Migrant Action

Empowerment Advocacy Justice

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Migrant Action: 2023 Review!

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By Georgia Hawthorne, Volunteer

2023 was a huge year for Migrant Action, with lots of successes, collaborations and an expanding awareness of the essential work that we do.  There have also been some enduring challenges, with state hostility and austerity measures negatively impacting migrant communities and placing pressure on our resources and capacity as an organisation. Going forwards, we will continue to challenge systemic injustice, maintaining resilience within our organisation and the communities we support whilst driving forwards transformative social change.

Check out the complete report for more details:

Migrant-Action-2023-ReviewDownload

In 2024, we will continue advocating for migration justice, humane migration, and a liberating future for migrants. 

Preparing for the Illegal Migration Act: Workshop discussion with Right to Remain

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Join Migrant Action and Right to Remain for a workshop discussion and networking event focusing on the impact of the Illegal Migration Act on migrants and our communities.

Tuesday 6th of February – 12.30-3.30pm – Middle Floor, 23-25 Wharf St, Leeds, LS2 7EQ

The Illegal Migration Bill became law – and therefore an Act – on the 20th of July 2023. The stated aim of this Act is to prevent and deter ‘unlawful’ migration by those using unsafe routes. The Illegal Migration Act changes the law so that those who arrive in the UK illegally will not be able to stay here and will instead be detained and then be liable for removal.

Right to Remain and Migrant Action will be co-hosting a discussion in Leeds with the aim to enhance our understanding and prepare our communities for the impact of the Act. See the link below for more information and details on how to get tickets:

6th February 2024 Leeds: Preparing for the Illegal Migration Act – Right to Remain

The workshop offers a good networking opportunity to build links for future collaborations whilst strengthening our collective solidarity and resilience for migration justice.

You can either register directly using the link or email info@migrantaction.org.uk

Galvanising resistance against increasing visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge: The power of collaboration

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By Holly Mogford – PhD student at Swansea University and Patients not Passports (PNP) campaigner.

In recent years, and amidst the hostile environment, immigration and nationality fees have broadened in scope and increased in amount. In doing so, the lives of many migrants have become extremely challenging. As documented by Migrant Voice (n.d.), the financial burden, for many, is combined with “mental and physical health problems, with some sacrificing food, heating, and electricity to save up for their visas”.

At the time of writing, there are a total of 168 immigration and nationality fee categories listed by the Home Office (UKVI, 2023). Among these categories is indefinite leave to remain (ILR) – main applicants and dependents, which is currently set at £2,885. In setting the fee at this rate, a significant profit is made. In October 2021, for example, when ILR was set at £2,389, the unit cost was £243, this resulted in profits of 883% (see Migrant Voice, 2022, p. 18).

In the summer of 2023, the government announced plans to increase visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge to fund part of the public sector pay offer. The Immigration Health Surcharge is a requisite component of visa and immigration applications. It was introduced in 2015 and was initially set at £200 (Burnett & Chebe, 2020). It has since increased to £624 and is again set to increase at the start of 2024 to £1035 (McKinney et al., 2023). This proposal has encountered significant resistance from public sectors workers, migrants, and campaigners, among many others invested in migrant justice.

Resistance against extortionate visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge existed prior to this recent juncture. Migrant Action respond directly to these fees. Hence, it was within this existing pursuit of migrant justice that Migrant Action joined the National Day of Action called by Migrant Voice, pursuing efforts of structural change.

On the 31st of October, Migrant Action joined in solidarity with individuals and organisations across the United Kingdom to resist the announced increases to visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge. The date of the event, Halloween, was aptly symbolic of the devasting impact of visa and immigration fees.

