More news items and new guides

EU Settlement Scheme updates and changes

The 3million explain that the Court of Appeal has handed down judgment in Fertre v Vale of White Horse District Council, finding that EU citizens with pre-settled status who cannot meet the right to reside test are not eligible for housing assistance on the same basis as British citizens. They say they disappointed in the outcome of this crucial case, which had the potential to ensure that EU citizens and family members with pre-settled status would automatically be able to access welfare support.

Settled summarise some recent changes affecting European nationals in the UK.

• Automatic conversion from pre-settled to settled status. Following a High Court ruling, the Home Office now automatically converts eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status once continuous residence conditions are met. This removes the need for a new application and reduces the risk of losing status. They contact those who they believe are eligible by email to inform them they are considering this process and what the outcome is.
• Extended pre-settled status validity. Pre-settled status is now automatically extended by five years, approximately one month prior to expiry, replacing the previous two-year period. This change provides greater stability and reduces administrative burden for clients.
• New continuous residence criteria. From 16 July 2025, applicants can meet continuous residence requirements in two ways:
  • No more than six months absence in any 12-month period within any five-year period(existing rule).
  • Or 30 months of residence in the UK within the last 60 months (new rule). This flexibility helps those with disrupted residency patterns, including vulnerable or mobile clients.
• Family & private life route updates. From 29 July 2025, children who have lived in the UK for seven years may qualify for settlement after five years of residence. Adults who’ve lived in the UK for half their lives may also be eligible for settlement after five years of residence.

More evidence on the effects of no recourse to public funds

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation reports that half of low-income families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) are falling into destitution — going hungry, with no safety net, and at very high risk of hardship, with:

• Eight in 10 going without essentials like enough food, clothing or heating, including half of families going hungry
• Half-held loans taken out to pay for food, housing or essential bills
• Six in 10 were behind on their bills.

This briefing calls for urgent policy change to ensure that no one in hardship in the UK has no place to turn for support.

Nearly half of the children in the UK who have migrant parents are living in poverty. That’s an estimated 1.5 million children, says Big Issue, which highlighted recent findings from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

Cherry Brown, 69, a British overseas territory citizen, was left sleeping rough after being sent to England for treatment, in a new Windrush-like episode of hostile treatment from the Home Office and NHS. “If I had known all of these things [would happen to me], I would have stayed home and died in my bed in peace,” Brown told the Guardian.

London Councils urges reform of system for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

A report commissioned by London Councils and the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services details hardships faced by children and young people seeking asylum on their own.

Young asylum seekers report confusion, delays, and harmful age assessments that hinder integration and wellbeing. The report calls for system-wide reform and a child-centred approach to improve protection and a sense of belonging for children and young people seeking asylum.

London Renters Union offers help to tenants

The London Renters Union (LRU) is a members’ organisation, similar to a trade union, with 7,000 members across London. It focuses on collective action to support members and has local branches. Members can go to branches for non-legal advice and support, information on basic rights and knowledge about evictions. LRU has links with councils and can use these to push for faster responses or raise awareness.

Readers are welcome to refer clients via the LRU website. LRU can work to hold back unlawful evictions. If they are aware an unlawful eviction is about to happen, they can organise protests to hold this off until the proper court process is followed. They can do the same for disrepair and rent rises. LRU isn’t able to support with searching for housing, though people looking for rental accommodation are welcome to come to meetings; members might be able to advise peer to peer.

Mishto Campaign — Fair services for Roma people

Roma organisations from across the UK have launched the first ever national Roma campaign: the Mishto Campaign. It is targeting schools, charities and local authorities and aims to achieve fairer access for Roma people to their services.

You are welcome to support or join the campaign. To show your support on social media feel free to use the resources available here. All the details, including resources to support and raise awareness are available on the campaign’s webpage. If you have any questions, please contact Tyanna-May Binns of the Roma Support Group at tyanna@romasupportgroup.org.uk.

How the government and the media are complicit in enabling racist violence in the UK

Analysis by the Runnymede Trust found extensive use of racist tropes and stereotypes by politicians and journalists between 2019 and 2024. This has created a culture in which racial discrimination is not just permissible, but increasingly normalised.

