Migration Matters

face hunger and homelessness

The Refugee Council has published a new report which reveals that newly recognised refugees are facing destitution because they receive insufficient and/or inadequate governmental support. The report, ‘England’s forgotten refugees: Out of the fire and into the frying pan’ found that refugees have only 4 week after their asylum claim is granted, to secure an income and somewhere to live before the Government evicts them from their asylum accommodation and stops their support. The research also showed that refugees face eviction from their asylum accommodation before securing an income or…

The Refugee Council has published a new report which reveals that newly recognised refugees are facing destitution because they receive insufficient and/or inadequate governmental support. The report, ‘England’s forgotten refugees:…

potential impact of Brexit on different sectors

In case Britain votes to leave the EU in June, the impact will be felt very differently across the sectors of the UK economy with agriculture, hospitality and retail as the areas most affected. According to a new study from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, undertaken for the Financial Times newspaper, most jobs in the UK labour market are not eligible for employer-sponsored work visas under the current immigration system and this will affect certain sectors more than others. Most of the workers from the European Union…

In case Britain votes to leave the EU in June, the impact will be felt very differently across the sectors of the UK economy with agriculture, hospitality and retail as…

Study shows the complexities and the policy implications

Which are the processes which influence, inform and shape migration? Who are the migrants and refugees that arrive through the Central and Eastern Mediterranean; why did they use those routes and what motived them to leave their homes? It is nothing new that people are on the move, including to and from Europe. But last year saw a four-fold increase from 2014 in the number of people coming to Europe. Media coverage described it as one of the biggest immigration crises in the continent, with few people questioning the real…

Which are the processes which influence, inform and shape migration? Who are the migrants and refugees that arrive through the Central and Eastern Mediterranean; why did they use those routes…

a review of I See You

I See You will resonate with all children of migrants who visit their parents’ original homeland without speaking that country’s language – even if they don’t get arrested. So many British children of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi parents have felt the confusion and sometimes annoyance they cause when their hosts address them in Hindi, Urdu or Bangla and they don’t understand: “Sorry, I speak English.” Assumptions of class and wealth and identity immediately shoot to the surface, usually buttressed by prejudice and stereotyping. In I See You at London’s Royal Court Theatre the…

I See You will resonate with all children of migrants who visit their parents’ original homeland without speaking that country’s language – even if they don’t get arrested. So many British…

England is more accepting and optimistic about immigration

Contrary to popular belief, England has become a more tolerant and multicultural society over the past five years. The Fear and HOPE 2016 survey collected information from over 4,000 people in England about their attitudes towards race, immigration, faith and belonging and compared this to a similar study conducted in 2011. The study was undertaken by HOPE not hate - an organization that wants to exterminate the politics of hate and extremism within communities and build up resilience against the politics of hate and fear on a national and local…

Contrary to popular belief, England has become a more tolerant and multicultural society over the past five years. The Fear and HOPE 2016 survey collected information from over 4,000 people…

A refugee’s cry for home and personhood

Nine Lives is so vivid that in the hour in which actor Lladel Bryant fills the stage you think he is telling his own story. But he’s not. He’s an actor (and a former UK Young Citizen of the Year 2006) playing Ishmael, who has fled to Leeds after being outed as gay in Zimbabwe. The eight lives in his monologue are the people he meets (or in the case of his former lover, talks to on the phone) between walking onto the stage and setting down his suitcase and…

Nine Lives is so vivid that in the hour in which actor Lladel Bryant fills the stage you think he is telling his own story. But he’s not. He’s an…

a play about sisters trying to escape from North Korea

Migration is at the heart of You For Me For You, a play about sisters trying to escape from North Korea. It’s by Korean-American writer, Mia Chung. Some of the actors are migrants (Kwong Loke and Wendy Kweh) or children of migrants (Katie Leung). And two North Korean defectors who live in Britain spent a day with the cast when they were rehearsing at London’s Royal Court theatre. In a post-show audience discussion, Chung recalled how matter-of-factly the pair talked about “horrific experiences”, without displaying emotion. She said it made…

Migration is at the heart of You For Me For You, a play about sisters trying to escape from North Korea. It’s by Korean-American writer, Mia Chung. Some of the…

Students, universities and refugee crises past and present

The summer of 2015 has seen an unprecedented number of refugees fleeing from Syria to Europe, with many citizen-led initiatives filling the vacuum where government support has been found wanting. At the forefront of these volunteers have been student groups who, despite the summer vacation, were quick to act through a range of initiatives including student unions collecting food, clothing and other goods; involvement in the #refugeeswelcome social media campaign; or joining solidarity marches and signing petitions. On 10 September 2015, the NUS National Executive Council passed an emergency motion…

The summer of 2015 has seen an unprecedented number of refugees fleeing from Syria to Europe, with many citizen-led initiatives filling the vacuum where government support has been found wanting.…

Show Racism the Red Card's new film

Migrant Voice is a proud supporter of Show the Racism the Red Card’s new educational film, “Immigration; What’s the Story.” Migrant Voice members contributed to the film which features a wide range of people discussing their own journeys and experiences of living & working in the UK. These migrant voices are supported by testimonies from professional footballers & celebrities including Gary Lineker, Manchester United & England’s Chris Smalling, Sunderland AFC & England’s Jermain Defoe & Chelsea & England’s Eniola Aluko. SRtRC have produced educational films as part of their anti-racism…

Migrant Voice is a proud supporter of Show the Racism the Red Card’s new educational film, “Immigration; What’s the Story.” Migrant Voice members contributed to the film which features a…

London events

October events include the annual Somali Week Festival, with poetry, literature, panel discussions, documentary film screenings and music. Thursday 1 October * The causes of radicalisation in Pakistan and in Britain, Owen Bennett Jones. 7-8.30pm, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, WC1. Info: centres[at]soas.ac.uk / 7898 4893 * State, society and economy: Perspectives on African constitutions, Yash Ghai, 6pm, The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, SW1. Info: 7969 5200/ events[at]britac.ac.uk * Adding Global Value: Women's Views on CHOGM, Lord Howell, Catherine Mayer, Kim Simplis Barrow, Deborah…

October events include the annual Somali Week Festival, with poetry, literature, panel discussions, documentary film screenings and music. Thursday 1 October * The causes of radicalisation in Pakistan and…

Migration Matters