In hoping to spread awareness of this impact, Migrant Action organised a sign-making session at Leeds University followed by a series of presentations which focused on related research. The first speaker was Holly Mogford, a PhD student at Swansea University and a Patient’s not Passports campaigner. The presentation documented the socio-legal framework of NHS (sur)charging which has eroded the principle of universality in the NHS (Potter, 2018). This was followed by a presentation delivered by Dr Jon Burnett, a lecturer at the University of Hull. The presentation reflected upon a report by Migrant Voice (2022), in which Jon contributed by situating immigration fees in 21st century Britain, highlighting the profit made from certain immigration fees and visas. These presentations initiated discussion around the distinct, but inevitably related implications of NHS (sur)charges, immigration and visa fees. This was followed by an informative stall and demonstration in Leeds led by students.

The National Day of Action showcased the unity and support in resisting increasing visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge. This action powerfully cut across a vast array of organisations and individuals working towards migrant justice. It was a significant moment in time, yet, crucially, efforts to prevent the suffering imposed by extortionate visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge continue each day, whether this be by spreading awareness, lobbying to MP’s or providing direct support and advocacy to those impacted by these fees.

References

Burnett, J., & Chebe, F. (2020). Towards a political economy of charging regimes: Fines, fees and force in UK immigration control. The British Journal of Criminology, 60(3), 579-599. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz070

McKinney, CJ, Meade, L., Sturge, G., & Barton, C. (2023). UK Immigration Fees. UK Parliament. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9859/#:~:text=Application%20fees%20recently%20went%20up,and%20student%20visas%20by%2035%25.

Migrant Voice. (n.d.). Our campaign against the extortionate cost of visas. https://www.migrantvoice.org/visa-costs-campaign

Migrant Voice. (2022). Destroying Hopes, Dreams and Lives: How the UK visa costs and process impact migrants lives. https://www.migrantvoice.org/img/upload/Visa_fees_report_-_digital_final_to_upload.pdf

Potter, J. (2018). Patients Not Passports-No borders in the NHS! Justice, Power and Resistance, 2(2), 417‐429. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327252907_Patients_Not_Passports-No_borders_in_the_NHS/citations

UKVI. (2023). Home Office immigration and nationality fees: 25 October 2023. Home Office. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table/home-office-immigration-and-nationality-fees-25-october-2023

Re-imagining hopeful futures- Hate Crime Awareness Week and Black History Month

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In October, the Migration Partnership Barnsley hosted 2 events to mark Hate Crime Awareness Week and Black History Month. Both events brought together people from diverse backgrounds, mainstream services, Local Authority, community organisations and the local authority reflected on issues relating to hate crime, community cohesion and racial justice.

The activities offered opportunities for community engagement, evaluative reflection and envisioning of a more hopeful future for our communities whereby hate crime, poverty, inequality, racial and social injustice would neither be routine, trivialised, or institutionalised. Foregrounding lived experiences, guest speakers and participants acknowledged the importance of public education, rethinking and resourcing community-led approaches to combat all forms of hate and discrimination, more investment in aspirational projects for young people, building leadership capacity in communities towards more diverse and inclusive decision making, creating pathways for local influencing by people with lived experience, tackling root causes of hate and other forms of structural injustice and better infrastructural support for vulnerable and marginalised communities.

Essentially, the events articulated a shared dream of a community re-imagining a bold, ambitious, and aspirational future that is more equitable, resilient, welcoming, inclusive, harmonious, and thriving. Migrant Action and its partners continue to play a vital role as convenor and facilitator of inclusive dialogues that centre people and communities of lived experience to inspire and shape transformational social change. This is critical for migrant justice.

Migration Multi-Agency Event – 06/09/2023

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By Ash Eloise O’Brien, Communications and Social Media Intern at Migrant Action

Student interns are integral to our team and make a significant contribution to its work. Although their work is mostly remote, it is essential, where possible, that they have a direct experience of Migrant Action’s work by familiarising themselves with migration issues in the field. Recently, we attended a migration multi-agency event in Barnsley, organised by the Migration Partnership Barnsley and co-coordinated by Migrant Action. The multi-agency drop-in provides holistic support for vulnerable migrants in Barnsley. This service fills a vital gap in provisions for vulnerable migrants who exist at the edges of society and struggle to access mainstream services.

