frontpage – Page 3

Covid-19: We continue to support and Adapt

12th January 2021 by ficheb

Sadly, the pandemic has moved into a more severe phase with staggering rates of infection and deaths. On the one hand, whilst government’s measures to stem the virus offer hope, however, many people in our communities, especially those on the ‘margins of society,’ continue to experience increasing levels of vulnerability, suffering and despair. For migrants, including families and children who have to navigate through this devastating emergency with no recourse to public funds and restricted access to wider mainstream provision, there is no safety net. Their hopes are pinned on charity, compassion and personal resilience.

Thank you!

We are immensely grateful and humbled by the kindness and generosity of our ‘supporters’ expressed through volunteering, donations etc. Thanks to our clients who continue to trust in our service provision and our amazing partners who work collaboratively to ensure access to services. Finally, huge thanks to our funders for endorsing and sustaining the work we do and their encouragement as we face daunting challenges each day.

Volunteer opportunity – ESOL teacher

14th December 2020 by ficheb

For new migrants in the UK, the pathway to meaningful and sustainable integration is through accessing language, education and employability support. These vital support packages are limited hence many migrants are forced to the edges of society where they are routinely exploitable.

We are seeking volunteers and interns to deliver ESOL and English conversation classes for migrants, face-to-face or online. Our blended approach of ESOL and employability support is integral to effective advocacy and integration.

If you are keen on this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people, please contact us at info@migrantaction.org.uk or call us on 01138330991

Still here, supporting migrants

25th November 2020 by ficheb

Covid-19: Not without food!

24th November 2020 by ficheb

Covid-19 has deepened poverty, deprivation and destitution in disadvantaged communities. Increasingly, Migrant Action is witnessing individuals who are struggling to adequately meet the basic needs of food, education and shelter.

For vulnerable migrants, the need is greater and the consequences of unmet needs are severe. The pandemic has exacerbated vulnerability for those living on the ‘hard edges’ of society, especially migrants who have no recourse to public funds and restricted access to services.

Our Response

Over the autumn half-term, Migrant Action partnered with Complete Woman and URP-Leeds ltd to deliver hot meals, sandwiches and snacks to over 75 children accompanied by their parents and carers.

The initiative was part of a Migrant Action’s Covid-19 relief in association with the wider community-led national campaign led by the Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford.

Our partnership worked in collaboration with other community stakeholders including Ethiopian restaurant Melkam and the Christ Temple of Worship church. Both provided access and trusted spaces for children, parents and carers to spend time together in a safe and relaxed environment.

More than Just Food

This initiative strengthened local partnerships, supported local business, enhanced social and cultural integration, reduced loneliness and isolation, built new relationships, identified new needs and increased community resilience.

These outcomes underpin Migrant Action’s ‘Strengthening Hands’ partnership, which aims to strengthen grassroots collaboration and tackle social justice and system change. These issues are rooted in the lived experience of migration, social and racial injustice.

Migrant Action is committed to alleviating the impact of Covid-19 on the most vulnerable. As the second wave of the pandemic takes hold, we anticipate an even more challenging winter, especially for the most vulnerable and destitute migrants.

Therefore, through our partnerships, we will continue to offer support to migrants and those with no recourse including food for children and their families.

“This is a real partnership and grassroots engagement with local communities and
supporting local business” ( Kidist- Project coordinator- URP Leeds ltd)

How can you support us?

You can support our Covid-19 relief and the wider work on migrant rights and justice by donating to Migrant Action via this link https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/migrant-action-donations?fbclid=IwAR3koPJeeVSMoUjmnQ5mEmgsA1LQQcravCOkce8CnLGqjk5cdLlFrINoLTc

If you are passionate about migrant rights and social justice and would like to volunteer, email: info@migrantaction.org.uk

EEUSS: the end of transition period support and information for migrants

20th November 2020 by ficheb

As the UK is now moving towards the end of Free Movement (31^st December 2020) this update highlights policy updates that will impact on EU nationals residing in the UK.

EU nationals and Employment:

Apply for a National Insurance Number and work in the UK:

Since March 2020, non-UK nationals can only apply for a National Insurance number in England, Scotland and Wales if they have entered the UK on a visa because of coronavirus (COVID-19).

