Migration news roundup week commencing 10 November 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.

Content warning: This week's news roundup contains brief references to themes around suicide, death, exploitation and torture that readers may find distressing.

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

UK borders and migration policy

An Iranian man was removed to France for a second time as part of the ‘one in, one out’ scheme, having had his modern slavery claim refused. He received hourly welfare checks in detention. The scheme has removed 94 people and brought 57 to the UK. Also on small boats, focusing on the deaths of seven people in an incident in 2023 and in advance of a trial of traffickers, this article offers insight into smuggling operations. (Sources: the Guardian, France 24)

The head of the Council of Europe indicated that reforms to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) might be possible, but warned that withdrawing from the ECHR would leave the UK lacking influence on migration discussions as well as sending a negative signal on Ukraine in preparation for war crimes tribunals. Relatedly, this parliamentary briefing describes the how the ECHR and the UK immigration system interact in immigration cases. (Sources: BBC, House of Commons Library)

The government’s eVisa policy is facing a legal challenge as there’s no alternative way to prove immigration status when the eVisa system shows incorrect information or isn’t functioning. (Source: Free Movement)

This article predicts a sharp fall in net migration in 2026 and estimates how individual policies impact on net migration. (Source: UK in a Changing Europe)

An undercover investigation exposed a criminal network involving people seeking asylum being paid to work in mini-mart shops including in Bradford, Huddersfield and Hull, selling illegal cigarettes and vapes. One of the architects of the operation, based in Huddersfield, was also reported to arrange evasion of employer fines. (Source: BBC)

Specific migrant groups

On asylum accommodation:

• The Home Office has shortlisted councils to deliver Asylum Dispersal Pilots, allowing them to buy and refurbish properties that could revert to social housing at a later date. (Source: Inside Housing)
• Accommodation providers have returned £74 million to the Home Office from their profits. (Source: BBC)
• There’s continued debate on plans to house people seeking asylum in military barracks with a focus on the cost of accommodation types. (Source: The Conversation)
• A Place to Heal is a research report on how inappropriate asylum housing can harm torture survivors. (Source: Freedom from Torture)

On children and young people:

• A freedom of information request revealed more than 50 unaccompanied children remain missing from Kent, after being placed in reception centres and hotels over the last five years. (Source: the Guardian)
• Lord Dubs proposed an amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to allow parents with protection status to reunite with their children who are outside the UK, but this was not taken forward by the House of Lords. (Sources: Politics Home, UK Parliament)
• This updated legal briefing outlines options for children in care to regularise their immigration status. (Source: Free Movement)

A handbook for professionals working with Roma children and families vulnerable to trafficking was updated with recent research and contributions from Roma supporting organisations, including Connecting Roma in Bradford. (Source: Barnardo’s)

Despite the closure of EU Settlement Scheme 'administrative review' option at the end of 2023, nearly 5,000 applications are still waiting for a decision about reconsidering a refused application. (Source: Free Movement)

On modern slavery:

• As part of research for the government’s new Fair Work Agency launching in 2026, it's conducting a survey of migrant workers with lived experience of labour exploitation. Participation is anonymous. It will help improve services for people at risk of labour exploitation or modern slavery. (Source: Department for Business and Trade)
• Updated Slavery and Trafficking Survivor Care Standards have been published, which are adopted by government to ensure adult survivors receive high quality care. (Source: Human Trafficking Foundation)
• This article gives an example of how individuals can become victims of modern slavery despite having a UK work visa. (Source: Open Democracy)
• Research explores evidence about risks in the housebuilding sector. (Source: Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre)

A data briefing on international students in the UK highlights a decline in visas issued, top countries of origin being India and China, economic impact, and settlement trends. Leeds and Sheffield are among the top destinations in the UK. (Source: Migration Observatory)

Cohesion and integration

What does immigration look like in a place with a relatively high number of asylum seekers and supported refugees? This 30-minute podcast discusses responses to immigration in Crawley, West Sussex. (Source: the Guardian)

International news

Syrian refugees are being urged to return from Europe, with the EU allocating more funding to support Syrians returning from Turkey and the German Chancellor declaring Syrians no longer have grounds for asylum and should be rebuilding their country. Germany is also offering Afghan nationals money to withdraw from their resettlement programme. (Source: Info Migrants)

The Irish government is considering charging asylum seekers who are working to cover their housing costs as well as reducing support offered to people from Ukraine. (Source: BBC)

The annual OECD migration report shows trends across high income countries in 2024, highlighting the UK for falling student numbers but increased asylum applications, irregular border crossings and returns (see pages 318-319 on the UK). This year’s report has a focus on employers and the health sector. (Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)

Stories that inspired us this week

New Faces, New Focus is a collaborative touring project being developed by a group of museums and people from migrant communities. Their exhibition about journeys will be shown from 2026. (Source: Arts Professional)

In Harrogate, Nahid Hamidi set up a pop-up restaurant, The Afghan Kitchen, and helps Afghan women in North Yorkshire with their own businesses, while in York, a community celebration event was held as a welcome to refugees and people seeking asylum, hosted by local organisations. (Sources: BBC, Yorkshire Bylines)