2025 issue 4: Aug–Oct

The Newsflash is a regular round up of publications, information, events, funding and jobs relating to asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest developments.

The Newsflash is produced by Local Government East – Strategic Migration Partnership.

1. Asylum Seekers and Refugees – including refugee resettlement

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1.1

Asylum and returns policy statement – ‘Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy’

This Home Office policy statement sets out the UK government’s plans to reform the UK’s asylum and returns policy. It focuses on reducing arrivals, increasing the removal of those seeking asylum whose claims have been rejected, and safe routes to the UK for those fleeing persecution and seeking sanctuary in the UK.

Open Consultation: Earned Settlement

As part of this plan, the government is consulting on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented. Settlement will no longer be granted automatically after a fixed period. Instead, migrants will need to earn it by demonstrating sustained good conduct, contribution and integration.

This consultation is now open and closes on 12 February 2026.

You can respond to this consultation online, here.

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1.2

Asylum accommodation in the UK

• The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford have published a briefing examining the accommodation of asylum seekers in the UK. It reviews the use of hotels as well as the cost, and compares regional differences in the overall use of hotels.

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1.3

Home Office’s Management of Asylum Accommodation Report

Published on 27 October 2025, the Home Affairs Committee examine how the Home Office responded at operational level to the increase in demand for asylum accommodation and explores how the system for delivering accommodation could be strengthened and reformed.

Read the report, here.

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1.4

Report: ‘I told them the truth’: an update on the criminalisation of people arriving to the UK on small boats – February 2024 to April 2025

This new report from Border Criminologies and the Centre for Criminology at the University of Oxford provides updated recent evidence and analysis of how people are being criminalised for seeking safety in the UK. It follows on from their initial report published in February 2024, ‘No such thing as justice here: the criminalisation of people arriving to the UK on ‘small boats’, which set out how people seeking asylum in the UK are being arrested and imprisoned for their arrival under new criminal offences introduced in 2022 – covering the period June 2022 to January 2024.

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1.5

Anti-Misinformation Action in your Local Community

Mis- and disinformation about migrants, people seeking asylum and migration in general can drive local hostility. This guide, produced by Migrant Champions Network sets out ways in which local authorities may be able to help to counter this by setting up a neighbourhood network to identify misinformation and stop its spread. The network is based on a successful model running in Barcelona since 2010. The purpose of establishing a local anti-misinformation initiative is to identify, investigate, and address misinformation in the town that targets migrants, people seeking asylum or other minority groups. By establishing a local initiative to counter harmful misinformation, local authorities and communities can work quickly and transparently to identify and counter misinformation, strengthening community cohesion and preventing the far right from gaining traction in the local area.

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1.6

A Migrant’s Guide

Praxis, an award winning human rights charity fighting for migrant rights since 1983, have produced this interactive guide to support an individual through their immigration journey in the UK. It helps someone access services, build community, and take care of themselves before and after securing immigration status. It has been co-produced by people with lived experience of navigating the complex immigration system in the UK.

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1.7

Here’s what we know about early childhood education and care for refugee children in Europe

Refugee Education UK, in partnership with the University of Nottingham (Hub for Education for Refugees in Europe (HERE)), have published this research report on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for Refugee Children in Europe. ECEC can be pivotal for young children who have experienced forced displacement, and for their families, parents and caregivers. For children, high-quality ECEC supports social, emotional and cognitive development, provides a safe space for learning and play, and can aid in the process of healing from traumatic experiences. With children attending ECEC, parents and caregivers can pursue study and work, and ECEC can also offer connections to wider services and networks of support. However, systemic, practical and policy-related barriers and challenges limit access to high-quality ECEC for refugee and forcibly displaced children. The report brings together existing research on access to and experiences of ECEC for refugee children in Europe.

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1.8

Until Harm Ends: An update report on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK

ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking) together with the charity Missing People, have published a report which reveals significant issues with child victims of trafficking and unaccompanied children going missing from care. The report exposes the persistent and widespread safeguarding failures affecting trafficked and unaccompanied children in the UK. Both organisations call on policymakers, local authorities, and the public to recognise the gravity of this issue and take immediate steps to strengthen safeguarding practices, improve data collection and provide specialist support for trafficked and unaccompanied children.

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1.9

STEP Ahead pilot evaluation report

The Home Office have published a report detailing the findings of an evaluation of the STEP Ahead Programme pilot, which is a 12-week digital English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and employment support programme for eligible refugees across the UK. The pilot programme was commissioned by the Home Office and delivered by World Jewish Relief (WJR) with the British Council. The evaluation of the pilot was conducted by Ipsos UK.

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1.10

Evaluation of the Refugee Employability Programme (REP)

Published by the Home Office, this interim evaluation report of the Refugee Employability Programme provides findings on processes and outcomes achieved in its first year. The programme, which offers employment, language and integration support, aims to remove the barriers refugees face when adjusting to life in the UK, enabling them to be self-sufficient faster. The interim report covers year one of the programme, from September 2023 to June 2024.

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1.11

Rainbow Migration

Rainbow Migration are an organisation that support LGBTQI+ people through the asylum and immigration system. They provide practical and emotional support for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum to help improve their confidence and self-esteem and reduce isolation. They provide specialist legal information and advice, and campaign to improve the treatment of people seeking asylum. They also provide legal advice and information to LGBTQI+ people who want to live in the UK with their partners.

Recently they shared a short film, commissioned by Pink Noise, called ‘Nurbolot’ which tells the story of a gay person from Kyrgyzstan and their journey to safety.

