Our Routes to Settlement Submission (No Recourse North East, December 2025 – Quick Read)

We marked the end of 2025 with our submission to the Home Affairs Committee’s Route to Settlement Inquiry. We oppose the proposals and provide evidence from members of our lived-experience group, front-line service workers from partnership members, and leading research organisations. We hope to share the full submission once we are allowed to do so. In the meantime, read our summary linked above.

Changes: The 2025 Immigration White Paper (HoC Library, December 2025 – Quick Read)

The research team at the House of Commons Library are a invaluable source for our work. One of their most recent publications helps clarify the proposals from the confusing and detail-light May 2025 immigration white paper. Headline proposals include extending the standard settlement period from five to ten years, with even longer waits for some, and ending overseas recruitment for social care workers. Some changes are already in force, although the majority are planned to arrive in April, following public consultation.

The Digital Status Crisis – UK’s E-Visa Failures (ILPA, December 2025 – Quick Read)

The 3millions’ policy and research manager details the new eVisa system for the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association. Evidence shows a system characterised by flaws, technical problems, and unclear rules that prevent people from starting jobs, accessing basic services, or travelling, threatening their incomes and causing severe distress. Given the relevance of digital ID in contemporary debates, this article is highly relevant as it also challenges common misconceptions and provides clarity.

Safe and Legal Routes for Refugees to the UK? (Free Movement, December 2025 – Quick Read)

The experts at Free Movement question whether the UK government’s often-cited “safe and legal routes” for refugees “exist”. Disappointingly, for most of the world’s refugees, no such route to the UK exists. Authors provide a clear breakdown of available schemes, including UNHCR resettlement, the now-closed refugee family reunion, and the Hong Kong/Ukraine pathways, highlighting strict limitations, confusing application processes, and low caps.

Attitudes to Immigration in Scotland (Migration Policy Scotland, November 2025 – Long Read)

Attitudes to migration are polarised and dominate so many conversations, but what does the data say? Recent research finds that people’s views are complex, mixed, and practical, with the headline finding that the public prefers lower levels of immigration. The data also suggests that most believe that immigrants who work and pay taxes should have fair access to benefits. Unsurprisingly, it appears most want a balanced system that meets the country’s economic needs while also being fair to everyone.

Systemic Racism and the Housing Emergency (Shelter and CRER, December 2025 – Long Read)

Co-authored by Shelter Scotland and the Coalition for Racial Equity and Rights, this report focuses on how systemic racism intersects with Scotland’s housing emergency. It details how the crisis disproportionately impacts Black and minority ethnic communities across the country. The evidence in the report provides examples as to how structural inequalities are deeply embedded within housing systems, directly complementing the broader evidence on racial inequality provided in other resources.

The Fiscal Impact of Immigration – (Migration Advisory Committee, December 2025 – Long Read) 

This official report takes a close look at the long-term economic impact of immigrants arriving in the UK on skilled work visas. The analysis finds that their overall contribution to the country’s public finances is significantly positive. This financial benefit is driven by primary visa holders, whereas contributions from their dependents are limited. The findings underscore the importance of migration and the retention of skilled global talent for public finances, a point that the recent white paper proposals contradict.

A Fair Way Forward (Fairway Scotland, December 2025 – Long Read)

Fairway Scotland’s latest annual review focuses on the partnership’s work to tackle severe poverty and homelessness resulting directly from UK immigration rules. They clearly show how these policies lead to widespread destitution and suffering, and how the partnership’s approach helps address these deep-rooted problems. The report is a key tool for understanding both the real-world effects of existing policies and potential paths forward, and informs a lot of our work at the consortium.

Living With NRPF: Voices From the North East (No Recourse North East, November 2025)

This 7-minute film presents the real-life impact of the “No Recourse to Public Funds” (NRPF) policy in North East Scotland. Accounts from people with lived experience of NRPF demonstrate how the condition creates uncertainty, isolation, and hardship for families and individuals living without a state safety net. If you find the video interesting and would like to screen it or discuss with the individuals involved then please contact us.

Focusing on the community of Oldbury in the West Midlands, Channel 4 journalists spend 8 minutes discussing how displays and demonstrations have left residents feeling intimidated and threatened, highlighting the tensions and fear generated by national anti-immigration sentiment. Those same feelings captured in the video are felt locally by people seeking asylum and migrants in response to protests and a marked increase in abuse. The geography is then extended to include the impact of a summer of protests outside asylum hotels.

This video report presents the Home Affairs Committee’s damning verdict that the Home Office’s “chaotic response” to asylum accommodation has led to billions of pounds being wasted. In the 9-minute visual investigation, MPs conclude that the department cut corners, rushed solutions that later unravelled, and “has not been up to that challenge” of managing housing for those seeking asylum. The visuals in the short-film are a cruel reminder of the false myth that all those seeking asylum live lives of luxury and are waited on at hand and foot

Hostile (Sonita Gale, January 2022)

In Director Sonita Gale’s 90-minute documentary, the viewer is taken on a close look at the UK’s “hostile environment” immigration policy. It shows how the policy aimed to pressure migrants to leave by creating difficult conditions and imposing unaffordable visa fees, a practice described as “state-mugging.” The film reveals the human impact, including how essential workers were left in poverty and without support during lockdown. It shows how this policy directly connects to later post-Brexit crises in the NHS and other areas.

Free Movement’s November 2025 Roundup (Free Movement, November 2025)

The end of 2025 was a period of constant motion. Free Movements’ most recent monthly podcast spends 40 minutes reviewing major policy proposals, including changes to settlement periods and the ‘earned settlement’ model. It covers operational lowlights from the latest Home Office statistics, updates on systemic challenges such as eVisa issues and expert analysis of case law on unmarried partners and overseas adoptions. Should you only have the time to listen to one of the resources we shared, this is it.

Settlement, Citizenship and Integration Inquiry (UK Parliament, December 2025)

Listen to hour-long sessions of academics and professionals from around the world scrutinising the government’s proposed changes to settlement and citizenship. Experts are directly questioned about key issues, including the rationale for “earned settlement,” the costs of the application process, and impacts on integration. You can submit evidence until Friday, 23 January 2026.

On Politics: Inside Britain’s Broken Asylum System (London Review of Books, December 2025)

This hour-long analysis dissects Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s proposed reforms, widely regarded as the most significant in 40 years, including extending the wait for settled status to 20 years and accelerating deportations. The conversation includes contributions from Free Movement’s Colin Yeo and former Home Office civil servant Nicola Kelly.

Asylum Hotels and Mental Health (BBC Radio 4, November 2025)

Listen to a 30-minute discussion focused on the human impact of our political debate over asylum hotels, examining the profound mental health consequences for over 32,000 asylum seekers housed in UK hotels. The discussion covers the process’s difficulties, which are too often overshadowed by inaccurate, persistent accusations of luxury lodging. The conversation includes contributions from an asylum seeker with lived experience, clinical psychologist Dr Janelle Spira, and academic Dr Peter Olusoga.