Our response to the government's Immigration White Paper
Our response to the government's Immigration White Paper
We believe the United Kingdom should offer dignity and security to all those for whom this country is home.
For generations, the U.K. has had a tradition of welcome and integration; we are not strangers to each other. Thousands of people in our communities are subject to a broken immigration system that unnecessarily punishes, extorts and excludes them. We are disappointed that the government’s most recent Immigration White Paper misses the opportunity to fix this system and seems instead to continue a narrative and practice that sows hardship and isolation within our communities.
Yesterday Prime Minister Keir Starmer described a vision of a new immigration system after the government published its Immigration White Paper. While we welcome some measures, we are concerned that the system envisaged will not unlock the potential, wellbeing and cohesion that our country needs. Instead, it risks making it harder for the government to solve some of our most pressing issues, including child poverty, homelessness and violence against women and girls.
We agree with the government that the current immigration system is not fit-for-purpose and prevents individuals, and our communities as a whole, from flourishing. We agree that radical change is needed.
The Prime Minister says migrants threaten our futures I completely disagree. As a young person, I stand for my future, and I stand for a country that welcomes people. Fairness, kindness, and opportunity aren't in conflict - they go hand in hand. We deserve better than this false choice.
Vyga, Nottingham Citizens
Young people like me are working hard for our futures, but we also want to live in a country that’s fair where people seeking safety are given a chance, not blamed. There’s no contradiction between our success and someone else’s survival. We can have both.
Aqila, Nottingham Citizens
I understand the Prime Minister wants to speak to young people’s concerns, and so do I. But pitting our futures against those seeking safety is not the answer. We want a fair, humane pathway to citizenship because the kind of future we’re fighting for is one built on justice, not fear.
Sumaya, Nottingham Citizens
Reinforcing a system that has systematically pushed children and families into destitution - is not the answer.
Extending the insecurity of thousands of people who should be able to put their talents, skills and qualifications to good use - is not the answer.
Penalising people rather than supporting them to make economic and other forms of contribution - disadvantaging groups such as refugees, single parents, women, and disabled people - is not the answer.
We know that to rebuild an immigration system that works for all, we need a timely, affordable and fair pathway to citizenship. Through our people-powered campaign we listened to thousands of people across the country and we have created a set of practical solutions to improve the pathway for all. Learn more in our report, From Rooted to Recognised.
The White Paper’s recognition of community sponsorship as a meaningful and sustainable pathway for refugee resettlement is most welcome. We particularly welcome the government’s language around placing power in the hands of local communities and creating a clear framework through which community groups, businesses, and universities can play a leading role in sponsorship.
Through Citizens UK as a Lead Sponsor for Community Sponsorship and the sole Principal Sponsor for Communities for Afghans, across the country, thousands of people have come together to support newcomers, and in doing so, have built lasting friendships, rediscovered a sense of common purpose, and enriched their neighbourhoods. We are ready to do more.
We also welcome the commitment from the government to children who have turned 18 and have been in the UK for a long time, to regularise their status and settle, including a clear pathway for looked after children and care leavers. After working locally and nationally to improve the support children in care desperately need, we are heartened to see the government's willingness to ensure their futures are not hindered because of the immigration system.
“No young person who has grown up in the UK should face an uncertain future simply because of their immigration status. I was that young person in care and I’m still facing that uncertain future even in my adult life now. It’s been nearly a decade now and I still don’t have my immigration status sorted. It’s the worst thing that I have been through so let’s make sure that all children—especially those in care—are given the support and clear pathways they need to regularise their status and build a secure, settled life.”
Gersi, South London Refugee Association, South London Citizens.
We are also encouraged to see a commitment to reduce financial barriers for young adults accessing British citizenship who have lived in the UK from childhood, and we welcome any changes to the eligibility of fee waivers for young adults and improving affordability more generally.
Young people are the hope and future of society and should be given a chance to excell in it. It hurts to see so many get their wings plucked and not be able to fly, not because they are lazy or not keen to succeed but because of immigration issues. We are losing our future backbone because they have no place to call home.
Jim Wasswa, Children in Care Campaign, South London Citizens.
A secure immigration status is more than a legal status. It determines how those who have put down roots and built lives in the UK can fully integrate, contribute and belong. And it is an important step on the pathway to citizenship, which ultimately represents the belonging, rights and responsibilities that allow our democracy and communities to thrive.
We are not strangers to each other. If we are to avoid an “island of strangers” and achieve the Prime Minister's vision of a country that “walks forward together”, one of integrated and cohesive communities, we can’t waste the opportunity to reform one broken system and replace it with another one. We need a timely, affordable and fair pathway to citizenship.
These are devastating news which are in line with continuing to make the UK a hostile place towards migrants. Lengthening the time people have to wait before they apply for citizenship will cause great uncertainty and impact all aspects of life and community. It’ll make it more difficult to make long term plans, will make investing (psychologically and financially) more difficult and increase the likelihood of discrimination for longer. It will also have an adverse affect on people's mental health, especially refugees who have experienced trauma back in their home countries, on the way to the UK and in the UK.
Rose, Senior Case Worker Slough Refugee Support, Thames Valley Citizens.
Citizens UK has a range of projects and campaigns calling for an end to the hostile environment for refugees and migrants in the UK. There are so many ways you can join our movement - from helping a refugee family resettle in their new home to lobbying the government for equal and affordable access to Citizenship.
Read more about our different campaigns and find out how you can get involved.