People Granted Asylum: Government Support
When an individual receives a grant of refugee status, it is a moment of unspeakable relief, even of celebration, as they finally have assurance of protection and knowledge that the next part of their life will be in the UK—after great tribulation and tragedy, they have safety and security. Refugees go through monumental struggles to reach that point, but it is only one part of their journey to rebuilding their life here in the United Kingdom.
It is very clear, particularly from what we have seen over the past year, that improvements have to be made to enable refugees to build fulfilling lives here and to use and develop the skills that they bring. To be genuinely welcoming to genuine refugees makes sense economically and for the health of our communities. It fulfils our international obligations as well as being a clear moral obligation.
To welcome refugees is not to give them preferential treatment over others, but to ensure that they do not have to overcome unnecessary barriers as they seek to get on with their lives—indeed, to start a new life—and contribute to our society.
Read more: Parliment, https://shorturl.at/HIMQ0
EU Approves Major Overhaul of Migration Rules
After years of negotiations, the European Parliament has approved a major reform tightening the EU's migration and asylum rules. The EU Asylum and Migration Pact has been in the works since 2015. It will come into force in two years' time. It is designed to speed up the asylum process and boost the return of irregular migrants to home countries.
It will also require EU member states to share responsibility for asylum seekers.
Last year saw some 380,000 people illegally crossing the EU's borders - the highest number since 2016. The EU said the pact combined "mandatory solidarity" between member states with flexibility. Although some EU states remain opposed to parts of the agreement, it is expected to receive full approval at the end of April under majority voting.
Under the proposed rules, the EU's 27 countries will be required to either take in thousands of migrants from "frontline" countries, such as Italy, Greece and Spain, or provide extra funding or resources instead.
The pact also says that asylum claims with "low chances of being accepted" should be examined rapidly, without necessarily admitting the applicant into EU territory.
The agreement also aims to deal with asylum requests within a maximum of 12 weeks. In case of rejection, asylum seekers would have to be returned forcibly to their home country within the same period.
Migrants will be subject to a toughened pre-entry screening procedure within seven days, which would include identification and health and security checks.
Laura Gozzi, BBC News, https://shorturl.at/xNRS1
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Dramatic Rise in Homelessness Among New Refugees in London
A person receiving refugee status is given a 'move-on' period of only 28 days to find secure housing before being evicted from their asylum accommodation.
"The insufficient time period puts refugees at high risk of homelessness and destitution as they move from asylum support to mainstream social security support. This precarious situation is exacerbated by the fact that refugees are very likely to have no savings, as they cannot work during their asylum claim and live on very low levels of support prior to an asylum decision", the Refugee Council said.
A combination of the recent increase in positive asylum decisions and a now-reversed reduction in the move-on period in August 2023 has led to an unprecedented rise in newly recognised refugees facing homelessness in London.
Read more: EIN, https://shorturl.at/loBER
ECHR Rulings: Significant Progress, but Important Challenges Remain
The latest annual report from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers highlights significant progress on implementing rulings from the European Court of Human Rights in 2023, whilst underlining that several important challenges remain. According to the report, the Committee of Ministers was able to close 982 cases during the year following steps taken by member states. This included 180 ‘leading’ cases requiring specific, and often wide-ranging, measures to make sure the same human rights violations did not happen again.
Furthermore, many important advances took place – across many different member states – in cases that were still pending at the end of the year. The total number of cases against member states pending before the Committee on 31 December 2023 was 3,819, of which 1,071 were leading cases(*). This figure remained relatively stable over the course of the year, despite a high number of new cases being transmitted to the Committee by the Court.
The report also highlights greater engagement in the implementation process on the part of both member states and civil society in 2023. A record number of action plans and action reports were submitted by member states, and the number of submissions from civil society organisations and national human rights institutions continued to grow.
Read more: ECHR: https://shorturl.at/qKRZ8
Migration Pact "Will Engender a Proliferation of Human Rights Violations"
Must Be Rejected: Amidst warnings from over 50 Civil Society Organisations, EU lawmakers reached a political agreement on the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum in December. The agreement is a continuation of a decade of policy that has led to the proliferation of rights violations in Europe. Moreover, it will have devastating implications for the right to international protection in the bloc and greenlights abuses across Europe including racial profiling, default de facto detention and pushbacks. Next week, MEPs will be presented with a final chance to reject the files in a Plenary vote, and to give a political signal against the adoption of a Pact that would undermine fundamental rights.
Taken together, the Regulations will usher in a new system for ‘managing migration’ in the EU that is characterised b
De facto detention at borders
More asylum applicants will end up in border procedures
Broadening of the ‘safe third country’ principle, people asking for asylum will be declared inadmissible and increasingly deported to countries outside of the EU
In the absence of safe and regular pathways
increase in the use of surveillance technologies at all stages of migration and asylum procedures.
Read more: Satewatch, https://shorturl.at/ktvP3
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