcome.org 01865 722082

Refugee Resource (www.refugeeresource.org.uk) info@refugeeresource.org 01865 403280

Sanctuary Hosting (www.sanctuaryhosting.org) info@sanctuaryhosting.org 07818 555986

Collect food and toiletries for Asylum Welcome clients

Asylum seekers are not allowed to work and often have very limited funds. Place a box in the church for collecting food and toiletries for asylum seekers in Oxford. Asylum Welcome can provide labels for collection boxes and a list of most needed items. Encourage the whole congregation to donate items and when full deliver it to Asylum Welcome’s office at 7 Newtec Place, Magdalen Road, OX4 1RE, open weekdays from 9.30am to 4.00pm. Alternatively order online for direct delivery: instructions are at http://www.asylum-welcome.org/donate/food-donations.

Asylum Welcome (www.asylum-welcome.org) food@asylum-welcome.org 01865 722082

Prepare food for refugees in northern France

Spend a few days, or more, as a kitchen volunteer in Calais with a charity providing food for displaced people living rough in difficult conditions in northern France.

Refugee Community Kitchen (www.refugeecommunitykitchen.com) refugeecommunitykitchen@gmail.com

Donate to help refugees and internally displaced people overseas

The vast majority of refugees are hosted in countries near their country of origin: most Syrian refugees, for example, are in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. Many charities are working to assist refugees and internally displaced people in the countries hosting them. These charities include:

  • All We Can (http://allwecan.org.uk/give/current-appeals/refugee-appeal/)

  • British Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Emergency-response/Current-emergency-appeals/Europe-Refugee-Crisis-Appeal)

  • CAFOD (https://cafod.org.uk/Campaign/Refugee-action)

  • Oxfam (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/emergency-response/refugee-crisis)

  • Save the Children (https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/how-you-can-help/emergencies)

  • Tearfund (https://www.tearfund.org/en/give/)

Personal Support

Help with social activities for refugees

Social activities are great for individuals’ wellbeing, improving language skills, and integration and also help promote community cohesion. Help with existing activities or start something new.

Volunteer with Asylum Welcome

Asylum Welcome is the largest charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Oxford. With a small team of staff and trustees and over 150 volunteers it provides a wealth of services and advocacy. You could volunteer on reception (half a day a week) or provide information, advice and support to asylum seekers and refugees who come to the office (two half days a week). Training is provided. Asylum Welcome is also looking for people to join the fundraising and comms team. If you are interested in any volunteer role with Asylum Welcome, attend one of the information sessions held every few weeks – dates and further details on the website (www.asylum-welcome.org/volunteer)

Asylum Welcome volunteer@asylum-welcome.org 01865 7220

Help with reception and administration at Refugee Resource

Refugee Resource needs more volunteers to help in the daytime with reception and administration (a few hours per week or as a more substantive role). Training provided.

Refugee Resource   FabiodiDonato@refugeeresource.org 01865 403280

Mentor a refugee

As a volunteer with Refugee Resource, meet with a refugee for about 2 hours a week or fortnight in the daytime. Listen, help and support people as they seek to gain access to services, social activities, education and work. Training is provided.

Refugee Resource ruthh@refugeeresource.org 01865 403292

Educational mentoring for young people

As a volunteer with the Refugee Support Network, meet for an hour a week with a young unaccompanied refugee (aged 15 to 21) to help them progress in education, e.g. by working on an aspect of their homework or classwork which they find challenging.

Torie Stubbs, Mentoring Coordinator – Oxford, Refugee Support Network (www.refugeesupportnetwork.org) tstubbs@refugeesupportnetwork.org 07562262718

Give language help to resettled Syrian families

If you speak Arabic, volunteer to assist support workers with recently resettled Syrian families. Or if you have an ESOL qualification, volunteer to teach them English.

