{"id":425,"date":"2026-01-19T09:19:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T09:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/?p=425"},"modified":"2026-01-19T09:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T09:32:10","slug":"latest-government-policies-on-homelessness-child-poverty-and-more-offer-little-help-to-migrants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/latest-government-policies-on-homelessness-child-poverty-and-more-offer-little-help-to-migrants\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest government policies on homelessness, child\u00a0poverty\u00a0and more offer little help to migrants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the last few weeks of 2025, there was a raft of government policy announcements on migration,&nbsp;housing&nbsp;and homelessness. But good news was limited, and many measures look harmful. Starting with the new homelessness strategy, we&nbsp;take a look&nbsp;at the government\u2019s proposals and their impact on migrants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);background-color:#e7e7dd;border-top:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-right:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-bottom:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-left:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-top-left-radius:0.5rem;border-top-right-radius:0.5rem;border-bottom-right-radius:0.5rem;border-bottom-left-radius:0.5rem;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-contents-title{font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-content-wrap .kb-table-of-content-list{color:#1b67a1;font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;margin-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-xs, 1rem);margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-content-wrap .kb-table-of-content-list .kb-table-of-contents__entry:hover{color:#111111;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-content-list li{margin-bottom:8px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-content-list li .kb-table-of-contents-list-sub{margin-top:8px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-toggle-icon-style-basiccircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:after, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-toggle-icon-style-basiccircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:before, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-toggle-icon-style-arrowcircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:after, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-toggle-icon-style-arrowcircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:before, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-toggle-icon-style-xclosecircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:after, .kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-toggle-icon-style-xclosecircle .kb-table-of-contents-icon-trigger:before{background-color:#e7e7dd;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{border-top:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-right:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-bottom:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-left:1px solid #d0d0d0;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id425_0e5a9f-f5 .kb-table-of-content-wrap{border-top:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-right:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-bottom:1px solid #d0d0d0;border-left:1px solid #d0d0d0;}}<\/style>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The national plan to&nbsp;\u2018end&nbsp;homelessness\u2019&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On&nbsp;11&nbsp;December, the government published its long-promised&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">homelessness strategy<\/a>,&nbsp;<em>A National Plan to End Homelessness<\/em>. CIH\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cih.org\/news\/cih-responds-to-national-plan-to-end-homelessness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">overall response<\/a>&nbsp;was welcoming but called for the government to go further.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 90-page document has&nbsp;only&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness\/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness#pillar-2--targeted-prevention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">one short&nbsp;section<\/a>&nbsp;(3.4.6) on&nbsp;\u2018Refugees and migrant homelessness\u2019. It recognises that people leaving the asylum system represent the second biggest group of those sleeping rough after \u201cleaving a public institution\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It proposes:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensuring councils receive information from asylum accommodation providers for 100 per cent of newly granted refugees at risk of homelessness within two days of a notice to end support,&nbsp;or within 14 days of issuing a family reunion visa&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Various administrative improvements to ensure that the promised notice periods work in practice&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensuring refugees receive \u201cearly, targeted support to integrate through advice and guidance on securing onward housing and employment\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delivering long-term reform to create an asylum system that \u201cworks for both new refugees and the communities they become part of\u201d&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;but with the promise here referring specifically to&nbsp;\u2018large sites\u2019,&nbsp;including former barracks.