May–July 2025

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

Ministry of Defence: Data incident affecting applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy Scheme and Afghanistan Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme

In February 2022 there was a data loss incident and some personal details of some applicants to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and the Afghanistan Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia scheme (EGS) may have been compromised. This page provides information and guidance for those who may have been affected.

Applications submitted after 7 January 2022 are not affected by this incident.

Check if you may have been affected

If you applied to ARAP or EGS on or before 7 January 2022, find out whether you (and any family or dependants cited in your application) are potentially affected. Please note, if you have submitted multiple applications under either scheme, you should check every reference you have been given.

Scam emails and texts

Scam emails and texts about compensation that have been sent to some Afghans affected by the data incident. Please note:

• Any contact from the UK Ministry of Defence will be sent from email addresses ending in ‘@MOD.GOV.UK’.
• If you receive emails or texts claiming to be from the UK Ministry of Defence DO NOT reply or click on links or attachments.
• There is no fee attached to your ARAP or EGS application, offers made under the ARR or relocation through the ARP. Emails or texts requesting money for these schemes are scams.
• For further advice on spotting and reporting scams, read the National Cyber Security Centre’s phishing guidance.

Home Office: UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) and Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) Local Authority Funding Instructions (FI) 2025-26

The Home Office have released the latest Local Authority Funding Instructions for the below resettlement schemes, which can be accessed here:

UK Resettlement Scheme

• Integration Support Funding Instruction UKRS – 2025-26
• Healthcare Funding Instruction UKRS – 2025-26

Afghan Resettlement Programme

• Integration Support Funding Instruction ARP – 2025-26
• Healthcare Funding Instruction ARP – 2025-26

Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration report

An inspection of the Home Office’s use of age assessments (July 2024-February 2025) has recently been published. The inspection examined the efficiency and effectiveness of the Home Office’s use of age assessments, looking particularly at the Irregular Migration Intake Unit and the National Age Assessment Board. The Home Office’s response to this report and the recommendations made has also been published and can be found here.

The Needs of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Young People Living in London

Commissioned by London Councils and the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services, a report has been published calling for deep-rooted reform in order to prioritise the protection and well-being of unaccompanied children and young people seeking asylum in the capital. Whilst focusing on London, the issues detailed in the report are relevant to the country as a whole.

The New Recourse to Public Funds Checker (RTPF)

The New Recourse to Public Funds Checker (RTPF) is now available to councils across the UK to subscribe to in order to instantly establish whether a person can access public funds. The Home Office has funded the development of the RTPF Checker, which will be operated by the NRPF Network.

Do I need NRPF Connect or the RTPF Checker, or both?

Councils discharging statutory duties to provide accommodation and subsistence support under social care legislation must record this work on NRPF Connect, notifying the Home Office of involvement, engaging the Home Office in case prioritisation processes, and accounting for a high-cost area of social care practice. NRPF Connect is therefore used by social care and dedicated NRPF teams responsible for delivering support to families, adults with care needs, or care leavers.

When confirmation of a person’s immigration status or ability to access public funds in order to inform an eligibility decision is necessary, but no further contact with the Home Office is required, the RTPF checker can be used. For example, the RTPF checker may be a necessary tool for housing or benefits teams. The RTPF checker can be purchased by all councils, including district councils and those already using NRPF Connect.

Learn more about this tool here.

Intentions and Perspectives of Syrian Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe

UNHCR have published a new report presenting the main findings from a survey and focus group discussions with forcibly displaced Syrians across 13 European countries. The 13-page report sets out the intentions and perspectives of Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in regard to their intention to either remain in their host country or return to Syria and on what basis (permanent return or short term visits), and has 3 key recommendations for host countries.

‘I told them the truth’: An update on the criminalisation of people arriving to the UK on small boats

This new report has been published by the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Law and provides updated recent evidence and analysis of how people are being criminalised for seeking safety in the UK. The report covers the period from February 2024 until April 2025 – an update on the previous report published in February 2024, which covered the period from June 2022 to January 2024.

Understanding asylum seeker and asylum-route refugee vulnerabilities, needs, and support (2022)

In May 2025, the Home Office published this research and analysis report. The research was funded under the European Union’s (EU) Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and relates to a broader AMIF-funded project entitled, ‘Asylum policy evidence and evaluation’. It was commissioned by the UK Home Office’s Analysis and Insights (HOAI) team and sought to establish how asylum seeker and refugee vulnerabilities, needs and support are understood and operationalised in the context of the UK asylum system. Through this research, the Home Office is seeking an evidence-based understanding of the challenges facing asylum seekers and refugees across their journey to the UK and within the UK asylum system, including pathways to integration, to enable better targeted support for those seeking asylum and those granted refugee status.

No Access to Justice: Mapping the UK’s continuing immigration and asylum legal advice crisis

A report written by Jo Wilding and commissioned by the Justice Together Initiative highlights the discrepancies in legal aid access across the regions and nations of the UK. The report examines legal aid and other free or low-cost services in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, discussing emerging themes, before moving to a region-by-region analysis of demand and provision.

Far-right riots: Advice for refugees and people seeking asylum

The organisation Hope Not Hate have published guidance for people concerned about far-right violence targeting people in temporary asylum accommodation or with refugee status living in the UK. If you work for an organisation supporting refugees and asylum seekers you may wish to download and share the guidance, which is available in several different languages.

UK-France treaty targeting small boat crossings: ‘One in, one out’ pilot scheme

This agreement between France and the UK means that anyone entering the UK on a small boat can be detained immediately on arrival and returned to France by the UK government. Under the ‘one-in, one-out’ scheme, an equal number of migrants will be eligible to come to the UK through a new route if they have not attempted an illegal crossing before – subject to full documentation and security and eligibility checks.

Further details on the pilot scheme are yet to be announced. Read the full Home Office news story here.