EU nationals can start work without a National Insurance number if they can prove you can work in the UK. They can also still apply for benefits or a student loan.

EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, can continue to use your passport or national identity card to prove they can work in the UK until 30 June 2021.

You can find further information on Gov.uk here.

EUSS Application:

Applying with an expired document:

The updated guidance on EU Settlement Scheme include information on the extended validity period of identity documents made in response to the COVID-19 by some EU countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Spain. Please see the table below for more details.

Country	Document	Changes to expiry date
Bulgaria	Passport and national identity card	Any document expiring between 13 March 2020 and 31 October 2020 is to be treated as having no expiry date.
Croatia	Passport and national identity card	Any document expiring on or after 13 March 2020 is to be treated as having no expiry date.
Hungary	Passport and national identity card	Any document expiring on or after 11 March 2020 is to be treated as having no expiry date.
Romania	Passport and national identity card	Any document expiring on or after 16 March 2020 is to be treated as having no expiry date.
Spain	National identity card	Any card expiring between 14 March 2020 and 13 March 2021 is to be accepted as valid until 13 March 2021.

France has confirmed that the validity of the secure French national identity card (laminated), issued to people aged 18 or over from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2013, has been increased from 10 years to 15 years. Therefore, any such card is to be treated as having a validity period of 15 years, regardless of the expiry date printed on the card.

For more information on how to apply to EUSS with an expired ID document, please get in touch with the Home Office Resolution Centre: 0300 123 7379

End of the Transition Period:

*Grace period draft regulation

The Brexit transition period is set to end at 11PM on 31 December 2020, after which the UK will officially break with the EU and EU law will no longer apply to UK territories. For the purposes of the EU Settlement Scheme, the government has provided for a “grace period” of six months in which EEA nationals can still apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme without losing their rights. That grace period will end on 30 June 2021, after which EU citizens in the UK who have not acquired status under the Scheme will become unlawful residents and will be considered “late” applicants.

Draft legislation proposals reveal how the government intends to protect (most) of the people eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, but who have failed to do so before the end of the transition period. It sets out that during the grace period, economically active EEA nationals and Swiss nationals will automatically remain lawfully in the UK. They will also be protected if they do apply before 30 June 2021, but their application is unresolved when that deadline passes.

For economically inactive individuals such as students and self-sufficient EEA nationals, remaining legally resident will be more complicated. The deadline for application is still 30 June 2021, and until that day, economically self-sufficient people can stay in the UK. However, according to the draft legislation, if economically self-sufficient people have applied by the deadline but are still waiting for their application outcome on 30 June 2021, they risk losing their status and be found illegal residents in the UK for the period between 30 June 2021 and the conclusion of their application. It is also unclear whether during the grace period itself, they are considered lawful residents or merely granted relief from hostile environment policies, but still considered unlawful residents. Having such a period of unlawful stay on your resume can have far-reaching consequences when trying to apply for visas or re-enter the UK from abroad.

In order to avoid this period of unlawful residence, economically inactive applicants are encouraged to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme early. If they cannot do so, for whatever reason, they are advised to take up comprehensive sickness insurance (CSI) before the transition period ends (meaning before 31 December 2020), as holding CSI will protect them from losing their right to reside and become unlawful residents.

Please find more information here.

What does residing lawfully (exercising EU Treaty Right) mean?

In order to be considered to reside lawfully in the UK, EU nationals have to fulfil certain requirements.

EEA and Swiss nationals have an initial right to reside in the UK for 3 months, provided they hold a valid national identity card or passport and do not become an unreasonable burden on the social assistance system. Under Directive 2004/38/EC (the Free Movement Directive) they have an extended ‘right to reside’ beyond that period if they are ‘exercising a Treaty right’ as:

i) A worker , ii)
ii) A self-employed person,
iii) A student,
iv) A self-sufficient
v) A job seeker, for a period of up to 6 month.

An EEA national who is residing in the UK as a student or self-sufficient person must also have “comprehensive sickness insurance” (CSI) in order to be exercising Treaty rights in those capacities. A self-sufficient person and student must also hold CSI for their family members.

Using an EU ID card in UK:

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can continue to travel to the UK for holidays or short-term trips after the 1^st January 2021, without needing a visa.