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A later section notes that the government is working with councils to develop more locally&nbsp;led accommodation models, including through Afghan resettlement pilots and the new \u00a3500 million fund for a more sustainable model of asylum accommodation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On migrant rough sleeping, the strategy only offers:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Funding a&nbsp;\u2018homeless migrants&nbsp;capability training package\u2019&nbsp;for councils and voluntary sector organisations&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A pilot in four council areas on access to immigration advice, short-term&nbsp;accommodation&nbsp;and a named point of contact within the Home Office to support councils to help people sleeping rough with restricted or unknown eligibility for public funds.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also reiterates the availability of voluntary returns to home countries as a route out of homelessness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, there is&nbsp;nothing&nbsp;on the length of the move-on period from asylum accommodation, despite repeated advice from the sector that this is crucial to preventing homelessness among those granted status. The strategy ignores barriers refugees face to accessing private rented accommodation and has no targeted extra funding for prevention beyond the two limited schemes dealing with rough sleeping.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comments on the homelessness strategy include ones from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cih.org\/news\/cih-responds-to-national-plan-to-end-homelessness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CIH<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/naccom.org.uk\/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness-naccom-response-to-the-governments-new-homelessness-strategy-for-england\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">NACCOM<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Government issues child poverty strategy&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government\u2019s child&nbsp;poverty&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/collections\/child-poverty-strategy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">strategy<\/a>, published in December, was broadly welcomed, but many groups pointed out that it would still leave many migrant children in poverty.&nbsp;While the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/refugeechildrensconsortium.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">Refugee and Migrant Children\u2019s Consortium<\/a>&nbsp;welcomed the recognition of the experiences of children with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) in the strategy, it noted the context of wide-ranging asylum and immigration plans announced by the Home Office that could keep children across the immigration system on short-term visas with NRPF for decades, with penalties of 15 and 20-year routes for families who access the support they need for their children. The asylum plans include a consultation in 2026 on reduced rights to public funds for recognised refugees.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Children\u2019s Society&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.childrenssociety.org.uk\/what-we-do\/blogs\/our-response-to-the-governments-child-poverty-strategy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">pointed out<\/a>&nbsp;that there are few concrete measures in the strategy to tackle child poverty caused by NRPF conditions.&nbsp;Praxis&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/praxisprojects.bsky.social\/post\/3m7abvnpbo225\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">said<\/a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;strategy&nbsp;leaves thousands of migrant children&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;40 per cent of all children in poverty&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;\u201cout in the cold\u201d.&nbsp;<em>The&nbsp;Conversation&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/to-truly-tackle-child-poverty-the-uk-needs-to-look-again-at-migration-policy-270335\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">argued that<\/a>,&nbsp;to truly tackle child poverty, the UK \u201cneeds to look again at migration policy\u201d&nbsp;because of NRPF conditions which are believed to cover some 578,954 children and which will affect them for longer if planned policy changes go ahead.&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-new-asylum-policies-will-affect-child-refugees-270118\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">follow-up story<\/a>&nbsp;explored the&nbsp;effects on children in more detail.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2019, Project 17 produced&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/project17.org.uk\/systems-change\/reports-briefings-consultations\/not-seen-not-heard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\"><em>Not Seen, Not Heard<\/em><\/a><em>,<\/em>&nbsp;a report on children&#8217;s experiences of NRPF. Six years later, estimates suggest that around 382,000 children affected by the NRPF immigration condition in the UK&nbsp;are living in poverty,&nbsp;a new&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/project17.org.uk\/media\/8de2c3ce864bab7\/policy-briefing-child-poverty-strategy.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">briefing<\/a>&nbsp;shows.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.project17.org.uk\/systems-change\/united-impact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">United Impact<\/a>,&nbsp; a&nbsp;solidarity-action group supported by Project 17,&nbsp;has made an\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.project17.org.uk\/systems-change\/united-impact\/animation-on-the-harmful-impact-of-nrpf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">animation<\/a>&nbsp;to show the extremely harmful impact of NRPF on families in the UK.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The&nbsp;Guardian<\/em>&nbsp;told\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/nov\/29\/immigration-status-fears-carer-cancel-disability-living-allowance-benefit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">the story of this mother of a disabled child<\/a>&nbsp;who cancelled her benefits because of fears it would lengthen the amount of time she has to wait before applying for settlement.