In parliamentary debates and media reporting, from which we analysed 52,000 articles and 300 debates, negative terms like ‘illegal’, ‘flood’ and ‘influx’ are persistently used in association with migrants, posing them as a threat, dangerous and outsiders. ‘Illegal’ is the word most commonly used with ‘immigrants’.

Migrants are presented as exploiting state resources and being a burden to the UK taxpayer, even though research shows they add more than they take. Refugees and people seeking asylum are almost universally negatively represented and treated with suspicion.

A hostile environment: language, race, surveillance and the media is the second of two reports analysing the language used in parliamentary and media debates.

Home Office ‘community engagement’ drive encourages migrants to leave

The Home Office is running workshops and attending community events around the UK, at which they encourage migrants to leave the country. A little-known team called the Immigration Enforcement National Community Engagement Team — which is broken down into sub-teams focusing on migrants from certain nationalities — has worked to “build trust” with migrant communities.

Immigration enforcement officers from these teams run workshops at faith communities, community events, universities, community associations and more. These workshops focus on different aspects of immigration law, including the ‘Voluntary Returns Scheme’, under which migrants living in the UK are encouraged to leave the country. Members of the team also attend community events and network with members of the community and support groups. For example, a plain-clothes immigration enforcement officer was seen at a local community fun day event to celebrate Refugee Week.

The Migrant Champions Network has a new briefing for councillors on how to deal with these activities.

Navigating social housing tenancies

The LSE Housing and Communities team have launched a Nuffield-funded study into the difficulties encountered by racially diverse non-native English speakers in meeting their obligations as tenants in social housing. It will also look at:

• What barriers language and cultural differences pose in effectively accessing and utilising housing services and resources
• How these barriers entrench racial inequalities relating to housing
• Whether ESOL teaching, linked to tenancy rights projects, improves housing and health outcomes for racialised communities in the UK.

Scotland’s new refugee integration strategy

Scotland’s new integration strategy is a collaborative effort led by the Scottish government, COSLA, and Scottish Refugee Council, working with partners across sectors to make Scotland a welcoming place for refugees and people seeking asylum.

At the centre of this strategy is the New Scots Core Group, which brings together key stakeholders to monitor progress and guide the delivery of the strategy’s outcomes. A vital part of this group is the New Scots Core Group’s Advisers — a collective of individuals with direct, lived experience of seeking protection and rebuilding their lives in Scotland.

Brief news items

• Scottish Refugee Council’s new asylum guide. SRC have launched a new Asylum Information Guide for people seeking safety in Scotland. It covers each step of the process, rights, refusals and support when appeal rights are exhausted. It is available in 21 languages.
• Support for refugees in Belfast. The Retreat Housing project in Belfast, a Commonweal project, working with HAPANI, offers support to refuges from the Horn of Africa.
• New case about adequacy of asylum accommodation and weekly payments. In a recent decision (R (BLV) v SSHD [2025] EWHC 2516 (Admin)) a deaf/blind Iranian national whose main communication was in Farsi sign language challenged the adequacy of asylum accommodation and cash support. The case involved equality and HRA challenges as well as the asylum accommodation regulations and duties under section 95. Ultimately, the claimant lost — but the case looks potentially useful for future challenges.
• Asylum ‘failure to travel’ cases and stopping support. A new policy set out in July provides rules on withdrawing support when an asylum claimant refuses to move to allocated asylum accommodation.
• Digital exclusion among refugees. Up to half of refugees in the UK are to some extent digitally excluded. It means they can’t integrate or get on with life, argues Big Issue.
• Free Movement has a new guide to the right to abode.

Good news corner

• Action Asylum is a national project that supports people seeking asylum to volunteer alongside local residents on environmental and community initiatives. Big Issue reports on an independent evaluation of the project, showing how volunteering together is helping to rebuild fractured trust and create meaningful integration. Over 2,600 people have taken part in the project across seven UK cities, contributing more than 65,000 hours of volunteering. “These are not just statistics; they are acts of dignity, purpose and mutual respect.”
• Torture survivor Nafa fled Sri Lanka. She tells Big Issue how cooking and baking helped her to slowly recover and rebuild her life in the UK.
• In the Liverpool Express, council leader Liam Robinson explains why Liverpool has always been a place that has welcomed people from around the world, as well as correcting some of the myths about asylum seekers.
• From Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North East Bylines reported on a widely supported anti-fascist march through the city centre.