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Lack of support for freed victims of modern slavery

One of the current government’s first announcements was a promise to clear the backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases it had inherited and help get the victims’ lives back to normal. But even if their status is confirmed (and some of the other estimated 100,000+ modern slavery victims identified), survivors are not guaranteed support, such as counselling, safe housing and legal advice. This is because new laws allow the government to decide on a 'case-by-case' basis whether support is 'necessary' in each case. As a result, some survivors go through…

One of the current government’s first announcements was a promise to clear the backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases it had inherited and help get the victims’ lives back to…

Undocumented workers trapped in limbo

One of Migrant Voice’s top targets for 2025 is to see government action to take the estimated 745,000 undocumented workers out of the untaxed, unregulated economy and regularise their immigration status. “This government needs to focus on what will benefit the country as a whole instead of playing with voters' minds, using the issue of undocumented migrants,” one undocumented worker told Migrant Voice. That worker, like hundreds of thousands of others, is not undocumented by choice: he wants a proper job, free from exploitation, to support himself and contribute to…

One of Migrant Voice’s top targets for 2025 is to see government action to take the estimated 745,000 undocumented workers out of the untaxed, unregulated economy and regularise their immigration…

Heritage on the catwalk

“We Wear Heritage” is a fashion show with a difference that brought a new dimension to the most recent London Fashion Week by highlighting traditional garments from some of the hundreds of communities who enrich British life. The 11 communities identified themselves as or coming from: Brazil, Afghanistan, China, Goan Indian, Caribbean, Iraq, Africa, Romania, Somalia, Tamils and Dominica. All are based in the London borough of Brent and are researching unique aspects of traditional textiles, clothing, or costumes. The show was organised by Rafael dos Santos, director and CEO of Best…

“We Wear Heritage” is a fashion show with a difference that brought a new dimension to the most recent London Fashion Week by highlighting traditional garments from some of the…

Gap year misery for refugees

Gap years conjure up images of pre-university students leaving their childhoods on the beaches of Bali and in the bars of Bangkok, enjoying those hedonistic worry-free months before their first undergrad essay. But for many asylum-seekers and refugees — desperate to contribute and be part of the society in which they have sought refuge — gap years can mean a cruelly frustrating period when they are barred from working and their lives slip away. The wait can be protracted. Even if finally they get the right to stay, the gaping…

Gap years conjure up images of pre-university students leaving their childhoods on the beaches of Bali and in the bars of Bangkok, enjoying those hedonistic worry-free months before their first…

Poetry on the move: '50 is a miracle'

I am fifty I feel I have arrived the biggest battles hopefully behind me Loraine Masiya Mponela __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As Loraine Masiya Mponela’s poem says, the biggest battles may be behind her . But that doesn’t mean she has stopped fighting. Her first poetry book, I Was Not Born A Sad Poet, was focussed on the struggle for refugee status, for herself and for others. Her second, Now I Sing — published two years later, in January 2024 — reflects the battle won, the acceptance of her asylum claim as well…

I am fifty I feel I have arrived the biggest battles hopefully behind me Loraine Masiya Mponela __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As Loraine Masiya Mponela’s poem says, the biggest battles may be behind…

Poetry on the move: 'Writing was like therapy'

Amaka Obioji says her poetry has changed in her three years in the UK. “Yes, it has changed greatly, because most of my poems right now are from the angle of migration.” As a child in Eastern Nigeria, she says, she didn’t talk much but read and wrote a lot: “I was a shy little kid while I was growing up. I loved reading.” Like all her siblings, she attended boarding school: “Writing was like therapy, a place to find joy, to be myself. “The only way I could communicate…

Amaka Obioji says her poetry has changed in her three years in the UK. “Yes, it has changed greatly, because most of my poems right now are from the angle…

Poetry on the move: In and out of trouble

Migration is such an upheaval, a life-changing decision, such an emotional experience that it is not surprising that many migrants write poems, many read them. In and out of trouble: Poetry got Amir Darwish into trouble (“They asked me: ‘Where do you get your ideas? Where did the inspiration come from?’ It was scary. Then they took me into prison and tortured me”). Later, it helped him get out of trouble. His love of literature was fuelled by his brother’s book collection, particularly those secreted in the attic from where…

Migration is such an upheaval, a life-changing decision, such an emotional experience that it is not surprising that many migrants write poems, many read them. In and out of trouble:…

Visa fees: 'Cash cows and political footballs'

More ammunition for the campaign for a government re-think on Britain’s exorbitant visa renewal fees — which are among the highest in the world — has come from ongoing Migrant Voice research. The evidence is already clear that the cost of visas has hugely damaging financial, health, familial and social effects on those paying them. Many families are forced into poverty and debt to pay for the costs. Visa fees price them out of their rights, and reduce their children’s life chances. Migrants wanting to settle in the UK must…

More ammunition for the campaign for a government re-think on Britain’s exorbitant visa renewal fees — which are among the highest in the world — has come from ongoing Migrant…

The excessive price of being a migrant

Since moving to the UK in 2016 I’ve spent tens of thousands. of pounds in visa fees. That excludes my university fees and living expenses, which may run into six figures. This is a consequence of a choice I and my parents made to better myself and seize opportunities I could get only here. I had been attending a British school, so the move made sense. But I started to be aware of the expense of being an international student. I didn’t have access to student finance or a student…

Since moving to the UK in 2016 I’ve spent tens of thousands. of pounds in visa fees. That excludes my university fees and living expenses, which may run into six…

Visa costs became the main cause of my financial anxieties

Dr Alex Fitzpatrick spoke to Tennille Hannah Rolingson about her own difficulties navigating the expensive, selective visa system. American by nationality, she moved to the UK to study in 2015 and stayed on to complete her PhD. What was your initial impression of the UK? I loved it. Having just moved from Manhattan and the extremely high cost of living there, it was a relief to live somewhere with much lower renting costs. As someone who also had sporadic access to healthcare in the US, it was a relief to…

Dr Alex Fitzpatrick spoke to Tennille Hannah Rolingson about her own difficulties navigating the expensive, selective visa system. American by nationality, she moved to the UK to study in 2015…