Migration news roundup week commencing 24 November 2025

View of Houses of Parliament from bridge over river Thames

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

A major overhaul of the asylum system was announced by the Home Secretary. The detail is set out in this policy statement ‘Restoring Order and Control’ and this BBC explainer. There’s been mixed reaction to the details:

Some on the right have welcomed the proposals; Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch suggested her party could support them. Some Labour MPs have expressed their opposition, including several in Yorkshire and Humber.
Others have expressed serious concerns about aspects such as a long wait for settlement, the prospect of children being removed, volunteering as a means to ‘earn’ settlement, and the potentially limited nature of new safe and legal routes.
Asylum seekers and refugees from Yorkshire, Shropshire and Scotland reacted with dismay at the government’s new immigration plans, with one describing the restrictions as ‘ignoring the reality of trauma that is often created by the asylum system itself.’

(Sources: Home Office, BBC, ITN, Labour List, BBC Breakfast on Facebook, the Independent, the National, the Guardian, Socialist Worker)

Within a few days of the announcement, the Home Secretary launched a consultation on proposals for much longer waits for settlement of up to 30 years for certain migrant groups, as part of a move to ‘earned’ settlement. Key proposals are summarised here. Eligibility for benefits could depend on having been awarded citizenship. Groups regarded as making a ‘contribution’ will have shorter waits for settlement. These proposals are in addition to plans set out in the immigration white paper this May, which suggested increasing the wait to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from 5 to 10 years for many. Relatedly, this analysis estimates the number of people in the UK who currently have ILR at between 622,000 and 820,000 at the end of 2024 (excluding those with status through the EUSS, thought to be around four million). (Sources: Home Office, Migration Observatory)

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill continues to progress through parliament, having returned to the House of Commons for consideration of amendments from the Lords. (Source: UK Parliament)

There are safety concerns about plans for French police to use 30-metre-wide nets to prevent small boats crossing the Channel amid UK pressure to stop vessels. (Source: the Independent)

Specific migrant groups

As government plans to restrict migrant access to benefits, this report argues people seeking asylum could make a valuable economic contribution, given the opportunity. Data from the Department of Work and Pensions shows 66% of refugees granted status in the past five years are claiming Universal Credit and that refugees who have been in the UK for longer are more likely to gain employment. (Sources: Together with Refugees, Migration Observatory)

The Public Accounts Committee found that the Ministry of Defence’s poor handling of personal information put thousands of Afghan lives at risk and had no clear method for identifying subsequent costs of the Afghan Response Route, currently estimated at £850 million. (Source: Committee of Public Accounts)

Statistics for March 2024 to 2025 show that although the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) ‘looked after’ in England dropped by 12%, the proportion of former-UASC care leavers continues to rise, now representing 30% of all care leavers aged 19–21, up from 27% the previous year. (Source: Department for Education)

Manchester University’s vice-chancellor expressed concern over government plans to introduce a 6% surcharge on international student fees. (Source: the Guardian)

Windrush campaigners called on government to commission a statutory inquiry into continuing errors by the Home Office and their slow response to those affected by the Windrush scandal. (Source: the Guardian)

Cohesion and integration

A political news magazine argues that Labour’s proposed asylum reforms signal a retreat from integration and that restrictive policies and barriers to Indefinite Leave to Remain could ultimately harm social cohesion. Meanwhile, these stories tell of skilled workers considering their long term options in the UK, citing insecurity and demoralisation. (Sources: New Statesman, the Guardian)

Both Welsh and Scottish parliaments are displaying exhibitions about displacement. An exhibition at the Senedd celebrates Wales’ history of welcoming people feeling war, curating stories from the first and second world wars to recent conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. For the 40th anniversary of the Scottish Refugee Council, Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) Humza Yousaf sponsored a parliamentary reception and a portrait exhibition of people who have rebuilt their lives in Scotland. (Sources: Nation Cymru, Scottish Refugee Council)

International news

Several European nations are advocating for changes or reinterpretations of the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) to impose stricter asylum and immigration rules, while Denmark’s Prime Minister is using her influence as EU Council president to advocate for similar hardline migration measures across the continent. (Sources: Info Migrants, The Conversation)

With increasing asylum applications to Europe from Sudanese nationals, this article examines Europe’s role in Sudan’s civil war. (Source: Al Jazeera)

Stories that inspired us this week