&nbsp;<em>Free Movement&nbsp;<\/em>points out that government plans&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/freemovement.org.uk\/home-secretary-opens-consultation-on-earned-settlement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">include any past history of claiming benefits while in the route to settlement<\/a>,&nbsp;\u201cso stopping now will not necessarily benefit people unless transitional provisions are put in place.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Joseph Rowntree Foundation&nbsp;published&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jrf.org.uk\/deep-poverty-and-destitution\/families-with-no-recourse-to-public-funds-are-trapped-in-hardship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">a study<\/a>&nbsp;on the effects of NRPF on families in August.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The government\u2019s violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;government\u2019s new VAWG&nbsp;strategy was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/vawg-strategy-to-better-protect-children-from-misogyny-and-abuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">published<\/a>&nbsp;on 18 December. But although it acknowledged the vulnerability of asylum seekers to domestic abuse, it was light on new proposals.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There will be a requirement for police to seek a domestic abuse victim\u2019s consent before sharing their information with Immigration Enforcement.&nbsp;The strategy\u2019s action plan&nbsp;includes&nbsp;a promise of better processes \u201cto identify risk in the asylum estate and improving the support offer and response to migrant&nbsp;victims\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, whilst the strategy is clear in acknowledging the barriers that migrants, asylum-seeking and refugee women face, CIH believes there is insufficient investment in specialist services or legal reforms\u202fthat will support these women in escaping abuse.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CIH welcomes the step to limit data sharing to ensure that migrant\u202fvictims can report their experiences to the police and only have immigration authorities notified with their permission, a call&nbsp;it&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cih.org\/blogs\/safety-before-status-the-need-for-a-firewall-for-migrant-victims-and-survivors-of-domestic-abuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">long supported<\/a>. But this step will need to be accompanied by visible publicity,\u202fas perpetrators are likely to continue to use threats relating to immigration status.\u202f In their response,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/southallblacksisters.org.uk\/news\/statement-on-the-governments-vawg-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">Southall Black Sisters<\/a>\u202fsaid the changes do not&nbsp;represent&nbsp;a true&nbsp;firewall&nbsp;to encourage migrant survivors to come forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A shortcoming of both the VAWG Strategy and the recent plan to end homelessness is the failure to address NRPF,\u202fwhich leaves victim-survivors more at risk of both abuse and homelessness.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CIH\u2019s response to the VAWG&nbsp;strategy&nbsp;can&nbsp;be seen&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cih.org\/news\/cih-responds-to-the-publication-of-the-government-s-freedom-from-violence-and-abuse-a-cross-government-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Two major immigration reform policies announced in November&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not longer after publication of the Autumn newsletter, the government made two big announcements on migration policy:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On 17 November, the&nbsp;home&nbsp;secretary\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/asylum-and-returns-policy-statement\/restoring-order-and-control-a-statement-on-the-governments-asylum-and-returns-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">policy paper<\/a>,&nbsp;<em>Restoring Order and Control: A Statement on the Government\u2019s Asylum and Returns Policy<\/em>, outlined measures to reduce arrivals, strengthen&nbsp;enforcement&nbsp;and expand safe and legal routes. Here are the&nbsp;initial&nbsp;comments from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7396956355598794752\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">CIH<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/refugeecouncil_responding-to-the-home-offices-restoring-activity-7396270276243582976-SL0c\/?rcm=ACoAAAuxN-8Bh7PJ6mcvwNcnaH_4EwlO1pvCKF0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">Refugee Council<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/refugee-action_our-statement-on-the-governments-abhorrent-activity-7396167244101197825-mf89\/?rcm=ACoAAAuxN-8Bh7PJ6mcvwNcnaH_4EwlO1pvCKF0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">Refugee Action<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On 20 November,&nbsp;the home secretary&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/consultations\/earned-settlement\/a-fairer-pathway-to-settlement-statement-and-accompanying-consultation-on-earned-settlement-accessible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">published<\/a>&nbsp;<em>A Fairer Pathway to Settlement<\/em>, which proposes replacing the automatic five-year route with an earned settlement system based on a&nbsp;10-year qualifying period. The consultation on the proposals is open until 12 February.