A guide to the earned settlement consultation (GMIAU, January 2026)

The government are consulting on their proposed changes to settlement. These changes are set to make it more challenging for individuals and families to obtain leave to remain (LTR). Individuals and organisations can have their say by completing an online consultation. GMIAU has prepared a blog detailing what the consultation asks, the likely impacts, and the importance of responding. You can respond to the consultation – the closing date is the 12th February 2026.

Labour’s pledges on migration: the data (COMPAS, January 2026)

The team at the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory dive into pledges made by the Labour Government since it came to power 18 months ago. Using the available data, they can track the government’s actions on goals such as “reducing the asylum backlog” and “stopping the boats”; however, data in isolation cannot provide a holistic picture of progress.

‘Education is everything’: The young asylum seekers desperate to learn (ITV, January 2026)

ITV News was granted rare access to meet young refugees and asylum seekers at different stages of their pursuit of safety and education in the UK. Readers can hear from three young adults from around the world seeking asylum and pursuing education in the UK, alongside contributions from social workers providing support in an unforgiving system.

A toolkit for supporting newly arrived young people (COMPAS, April 2025)

This toolkit was developed as part of the Improving Education Outcomes for Displaced 16-19 year olds in Oxfordshire research project and draws on its findings, including the direct voices of young people and their families. The toolkit aims to provide practical approaches and a checklist for practitioners and managers to consider when developing provision and support.

Limbo or leverage? Asylum waiting and refugee integration (Åslund et al, June 2024)

A group of Swedish scholars based at the Uppsala Centre for Labour Studies studies the labour market and health implications of asylum with time elapsed during the claim processing period. Their study, based in Sweden, sheds light on the potential measures and strategies that states can use to benefit people seeking asylum as they await the outcome of their claim.

The sorry state of the UK asylum system (Free Movement, January 2026)

In this briefing, Free Movement details the frustrating performance of the UK’s asylum system and its main features: arrivals, the backlog, detention, removals, and resettlement. The information is drawn mainly from the quarterly statistics and transparency data for the year ended September 2025. This data is the most up to date available to the public at the time of writing.

Exclusion by Design: Digital Identification and the Hostile Environment (OPR, December 2025)

From 1 June 2025, nearly all migrants entering or legally residing in the UK must obtain an eVisa to prove their rights. This makes migrants the first group to experience a mandatory digital-only identification system, effectively positioning them as a testing ground for broader national digital ID ambitions. The OPR’s report is guided by one key question: How has the digitalisation of immigration status, particularly the implementation of the eVisa system, affected migrants in the UK?

Refugee Integration Outcomes: Employment from 2015 to 2023 (Home Office, November 2025)

The Refugee Integration Outcomes (RIO) longitudinal cohort study links Home Office data with administrative data from across government. This release includes an analysis of linked HMRC data to understand how refugee employment outcomes change over time. The study examines employment rates, working hours, and income by arrival route, sex, nationality, and age for refugees, on a longitudinal basis, with data from 2015 to 2023

Routes to Settlement Oral Evidence (House of Parliament, January 2026)

Watch this hour-long session featuring invited academics and professionals who comment on the government’s proposal to extend standard routes to settlement from 5 to 10 years. The three guests represent some of the UK’s premier research and legal institutions. The partnership submitted written evidence to the same inquiry, addressing the same questions, in December 2025.

Human rights law under threat: Restricting rights in asylum and migration (SOAS, January 2026)

Baroness Shami Chakrabarti addresses the growing movement of states across Europe towards restricting the powers of the European Convention on Human Rights with respect to people seeking asylum and migrants in general, specifically articles 3 and 8. In her 27-minute keynote, she asks: Why is human rights law viewed in this way in the UK and elsewhere in Europe? What is the principled response towards this trend? And what does it mean for the future of human rights law on the continent?

How to Effectively Prepare Gender-based Violence Asylum Claims (WiRL, August 2025)

The Women in Refugee Law Network (WiRL), in collaboration with the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA), provides a holistic view of how to prepare complex gender-based violence asylum claims effectively. The 70-minute seminar addresses the primary obstacles that women at risk of gender-based violence face in being recognised as refugees. They detail new standards of proof and provide guidance and tips on which types of evidence are most valuable and how to prepare a response.

Our Side of the Story: Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group (GMIAU, January 2026)

This 7-minute film was made by the Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group and Stand & Be Counted Theatre. The group, which GMIAU supports, is made up of people with experience of living in asylum hotels. These individuals, who are grateful for the support provided, share their own experiences navigating the realities of hotel-life and the accompanying hostility and misinformation

Free Movement’s December 2025 Roundup (Free Movement, January 2026)

The team at Free Movement takes 40-minutes review the end of 2025, running through various relevant topics, including the final statement of chances, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, and recent statistics that reflect Home Office practices. This most recent podcast was Sonia Lenegan’s final podcast as a regular host; we wish her the best of luck with what’s next.

The Impact of Storytelling w/Uma Kothari (Global Development Institute, January 2026)

Speaking with the University of Manchester’s Global Development Institute podcast, Uma Kothari, Professor of Migration and Postcolonial Studies at the institute, explores the role of stories and storytelling in research and research impact. This 16-minute session is valuable for all those seeking to expand the impact and reach of their own research or to implement new techniques in the study itself.

Migrant Women’s Rights w/Jas Bhatoa (University of London, March 2025)

Doctoral scholars at the university speak to Jas Bhatoa, the Senior Legal Officer at Rights of Women. Over 28-minutes of conversation, they talk about the issue of how the law in England and Wales actually acts to disadvantage those who are at risk of or experiencing domestic abuse. We were lucky enough to hear from one of Jas’s colleagues from Rights of Women at our most recent GBA subgroup meeting in January.

Britain’s got (international student) talent – but what do they really think of them? (UCL, July 2025)

Scholars from University College London’s Institute of Education discuss their research into public attitudes and how these views shape migration policy and the future of higher education. In 43-minutes, they explore surprising findings from their report, the role of media narratives, and the strategic challenges facing UK universities. With global competition for talent heating up, this conversation dives into what’s at stake for the UK’s academic and economic future.