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1.12

Housing Rights Latest News

The Chartered Institute of Housing have published their Autumn 2025 newsletter. It includes a number of guest articles including an article entitled ‘Understanding the lived experience of women refugees’, which reflects on a recent roundtable discussion based on a report produced by the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research that explored support for women refugees called ‘Gender, Refugees and Housing’ (July 2025).

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1.13

Refugee Week 2025 Evaluation & Highlights Report

Each year, Refugee Week highlights the strength, creativity and contributions of those rebuilding their lives in the UK. This report captures the key moments, outcomes and reflections from Refugee Week 2025, highlighting the partnerships and stories that made is a success.

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1.14

Bedford Refugee & Asylum Seeker Support (BRASS)

Following the unexpected death of Brian Cunningham, Director of Brass, the charity has rescheduled their AGM to Wednesday 14 January 2026 and will be held at St Peter’s Church Hall, MK40 2TX – 12:30 lunch/refreshments and 13:00 meeting.

A book of condolences is being compiled which will be given to Brian’s family. If you wish to contribute, please contact the office admin@brass27b.org. The deadline for contributions is 11 December.

2. Migration

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2.1

Reducing exploitation

According to the UK Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee, there are approximately 100,000 people who are victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK. Migrant Help have collated essential information and guidance to help an individual stay safe while navigating various aspects of life in the UK. All the resources were fully co-produced with a panel of individuals with lived experience and are available in several different languages.

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2.2

Human Trafficking of Children and Young People: A Framework for Creating Stable and Positive Futures

A book, with this same title by Patricia Hynes, Anna Skeels and Laura Duran has been published. It is based around two Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery PEC) participatory studies – the Creating Stable Futures: Human Trafficking, Participation and Outcomes for Children and Outcomes for Children and Young People Affected by Modern Slavery studies. It can be downloaded for free through open access arrangements, here.

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2.3

Personal finance and migrants

Published by ‘The Conversation’ (a global network of online articles by researchers and academics for the public), this article, ‘Why personal finance is harder when you’re a migrant’, focuses on the difficulties migrants may experience when it comes to personal finance. For example, navigating unfamiliar banks and financial products, coming up against unwritten rules, such as needing a good credit score to access mortgages, loans and mobile phone contracts.

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2.4

Families with no recourse to public funds trapped in hardship

A new report, produced by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has been published. The report calls for urgent policy change to ensure that everyone experiencing hardship in the UK has a place to turn for support. The number of people with NRPF is not systematically recorded by the Government which makes it very difficult to understand the varied circumstances of people with NRPF.

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2.5

Migration and gender in the UK

Published in October 2025 by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, this report looks at how different immigration routes affect men and women, and how this has changed over time. It considers how men and women face the same rules in the UK immigration system but how these rules can affect them differently, as they often migrate through different visa pathways and can face different challenges meeting the eligibility criteria.

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2.6

Student Migration to the UK

This briefing by the Migration Observatory examines international students in the UK. It presents statistics on their numbers, characteristics, economic impact, what they do after their studies, and how many settle in the UK.

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2.7

Migrants will be required to pass A Level standard of English

In October 2025, the Government announced that individuals applying to come to the UK through certain immigration routes must meet A level equivalent standard in speaking, listening, reading and writing. The Secure English Language Test must be conducted with a Home Office approved provider, and the results will then be verified as part of the visa application process.

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2.8

How much do you know?

Safe Passage International have put together a short quiz to test your knowledge about safe routes and migration. It’s a bit of fun, but also a way of spreading knowledge and pushing back against misinformation and division.

3. Events and Training

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3.1

Understanding Refugee and Asylum Seeker Mental Health

Solace, an organisation who provide mental health support for asylum seekers and refugees in Yorkshire and the Humber region,  are offering this free, online course for learners with little or no knowledge of the UK’s asylum process and the issues that people seeking asylum in the UK face. By completing the 6 modules, learners will build their awareness and understanding to help consider ways that they, as individuals, can support those who have fled to safety in the UK – and in turn, how they can influence those in their organisation to do the same.

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3.2

Our Shared Futures: Climate and Migration Community Film Festival 2025

This festival is curated and produced by Counterpoints Arts in partnership with Earth Refuge, Climate & Migrant Justice Organising Group, and the City of Sanctuary UK. It brings together stories of climate, displacement, resilience and hope and takes place between 21-30 November, across the UK and online. The festival coincides with COP30 in Brazil and Climate & Migrant Justice Day (22 November), offering accessible ways for communities across the UK to engage in urgent conversations about climate change, migration, colonialism, and the power of solidarity.

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3.3

How can refugees bring their family members to the UK?

Following the closure of the Family Reunion (Sponsors with Protection) route on 04 September 2025, Free Movement are offering a webinar that is looking at the options for refugees and people with humanitarian protection status to bring their family members to the UK. The hour-long webinar takes place on 02 December 2025 at 11:00, via Zoom and booking is required.

4. Funding

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There are no current funding opportunities.

5. Jobs

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5.1

Suffolk Refugee Support (SRS) – Housing Advice Worker

SRS are recruiting a Housing Advice Worker to lead on our work providing refugees and asylum seekers in Suffolk with housing-related advice and guidance.

Hours: 24 hours per week – permanent contract

Salary: 18,884 (pro rata from £27,540 FTE for 35 hours per week)

Application closing date: 6 January 2026 at noon

Interview date: w/c 12 January 2026

More information can be found here

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