Connection Support (www.connectionsupport.org.uk/projects/svprs) volunteer@connectionsupport.org.uk 07799110037

Tutor a refugee family member

If you are a university student in Oxford you can register as a volunteer tutor and be linked with a refugee family.

Talisu (www.tasilu.org) tasilu.tutoring@gmail.com

Host a homeless asylum seeker, refugee or vulnerable migrant

Many refugees in the UK experience destitution, for example when their asylum claim is refused or when they are granted refugee status but are then left without any benefits or housing. Award-winning local charity Sanctuary Hosting can help you host a homeless asylum seeker, refugee or vulnerable migrant rent free in your spare room for an agreed period of time. Share not only your home but also social and cultural experiences, supported throughout by a volunteer support worker.

Elaine Savage, Service Coordinator, Sanctuary Hosting (www.sanctuaryhosting.org)

info@sanctuaryhosting.org 07818555986

Community Sponsorship of a Syrian refugee family

Form a group offering full support to enable a Syrian refugee family to be resettled to Oxford under the government’s Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme. Groups need to work under the auspices of a charity and are responsible for organising accommodation, welcome, orientation, English language instruction, and help accessing services and employment. This may sound daunting, but there is much assistance and advice available from Sponsor Refugees and Blackfriars Oxford, a local church which has already done this, as well as from Oxford City Council and local refugee support charities. Community Sponsorship is a really tangible and personal way of responding to the needs of refugees and can be an extremely positive experience for the group too.

Shirley Hoy of Blackfriars Refugee Aidsenteniaconsulting@gmail.com

Blackfriars case study: www.ccow.org.uk/what-we-work-on/refugees-and-forced-migration/

Bekele Woyecha at Sponsor Refugees (www.sponsorrefugees.org) communitysponsorship@citizensuk.org 07504001756

Reset Communities and Refugees (www.resetuk.org) enquiries@resetuk.org 020 3582 9882

Advocacy & Awareness Raising

Organise an event for Refugee Week

Refugee week, in June each year, is a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events and activities that celebrates the contribution of refugees to the UK and promotes better understanding of why people seek sanctuary. Get ideas and tips on organising your event, as well as events listings, from the Refugee Week website.

Refugee Week (www.refugeeweek.org.uk) brightonandhove@cityofsanctuary.org

Campaign on behalf of refugees – petitions, letters, lobbying MPs and Councils

Refugees suffer many injustices and hardships, overseas and in the UK, and there is much which needs improving. You can help change policy and practice affecting refugees. Keep informed of the issues and latest petitions and campaigns by signing up for CCOW’s quarterly email Refugee Support Newsletter and/or emails or mailings, from refugee charities.

CCOW (Christian Concern for One World) (www.ccow.org.uk) joanna@ccow.org.uk 07774474601

Refugee Council (www.refugeecouncil.org.uk)

Safe Passage (www.safepassage.org.uk)

CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland) Focus on Refugees

(www.focusonrefugees.org)


This resource was prepared by Christian Concern for One World (CCOW) & updated in July 2019.

For over two decades, CCOW has been working with Christians who seek to discern what ‘doing justice,’ ‘loving kindness,’ and ‘walking humbly with God’ mean for us in our globalised world.

For further information or to request that information be added to future editions of this resource, please contact Joanna Schüder, CCOW’s Churches Refugee Networking Officer on joanna@ccow.org.uk or 07552948688.

Giving to support refugees in other countries

Most displaced people are living either in their own countries or as refugees in the countries nearest to them.  Uganda is currently hosting more than a million South Sudanese refugees; Lebanon over a million Syrians; Bangladesh almost three quarters of a million – over half a million of whom have arrived within a very few weeks.

It’s vital to get resources to places where there is most need. Here are some organisations to which you can contribute in order to help. The links go directly to pages listing their appeals or work with refugees.

 

Featured Image: ‘Getting Syria’s children back to school in Lebanon‘, Russell Watkins/Department for International Development, used under Creative Commons License