Migration news roundup week commencing 22 December 2025

This Migration News Roundup presents a selection of news, policy, research and statistics from the previous week on migration-related topics. The contents of each story do not necessarily reflect the views of Migration Yorkshire.

• UK borders and migration policy
• Specific migrant groups
• Cohesion and integration
• International news
• Stories that inspired us this week

UK borders and migration policy

According to a High Court judgement, the Home Office has unlawfully failed to protect vulnerable immigration detainees from inhuman and degrading treatment. (Source: the Guardian)  

Campaigners are urging the Home Office to publish quarterly data on deaths in its care, in line with other government departments. Freedom of information requests revealed there were 51 deaths in asylum accommodation in 2024. (Source: Liberty Investigates) 

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which provides independent migration advice to the government, has published two reports this week: 

• Review of salary requirements for worker visas, recommending retaining the current general salary threshold of £41,700, and the discounted rate of £33,400 for new entrants to the job market. 
• Annual report providing an overview of its work this year, and some analysis of the following topics: economic impact of the family visa; overseas domestic workers; and English language and integration. (Source: Migration Advisory Committee) 

Sheffield MP Olivia Blake secured a parliamentary debate on No Recourse to Public Funds: Homelessness, highlighting how government commitments to end child poverty and homelessness will fail if migrant families are excluded from support. (Source: TheyWorkForYou)   

Three new briefings relating to migration and government’s proposed changes were published recently:

• One looks at the new proposals on temporary protection for people seeking asylum in the UK, examining in detail how the proposals might affect integration, particularly the effects of longer waits for citizenship. (Source: Migration Observatory)
• Another briefing examines how the government’s proposed changes to the asylum system will impact people with protected characteristics (Source: UK Parliament) 
• Finally, a briefing in response to the government’s proposed changes to pathways to settlement that lists several objections, including increased costs and risks of destitution, undermining integration and increasing the amount of work required by the Home Office, and more expense to the taxpayer. (Source: Amnesty International) 

Specific migrant groups

On asylum accommodation: 

• A high court judgement has forced the government to extend the move-on period for asylum accommodation and support for up to 56 days. The interim order, which is in place until 16 January 2026, is estimated to affect around 3,000 people who would otherwise be at risk of being on the streets over Christmas. (Source: rightsnet)  

• Relatedly, a new report on the interaction between homelessness services and the asylum system shares insights of the effect of the extended 56-day discontinuation period as well as the impact of the new eVisa system. (Source: MHCLG) 

• Mears, who provides asylum services in Yorkshire and Humber, has returned almost £14 million to the Home Office, after breaching contractual agreements on profits. (Source: BBC) 

• The first military site used for asylum accommodation, Napier Barracks in Kent, has closed following six years of controversial headlines. (Source: the Guardian) 

A group of Ghanaian doctoral students who are struggling to complete their studies due to financial difficulties are appealing to the Prime Minister to urge the Ghanaian government to provide them with support. (Source: the Guardian)  

On migrant workers: 

• A new report estimates that people who entered the UK in 2022/23 via the Skilled Worker route, including lower paid care workers, will make a net contribution of around £47 billion over their lifetime. (Source: Migration Advisory Committee)    

• A survey of migrant workers has uncovered increasing levels of abuse across all sectors of the UK economy, with 46% of respondents reporting racism and a similar number feeling that they have been exploited at work. (Source: Unite the Union)  

• Hundreds of migrant care workers have travelled to Westminster to lobby MPs over proposals to triple the time before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain. (Source: Unison)    

34 MPs, including four from Yorkshire and Humber, urged the Home Office to honour promises given to Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders and maintain the current conditions for indefinite leave to remain for this group. (Source: Sky News) 

Cohesion and integration

People seeking sanctuary in Manchester have responded to the government’s proposed changes to the asylum system with a public statement, emphasising how lack of stability hinders integration. (Source: Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit) 

The Conservative leader has been accused of spreading disinformation following her comments linking migration with violence against women. Available data shows there is no difference in conviction and imprisonment rate between UK and non-UK offenders. (Source: the Guardian)   

International news

Spanish police evicted about 400 undocumented migrants from abandoned school buildings in Barcelona with no guaranteed alternative shelter. (Source: InfoMigrants) 

A year on from the fall of President Assad, this photo collection illustrates the stories of Syrians living in this new era of ‘fragile hope’. (Source: UNHCR) 

A survey of seven countries reveals many Europeans assume that the majority of migrants in their country are there ‘illegally’. The poll also found most respondents opposed any increase in migration. (Source: YouGov) 

Stories that inspired us this week

Top Manta, a cooperative of former street vendors in Barcelona, has launched an initiative which has so far helped more than 200 undocumented migrants, by training them to work in the fashion industry and assisting them in applying for formal residency in Spain. (Source: Reuters) 

A founder of the award winning charity and a community leader, Cecily Mwaniki, has been awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Reading for promoting health equity, education and community cohesion for more than 30 years. (Source: University of Reading) 

Volunteers have worked together to repair old bicycles to be distributed to refugee families. (Source: Islington Tribune)