Local communities welcome hundreds of refugee families – Home Office
Over 1,000 vulnerable refugees fleeing regions of conflict and instability, including Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Eritrea, Iran, Somalia and Afghanistan, have been welcomed under one of the UK’s safe and legal routes by local communities across the UK, so they can start their new lives in the UK.
The government has some of the most generous safe and legal routes anywhere, and since 2015 the government has offered a range of safe and legal routes to the UK to over half a million men, women and children seeking safety, as well as family members of refugees. This includes the community sponsorship scheme which allows members of the public to support the most vulnerable refugees who have been assessed as in need of resettlement here.
For full report, click here
Security Minister in India to discuss shared threats – Home Office
The UK’s Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat, is in India for a three-day visit to bolster bilateral cooperation on security initiatives and attend the G20 anti-corruption ministerial meeting.
During a meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, in New Delhi yesterday, Minister Tugendhat announced new funding to enhance the UK’s capability to tackle pro-Khalistan extremism.
The £95,000 investment will enhance the government’s understanding of the threat posed by pro-Khalistan extremism, complementing the joint work already underway between the UK and India through the joint extremism task force.
For full report, click here
How is the UK stopping Channel crossings and what are the legal routes to the UK?
Asylum seekers have been taken off the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset after Legionella bacteria was discovered on board. The accommodation is part of the government’s plan to deal with the large numbers of people arriving in the UK on small boats.
Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire is also due to open soon, but the government has not yet said how many people could be housed there. Forty-six asylum seekers have arrived at the Wethersfield site. An unspecified number of residents subsequently tested positive for tuberculosis (TB). The first asylum seekers were expected to arrive at Scampton in mid-August, but this has been delayed until October 2023.
For full report, click here
EU denies reports it has rejected UK deal to return people who cross Channel – The Guardian
The EU has rejected reports that it is not open to a new deal with the UK on returning people who have crossed the Channel, after a leak of purported discussions between London and Brussels.
A leaked copy of a memo on discussions with the UK’s national security adviser, Sir Tim Barrow, was reported to have included mention of an aide to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, ruling out a post-Brexit “returns agreement”.
For full report, click here
UK launches crackdown on illegal immigrants delivering food – ‘Undercutting British workers’ – GB Migrant News
Food delivery companies are being urged to carry out more detailed checks on their drivers, as authorities report a huge increase in undocumented immigrants exploiting rules to work in the delivery sector.
Home Office officials said working in the underground economy was a “major pull-factor” for those embarking on often dangerous illegal journeys to the UK.
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‘An activist blob’: Tory party attacks on lawyers: a timeline – The Guardian
Conservative attacks on “lefty lawyers” blamed for frustrating the government’s immigration policy date back to the era of Boris Johnson’s government, with Priti Patel as home secretary. However, Rishi Sunak and his senior colleagues have not shied away from this language either.
Read how Tory criticisms of legal professionals have developed over the past three years.
For full report, click here
Security firm extends contract for criticised Manston detention centre – The Guardian
A security contractor that supplies the Manston detention centre has been handed an extension to a Home Office contract despite criticism that asylum seekers may have faced “inhuman and degrading treatment” at the facility.
Management & Training Corporation (MTC), an outsourcer, said it has signed a one-year deal in June to provide services at the detention centre in Manston, Kent, until July 2024.
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Afghan scholars in UK fear they may be forced to return home – The Guardian
Afghan scholars studying in the UK under a Foreign Office scheme say they live in fear of being forced back into Taliban clutches.
The current cohort of Afghan Chevening scholars say they are stuck in limbo and face the possibility of having to return to Afghanistan after their graduation in September or once their visas expire.
For full report, click here
Harben House hotel: Convicted criminal wins funding to house migrants
A landlord jailed for using copies of forged documents related to illegal properties is to house migrants with government funding. Harben House hotel in Newport Pagnell is due to receive 270 asylum seekers, to be accommodated in about 150 rooms.
The hotel’s owner, Siddharth Mahajan, 42, from Ilford in east London, was convicted of offences linked to the operation of houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs).
For full report, click here
INDEPENDENT REPORTS
Reforming Afghanistan Resettlement Schemes: the way forward for ARAP and ACRS, report by JUSTICE
A new report by the non-profit JUSTICE reveals significant flaws in the UK government’s Afghan resettlement programs, ARAP and ACRS. An expert working group assembled by JUSTICE found the programs are failing to effectively protect Afghans who aided the UK mission in Afghanistan and are at risk from the Taliban. The report calls for major reforms to uphold the UK’s promises to these Afghan allies.
To read the full report, click here
Leave in Limbo – Survivors of trafficking with uncertain immigration status, report by Helen Bamber Foundation
A new report from the Helen Bamber Foundation shows that foreign trafficking victims in the UK face major obstacles in obtaining secure immigration status. Trafficking survivors granted leave via the NRM often wait lengthy periods before receiving it, and most leaves granted are short-term.
For full report, click here
HOME OFFICE GUIDANCE & POLICY DOCUMENT UPDATES
- Transparency data: Migrants detected crossing the English Channel in small boats has been updated on 17th August 2023. To download the latest data, click here
- Guidance: Afghan schemes: funding instructions 2023 to 2024 has been updated on 17th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data has been updated on 17th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Statutory guidance Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme has been updated on 16th August 2023. To view the Guidance, click here
- Form – Apply for community sponsorship has been updated on 16th August 2023. To view the updated form, click here
- EU Settlement Scheme: caseworker guidance has been updated on 16th August 2023. To view the Guidance, click here
- Research and analysis: Seasonal workers reviews and surveys has been updated on 15th August 2023. To view the updated Research, click here
- Guidance Extradition and mutual legal assistance agreements has been updated on 15th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Guidance Immigration Rules archive: 7 August 2023 to 8 August 2023 has been updated on 14th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Collection Support for Afghans to find settled accommodation has been updated on 14th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Collection Support for Afghans to find settled accommodation has been updated on 14th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Guidance UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals has been updated on 14th August 2023. To view the Guidance, click here
- Guidance New immigration system: what you need to know, has been updated on 11th August 2023. To view the Guidance, click here
- Pre-matching accommodation: letter to Afghan households has been published on 11th August 2023. To view the letter, click here
- Guidance MLA guidelines for foreign authorities has been updated on 10th August 2023. To view the updated Guidance, click here
- Guidance Bridging accommodation exit plans for resettled Afghans has been updated on 10th August 2023. To view the Guidance, click here
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