Mental Health and Migration

The themes of the event were mental health and community resilience, focusing on how we can best support migrant communities and improve accessibility to mental health services for all.

Each group was tasked with answering some questions on the services in our area, beginning by naming what is available and then discussing the gaps in provisions and the main difficulties found by staff working with migrants struggling with mental health issues.

Some issues in particular stood out to us, for instance, challenges with translation. This includes inconsistency in translators being present to enable migrants to communicate with medical professionals. There were also dialect complications, and issues with the presumption that a client was struggling with English when the issue was mental health-based, such as dementia. Also mentioned was the assumption that migrants who had lived in the UK for an extended period would see their English proficiency improve over time, which we know to be untrue unless migrants are provided with opportunities to study and learn the English language.

Naturally, migrants also struggle with the stigma surrounding mental health, as any person would, as well as the lengthy waiting lists, specific criteria for diagnosis, lack of communication between services, and shortened duration of support with little or no follow-up. Another interesting point was the option to travel home for health services, which for many migrants is cheaper and quicker. Some organisations and health professionals are working to ensure this is no longer the case, as consistent and accessible procedures should be available to migrants in the UK.

Guests

Mayor James Michael Stowe of Barnsley attended the event, speaking on the chosen theme for his mayoral year, ‘Inclusive Communities’, which resonates with the overarching theme of the event and Migrant Action’s social and migrant justice aims. He discussed the importance of raising awareness of the opportunities and support the council can offer and highlighting what support projects and initiatives the voluntary, community and charitable sector deliver to support all aspects of inclusivity.

We then heard from two incredible migrant clients, who both struggled with mental health after arriving in the UK and eventually found support through charitable organisations. One migrant originally from Madrid, Spain, spoke about their mental health issues while in Spain and once they moved to the UK. They believe that two of the most important aspects of support are normalisation, creating a destigmatised, safe environment for individuals to speak up about their struggles, and easily accessible support for all, found through counselling or workshop services, which they found to be beneficial. Their key messages were that things are changing for the better, but there is still much more work to be done and that empathy from doctors and service providers is lacking in some places.

The next client, from El Salvador, spoke next, describing their mental health journey in the UK and how the barriers created by various public services were frustrating. Family Lives was able to help them with appointments and medications. However, unfortunately mental health issues can be highly complicated, resulting in the need to trial various methods before finding what truly works. Thankfully, the two clients are both in much better places with their mental health now because of the support provided by remarkable organisations like Family Lives. However, many migrants continue to struggle each day, and it was integral to each discussion held at this event that our collective goal was to leave nobody behind, feeling lost and unable to access help and support.

Key messages

A central aim of our network is to provide accurate signposting for each client, connecting them with the service they need. As there are often a few different options for those struggling with mental health, it is vital that migrants are accompanied through the process of finding help. A degree of ‘hand-holding’ throughout this journey can ensure that somebody feels safe, secure and protected. Once individuals have made that first huge step in seeking help, a mental health service should provide them with the best expertise and support possible through personalised, sympathetic advocacy. Building trust and confidence between clients and workers is an essential aspect of these services, and ensuring some level of consistency, where we can, throughout the process. Moreover, no client should feel unsatisfied with the duration of support provided at the perceived end of their journey; engaging properly with follow-up processes is as crucial a part as any.

Conclusion

At Migrant Action, we believe that migrant-designed, migrant-led, and migrant-focused services are best equipped to help migrants through mental health difficulties. Lived experience gives workers and volunteers the best chance of truly understanding their struggles and forming client connections. This experience must exist at all levels so that decision-makers are well-informed and can approach issues with understanding and compassion. Awareness is fundamental, as is the adaptability of a service to provide that personalised level of support mentioned previously.

The work carried out by organisations at this event is exceptional, and we found it inspiring to hear from so many passionate individuals who have dedicated their lives to helping those in need. However, as detailed here, there is much work to be done. We look forward to continuing these discussions and connecting with other organisations to come together and provide our best support.