They will need to show a valid passport or a national identity card if you’re a citizen of either:

an EU country
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland

However, some EU nationals will not be able to use your EEA or Swiss national ID card to enter the UK from 1 October 2021.

EU nationals can continue to use their national ID card to enter the UK until at least 31 December 2025 if they:

Have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
Have a frontier worker permit
Are an S2 Healthcare Visitor
Are a Swiss Service Provider

Non-EEA family member of an EEA or Swiss citizen can enter the UK as they do now until December 2020.

Please note that all documents issued under the EU regulations will cease to be valid in the UK on the 31^st December 2020. This includes:

Non-EU family member biometric residency card
EU residency card (blue document)

Further information can be found here.

EU students:

From 2021-22, EU students will be classed as oversees students and they will no longer be eligible for home fee or student loans. This change will not affect those covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.

Providing support to EU nationals:

Providing immigration advise/services:

Local organisations providing support regarding the EU Settlement Scheme shall ensure that they are fully compliant with the requirements of the Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner (OISC) in the services they deliver. Any basic immigration advice within the Immigration Rules being provided requires organisations to be registered with OISC level one.

If not OISC regulated, organisations must ensure all staff supporting applicants understand the definition of advice and the limits of what they can do without OISC regulation.

The definitions of ‘immigration advice’ and ‘immigration services’ are set out in section 82 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (as amended). Immigration advice:

Relates to an individual; and
Is given in connection with a relevant immigration matter
Immigration services means making representations on behalf of a particular individual:
In civil proceedings before a court, tribunal or immigration judge in the United Kingdom
In correspondence with a Minister of the Crown or a government department

Providing non-OISC restricted EUSS support:

If your work is restricted only to signposting or the provision of general information, you do not need to apply to the OISC for registration. Examples of this are:

Awareness raising,
Signposting
Information provision,
Public events,
Language support,
Digital assistance and equipment provision.

However, providing one-to-one immigration advice would require OISC registration.

You can find further information on OISC regulations here.

Support available in Leeds:

St Vincent’s:

St Vincent’s has secured further funding to support EU nationals apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. Please contact St Vincent’s directly for more information on how to access support: 0113 248 4126.

Leeds City Council Digital Assistance and ID scan services:

Support appointments at Merrion Hub will resume 19/10/2020. There will be some alterations to the process, however, to ensure we maintain a COVID-safe environment.

The key points are as follows:

There will be a minimum of a seven day lead time on all new appointments.
Any documentation required for the appointment must be dropped off at Merrion Hub at least four days before the scheduled appointment (this will be held securely until the appointment date).
All appointments must be booked through We Are Digital (WAD)

We are Digital contact details are: email: visa@we-are-digital.co.uk – Phone: 03333 445 675 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; Saturday, 9am to 4pm).

Migrant Action was established in 2016 as an Advocacy and Rights based organisation providing information, guidance, advocacy support and direct practical assistance to ‘vulnerable’ migrants. Migrant Action works with migrants who have fallen through the cracks of the immigration system including (but not restricted to) stateless people, those who have been unable to regularise their status and those on temporary visas. We work to ensure equity of rights and justice for migrants, and although the primary focus of our work is not with asylum seekers and refugees, we do signpost them to appropriate … Read more ..

Extortionate immigration Fees for migrants: Unfair & Inhumane

Extortionate immigration Fees for migrants: Unfair & Inhumane

In the last decade, we have witnessed the exponential rise in the fees and charges attached to immigration applications for visas (permission to come or remain in the UK) made by migrants to the Home Office. Migrants and their families are crumbling under the burden of these fees & charges as some are forced into making precarious choices in order to afford the fees/charges. In February 2021, the court of appeal ruled that the immigration fees for child citizenship applications were ‘illegal’. £1,000 fees for child citizenship are illegal, appeals court rules | The Independent

At Migrant Action, we are seeing increasing levels of hardship and precarious living amongst migrants. Often, they have no recourse to public funds and in low wage jobs hence struggle to afford not just the legal fees but worse still, the extortionate immigration fees & NHS surcharges. One mother stated ‘we had to make a choice between heating and saving up for our application’. During the Covid-19 pandemic, our ‘Access to Justice’ scheme funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, enabled us to support vulnerable migrants/ families impacted by Covid-19 to secure legal advice and assistance with immigration applications which involved fee waiver applications.

