We oppose the governments New Immigration Plan. People will continue to risk their lives, suffer exploitation and abuse on the journey, ultimately many will continue to die until there are safe routes of travel, and legal ways to migrate. We need to work towards all people being treated like they have a British passport to move freely when they need and want to.
As Women Against Rape highlight: it introduces a two-tier system so that anyone entering the UK by a so-called illegal route will no longer be entitled to full refugee status. Instead, you will only get “temporary protection status” lasting no longer than 30 months. You will have limited access to benefits and family reunion, and could be removed from the UK while your claim is being decided. You will get only one chance to make an application and it will be easier for your claim to be dismissed as “unsubstantiated”. Even rape survivors will be expected to speak about everything they suffered at the very beginning regardless of trauma and the fear of stigma and discrimination. It will be harder to get asylum if you have a criminal record regardless of how you got it or for what.
They urge people to write to their MP to oppose these changes. Template letter here
Please cc Priti Patel MP, Secretary of State for the Home Department withammp@parliament.uk & public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk
There is a government consultation here with a deadline of 6 May. The consultation is biased and prevents people from expressing their objections. However, the first question asks if you agree or disagree so you may want to register your opposition there. If you want to fill in the whole survey there is some guidance here.
We have joined Women for Refugee Women to jointly write to the Home Secretary with over 70 organisations and expressed shared concerns about how the New Plan for Immigration will harm women.
Full letter is available on women for Refugee's website website here. They are pleased to share that an article by Maya Oppenheim for the Independent covering the letter has been published here.