As indicated, the information given above reflects the numbers of people seeking sanctuary in the UK last year. However, the UK has also participated in a number of resettlement schemes operated by the UNHCR: “Resettlement programmes transfer recognised refu- gees from an asylum country to another third country. The aim is to give refu- gees permanent settlement in the third country.” (Wilkins, 20205
)
And, if you look at the nationality of refugees resettled in the UK between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2020, it presents a different picture. The top six countries are: Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Ethiopia (Walsh, 2021, 13-146
).
Just to update, at the time of writing, the different resettlement schemes have recently been reorganised, and there are now four recognised routes: [see: (Home Office, 20217
)]
l UK Resettlement Scheme: “[…] will continue to prioritise refugees, includ- ing children, in regions of conflict and instability, rather than those who are already in safe European countries.”
l Community Sponsorship Scheme: “Community Sponsorship works in much the same way as the UK Reset- tlement Scheme, but rather than local
authorities taking responsibility for a re- settled family or individual, local commu- nity groups provide housing and support.”
l Mandate Resettlement Scheme: “[…] a smaller global scheme that resettles refugees who have a close family member in the UK who is willing to accommodate them.”
l Refugee Family Reunion: “In 2020, around 5,400 people were issued with a refugee family reunion visa […]” (Walsh, 20216
). … and in the UK too
Periodically, there is consternation about the supposed number of new arrivals coming into the UK, and, as noted above, this was heightened by the Brexit vote and, more recently, by reactions to Cov- id-19.
Without getting drawn into some ugly political discussions, it is worth our being aware of, and following these news stories, just so we understand the impact they will have on our own communities – and people trying to settle within them.
Conclusions
There was considerable interest in this workshop at the Conference – and par- ticipants contributed a huge amount. My thanks to them and to Vickery Bowles
for sharing her notes. This is critically important work – especially at the point that I am writing this in August 2021 – and we hope to see it develop even more widely. IP
References
1. HOPE not Hate, and Migration Exchange. 2021. Migration and the far right: briefing 1. London: HOPE not Hate.
https://bit.ly/3j0plZU.
2. Taylor, Russell. 2018. Impact of ‘Hostile Environment’ Policy: debate on 14 June 2018. London: House of Lords (Library Briefing).
https://bit.ly/3mO52Aa.
3. Christie, Gary, and Helen Baillot. 2020. The impact of COVID-19 on refugees and refugee-assisting organisations in Scotland. Glasgow: Scottish Refugee Council. https://bit. ly/3lzdEv8.
4. Madill, Esme. 2020. “Albanian asylum claims: making a difference”. Free Movement, 7 Oct 2020.
https://bit.ly/2YP3lKM.
5. Wilkins, Hannah. 2020. Refugee resettlement in the UK. London: House of Commons Library (Briefing Paper 8750). 6 Mar 2020.
https://bit.ly/3oZO5pe.
6. Walsh, Peter William. 2021. Asylum and refugee reset- tlement in the UK. Oxford: The Migration Observatory (Briefing). 11 May 2021.
https://bit.ly/3oUtmmB.
7. Home Office. 2021. “How does the UK help refugees through safe and legal routes?”. Home Office in the media, 14 Jun 2021.
https://bit.ly/3v8zOaG.
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