While our ‘Access to Justice’ offers a short term solution and makes a big difference to the lives of a few migrants, the charging of extortionate visa fees, NHS surcharges and other immigration related fees are widely viewed as punitive, unfair and represents an injustice in the immigration system. A change in the immigration fee charging system is necessary and would offer fairness and equity allowing most migrants avert the throes of poverty, destitution and precarious living.

Migrant Voice has been working with numerous organisations across the migration sector as well as organisations outside of the sector such as trade unions to ensure that we have a full understanding of the impact of extortionate Visa Fees on Migrants across the UK – this Includes Migrant Action. Migrant Action is delighted to be involved in this campaign against extortionate visa fees seeking system change.

See more below about the campaign.

Join the campaign against extortionate visa fees

Migrant Voice is leading a campaign against extortionate immigration fees, which are having a devastating impact on many of our migrant members and their families.

Most visa fees have risen exponentially in the last decade, while the NHS surcharge and the extortionate cost of appointments and other associated costs add hundreds of pounds to each application. For example a family of four on the 10 year route to settlement can expect to pay in excess of £40,000. Our campaign wants to change this. We want to see all fees reduced to admin costs for adults, free for children.

Over the last months we have been listening to affected migrants and their families and gathering information from other organisations working on related issues to help shape our campaign. Through focus groups, a survey, and ongoing meetings we are developing the campaign’s strategy and plan, its priority areas, activities and recommendations. We continue to gather evidence of the impact extortionate visa fees is having and how this has been exacerbated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stephanie, 48, from Nigeria is one of those who wants the campaign to succeed. She is working as a healthcare assistant and has two children. She estimates she has spent close to £15,000 in visa fees to date. Her visa must be renewed every 2.5 years and at each visa renewal she must pay around £2,500 in fees, plus the £1,560 NHS surcharge.

It doesn’t have to be this way. A decade ago, fees in this country were more affordable. We believe it’s wrong for the government to continue to make a profit from migrants paying to stay in the UK,with some fees charged up to ten times the actual cost.

The costs are so high that they have a direct impact on Stephanie’s family finances: she says, “When it is time for you to renew you are looking everywhere for money. You have no money to save, for school, rent, car insurance. My son is finishing college and I want him to go into further education but that is hard, financially.” Because her visa is still temporary, she has No Recourse to Public Funds.

The costs to migrants aren’t just financial – many families suffer mental and physical health problems, with some families sacrificing food, heating and electricity to make sure they can make their payments to the Home Office when the time comes.

Stephanie works as much as she can to make ends meet, often giving up family time or sick leave. Still, she sometimes must borrow money from other people. “I work six days a week in order for me to pay for everything and it’s still not enough, I still have debt … I don’t have time with my kids because I have to work so much. There is no time to sit down with family or take them out.”

She says that her life is reduced to working in order to pay for her visa. “I don’t feel heard by the government; they don’t know what I am going through. We are human too. I want to be heard.”

Migrant Voice are currently running a survey online to collect information and experiences from people like Stephanie on their interaction with the UK Visas and immigration system and the impact it has had on them and their families. We would be grateful for anyone affected who could complete this survey, it should only take 15 minutes. Please also share it amongst your own networks to make sure we hear from those affected:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MV_Visa_Fees_Survey.

Migrant Voice are also conducting interviews with migrants and their families who have been affected by the extortionate cost of Visas in the UK. If anyone would like to participate in these interviews, or would like to know more about the campaign please contact our Campaigns Organiser Cameron Ball: campaigns@migrantvoice.org

Please join us in raising awareness of these issues. You can get involved in several ways by sharing your experiences, taking part in shaping the campaign, take part in our network meetings, training, and lobby activities, share the link to our survey and spread awareness of our campaign with people who are affected, collaborate with us on this and inter-related issues.

Migrant Voice is a migrant-led organisation working with migrants from all around the world with all kinds of status. We develop the media skills and confidence of migrants with the aim of strengthening their voices in the media and civil society in order to counter xenophobia and build support for our rights. We have offices and networks in London, the West Midlands and Glasgow.