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This newsletter has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/restoring-order-and-control-what-the-governments-plans-might-mean-for-asylum-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Restoring Order and Control\u00a0\u2014\u00a0what the government\u2019s plans might mean for asylum support\u00a0\u00a0\">a detailed article\u00a0by Marie-Anne Fishwick of ASAP<\/a>, explaining what we understand the policies to mean for asylum support. Other excellent briefings and commentaries on the proposals that came out in the run-up to Christmas are:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/migrantadvice.org\/content\/fileshare\/15f77b43-f4c5-4b29-8ab2-7ad4590174f6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">briefing note<\/a>&nbsp;on the policy paper and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/migrantadvice.org\/content\/fileshare\/8a883ddd-420b-45d7-b40f-f099737c0010.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">another<\/a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;<em>Fairer Pathway<\/em>&nbsp;consultation.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Free Movement\u2019s<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/freemovement.org.uk\/briefing-the-implications-of-the-earned-settlement-proposals-and-what-they-might-mean-in-practice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">detailed briefing<\/a>&nbsp;on the implications of the&nbsp;\u2018earned settlement\u2019&nbsp;proposals and what they might mean in practice.&nbsp;Jon&nbsp;Featonby&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/jonfeatonby.bsky.social\/post\/3m6euhba7tk2i\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">says<\/a>&nbsp;160,000&nbsp;refugees granted settlement in the last five years now face a 15-year wait, even though they were months away from ILR.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Women for Refugee Women set out&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.refugeewomen.co.uk\/asylum-reforms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">seven ways<\/a>&nbsp;in which the asylum proposals would harm female asylum seekers<em>.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Personal comments&nbsp;on the government\u2019s proposals by people with experience of the asylum system appeared in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigissue.com\/opinion\/labour-immigration-asylum-reform-torture-survivors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\"><em>Big Issue<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;<\/em>and&nbsp;<em>the&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/nov\/23\/the-life-and-limbo-of-a-uk-asylum-seeker-one-mans-harrowing-17-year-wait-for-leave-to-remain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\"><em>Guardian<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The&nbsp;Conversation&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/think-twice-before-copying-denmarks-asylum-policies-269660\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">said that<\/a>&nbsp;Britain should think twice before following Denmark\u2019s example in its treatment of asylum seekers.&nbsp;<em>The Guardian&nbsp;<\/em>took&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/nov\/14\/the-uk-wants-to-emulate-denmarks-hardline-asylum-model-but-what-does-it-actually-look-like\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">a similar view<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Colin Yeo&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wewantedworkers.substack.com\/p\/you-cant-promote-immigrant-integration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">argued<\/a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<em>We Wanted Workers&nbsp;<\/em>that \u201cyou can&#8217;t promote immigrant integration by making it harder\u201d.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Munya Radzi from Regularise, which coordinates the Migrant Workers\u2019 Rights Coalition,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigissue.com\/opinion\/immigration-rule-changes-hostile-environment-regularise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">called<\/a>&nbsp;the government plans&nbsp;\u201cthe hostile environment on steroids\u201d.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Slides from a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/paddington82.bsky.social\/post\/3m7rry7zj522d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">Home Office presentation<\/a>&nbsp;for employers on \u201cearned settlement\u201d were posted on&nbsp;Bluesky. The case studies explicitly play the&nbsp;\u2018good migrant\u2019&nbsp;versus&nbsp;\u2018bad migrant\u2019&nbsp;narrative.&nbsp;\u2018Ahmed\u2019&nbsp;(see slides)&nbsp;may have to wait 30 years.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Winter-2026-Ahmed.png\" alt=\"Housing Rights Winter 2026 Ahmed\" class=\"wp-image-410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Winter-2026-Ahmed.png 900w, https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Winter-2026-Ahmed-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Housing-Rights-Winter-2026-Ahmed-768x427.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shaheen&nbsp;Syedain, who works for Freedom from Torture,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.opendemocracy.net\/en\/uk-government-asylum-refugee-torture-trauma-starmer-mahmood-small-boats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">warns<\/a>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;impact that Labour\u2019s sweeping\u202fchanges\u202fto the asylum system will have, by making family reunion much more difficult.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Together with Refugees has a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/refugeestogether.bsky.social\/post\/3m7atfxb7rs27\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">video<\/a>&nbsp;in which&nbsp;community groups come together to tell the Home Office&nbsp;\u201cWe&nbsp;choose compassion not cruelty\u201d.