Asylum Reforms
The government has recently announced several new changes to asylum and immigration as part of its ‘Restoring Order and Control’ plans. Some are still proposals, some are being tested as pilots, and others were brought into effect immediately without consultation. This include the ‘one in, one out’ UK–France deal, making refugee status temporary to just 30 months, and increasing settlement from 5 to 10, 20 or even 30 years, and the sudden suspension of refugee family reunion.
These reforms are regularly making the headlines, with the Government chasing front pages and wanting to appear ‘tough’ on immigration. But behind the headlines are real people, and these proposed changes will have devastating real life consequences.
Women who have fled persecution and come to the UK seeking safety and protection are being hit hard by these hostile policies. In our Campaigns Champions group – a space for women to reflect, organise, and campaign – refugee and asylum-seeking women met to talk about what these reforms mean for them:
“These asylum reforms are making me lose hope. Despite having my refugee status, the reforms feel overwhelming and scary. They are impacting my mental health negatively. I feel distracted, I cannot think about my future, because it all feels so uncertain.
I wake up every day to the news of more planned changes and it triggers my fear that my life will unravel and I will be right back where I started when I first sought safety in the UK.
I wish the Government would focus on pressing issues for the UK like the NHS and stop using people seeking safety as scapegoats. But I am trying to remain hopeful. I know that I am not alone. There are so many people speaking out about these asylum reforms and for that I am so grateful.”
– Kaffy
“These policies are slowly killing us.
I am doing my best to stay strong, but the constant changes to the asylum system is making life very hard for me.
Every day there is new information and it is very difficult to understand. I don’t know what will happen next. The confusion is affecting my mental health deeply. The stress is becoming too much. As a severely partially sighted person, I face even more challenges. The stress, the fear, the confusion.
I have been separated from my children for over four years – it is so painful and heartbreaking. Every day I wake up in tears. I miss them, I am worried about them. With the new changes to family reunion, it feels like my hope is being taken away.
I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for fairness, clarity and humanity. I came to the UK for safety, protection. I just need a chance to heal from what I have been through, to rebuild my life and to live again.”
– Jane
“I am very concerned about how the asylum reforms will impact my life. I am worried about loneliness, exploitation and being trapped in limbo or an unsafe or dangerous situation. I have been trapped in limbo before and it eroded my sense of belonging, prevented my integration and depleted my passion for life.
Some days I wanted my life to end as the future looked so dim and bleak. Now with these new changes, with plans to make people wait for 10, 20 or even 30 years for settlement in the UK, it feels so hard again – to plan, to live, and to dream.”
– Tina
“My sense of stability is shattered; my outlook is depressive.
The asylum reform announcements have made me feel that my life in the UK will have a bleak future. It has changed how I feel about my life in the UK because it gives me no sense of hope and settlement. Life looks like a mirage now.”
– Deborah
The women also spoke about what gives them hope, even during hostile times.
“ I still have hope. My hope is that there are people who are campaigning against the reforms, who stand with women like me, who hold hands with me and walk with me. Organisations like Women for Refugee Women. I hope that one day, as a woman, I will feel safe, seen, empowered and included.”
– Tina
And importantly, shared their vision for an asylum system that is kind, fair, and understanding.
“A compassionate and understanding asylum system would believe people. It would embrace people with love and understanding. People seeking safety in the UK have been through a lot and are in pain and facing extreme trauma. We have values, goals and visions. We want to help make Great Britain even greater. We could bring so much to the UK if we were given the chance, the Government should embrace us, rather than push us away.”
– Kaffy
Another group chose to express the impact of the reforms on them through a creative activity. They wrote their reflections on paper leaves and hung them on a tree. One side of the tree held green, healthy leaves, representing the compassionate asylum system they wish existed. The other side held dry, dying leaves, symbolising the harsh reality of the proposed reforms.
At Women for Refugee Women, we believe a fair and compassionate asylum system is not only vital, but entirely possible. And it’s through campaigning alongside women impacted by these policies that we can create real change.
Read more about the asylum reforms:
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