Aims and Objectives

Overall Aims

To empower and support migrants particularly those who are most vulnerable, so that they feel safe and confident to navigate the complex migration challenges, maximise opportunities and fulfil their full potential.
To promote migrant rights and strengthen social cohesion in Leeds.
To challenge and reduce the effects of policies that create a hostile environment for migrants and advocate policies and practice that promote rights, safety, equality and dignity of migrants.
Help other organisations/services/groups to enhance understanding of migration issues so as to better meet the needs of migrants.

OBJECTIVES

To help migrants make informed positive choices through the provision of information,
guidance and support.
Improve access to Justice through signposting and referrals to legal/immigration services and casework support.
Provide advocacy support for migrants especially for the most vulnerable to ensure their rights are protected.
Facilitate access to mainstream provision including healthcare, employment etc.
Reduce the effects of poverty, destitution and social exclusion among vulnerable migrants by support access to provision and humanitarian assistance.
Raise awareness and develop understanding of migration issues so as to build a society where services are knowledgeable and competent in meeting the needs of migrants.

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 agencies

Service provision for non-asylum seekers is undefined and limited. In Leeds, migrants seeking information, guidance, advice, advocacy and integration support struggle to find where to go to for help. Many vulnerable migrants are confined to the ‘edges’ of society and face daily, the real risk of exploitation, destitution, child poverty, detention, forced removal and deportations without access to justice. Vulnerable migrants with entrenched complex needs encounter restricted access to service provision which has far reaching implications for their health and well being. Migrant Action is set up in response to this gap in service provision working with other vulnerable migrants who are not asylum seekers.

By delivering early and proactive interventions, we aim to reduce vulnerability across categories of migrants and navigate positive pathways to integration. Through the support we offer, we combat and help to reduce the effects of the government’s increasingly ‘hostile’ policies on the people subject to these policies. Working in partnership with other agencies, we ensure positive choices and pathways for migrants, better access to justice, reduce vulnerability and exploitation, increase integration and contribute to wider system and social change.

Overall, Migrant Action is working to help create an environment whereby migrants feel welcome, equal and able to thrive. Although only established 3 years ago, our work as a case-work and advocacy organisation ensures that we are at the cutting edge of efforts to mitigate directly and combat in more long-lasting ways the harmful impacts of immigration policy. In doing so, our work by necessity cuts across, for example, issues relating to employment protections, social and racial justice, welfare support, access to legal justice, criminalisation and healthcare policies.

How do we do this?

We adopt an early intervention, prevention and proactive in our work with migrants.

Provide a welcoming and safe space
Provide information and guidance to help migrants make informed choices
Help migrants to navigate and access good legal/immigration services
Provide advocacy support and facilitate access to mainstream services
Support integration- help migrants navigate community and social networks, training, volunteering, employment and other pathways for social integration
Activism- Working with other agencies to advocate and influence policy and social change

Who do we work with

Vulnerable migrants (victims of trafficking & modern slavery, People on temporary visas, unaccompanied minors, visa over stayers, undocumented/irregular migrants, people with insecure immigration status and anyone who is unsure of their immigration status
New migrants ( EU and Non-EU migrants)