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cAsylum is not illegal migration&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;why the UK government shouldn\u2019t conflate the two\u201d:&nbsp;<em>The Conversation<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/asylum-is-not-illegal-migration-why-the-uk-government-shouldnt-conflate-the-two-270106\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">makes the case<\/a>&nbsp;for more careful language.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>UK in a Changing Europe&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/ukandeu.ac.uk\/labours-asylum-appeals-overhaul\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">outlines the effects<\/a>&nbsp;on the asylum appeals system.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<em>Migration Observatory<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk\/resources\/briefings\/top-ten-problems-in-the-evidence-base-for-public-debate-and-policy-making-on-immigration-in-the-uk-in-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">addresses<\/a>&nbsp;the top&nbsp;10&nbsp;problems in the evidence base for public debate and&nbsp;policy-making&nbsp;on immigration in the UK in 2025. Among these is the lack of&nbsp;good information&nbsp;on the impact of migration on public services.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Committee has&nbsp;an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/committees.parliament.uk\/work\/9389\/routes-to-settlement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">ongoing inquiry<\/a>&nbsp;into&nbsp;routes to&nbsp;settlement. The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/committees.parliament.uk\/committee\/519\/justice-and-home-affairs-committee\/news\/210594\/justice-and-home-affairs-committee-launches-new-inquiry-into-settlement-citizenship-and-integration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">launched an inquiry<\/a>&nbsp;into the process of obtaining indefinite leave and British citizenship and invites written evidence by 23 January.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Presumably part&nbsp;of its publicity for the coming changes, the government has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/entry\/labours-deportations-tiktok-is-a-new-deeply-disturbing-low_uk_69665dafe4b0d5c7db780c73\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">launched a new TikTok<\/a>&nbsp;that shows videos of people being handcuffed, bundled into police&nbsp;cars&nbsp;and frogmarched into detention centres.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Expert views from Colin Yeo and Zoe Gardner&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<em>London Review of Books&nbsp;<\/em>has an excellent,&nbsp;wide-ranging&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lrb.co.uk\/podcasts-and-videos\/podcasts\/the-lrb-podcast\/on-politics-inside-britain-s-asylum-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">podcast<\/a>&nbsp;with Nicola&nbsp;Kelly, solicitor Colin Yeo and James Butler discussing the government\u2019s proposals and the political context. Colin makes the point that the new proposals focus on changing conditions for migrants who are here (or arrive in future), rather than on reducing numbers by cutting visa opportunities (for example). They have the effect of making it more difficult for people to \u201csettle in as soon as possible\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.anothereurope.org\/time-for-change-the-evidence-based-policies-that-can-actually-fix-the-immigration-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">report<\/a>&nbsp;from migration expert Zoe Gardner was welcomed by Labour backbenchers. Published by the UK-based campaign group Another Europe Is Possible,&nbsp;<em>Time for change: the evidence-based policies that can&nbsp;actually fix&nbsp;the immigration system&nbsp;<\/em>is seen as a sensible and pragmatic alternative to the government\u2019s current immigration policy proposals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gardner argues that the government has become mired in&nbsp;a no-win situation. Its approach to immigration has been disappointing. It is failing both migrants and the needs of British communities. The alternative approach outlined in the report starts from the recognition that the UK needs immigration to sustain growth and fund public services in an ageing society.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Statistical footnote&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;are government policies working?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In January&nbsp;it&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c5y3k9z75leo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">emerged<\/a>&nbsp;that, in defiance of government policies, small-boat arrivals were 13 per cent higher, at 41,472, in 2025. This is the highest figure since 2022.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, net migration is now assessed&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/live\/cn0g0xnr7klt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">to have fallen drastically<\/a>&nbsp;to just 204,000 in the year to June 2025, down 80 per cent from its peak in 2023. Nevertheless, polls show that people think it&nbsp;is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2026\/jan\/10\/two-thirds-of-uk-voters-wrongly-think-immigration-is-rising-poll-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">still rising<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government expects new measures during 2026 will further reduce net migration by around 100,000 from current levels;&nbsp;in contrast,&nbsp;the chair of the Migration Advisory Committee&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/dec\/17\/net-migration-to-uk-could-rise-to-300000-by-end-of-decade-says-government-adviser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">argues<\/a>&nbsp;that it&nbsp;will rise again to around 300,000 by 2030. An alternative&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ukandeu.ac.uk\/the-coming-collapse-in-immigration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">suggestion<\/a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;government restrictions could bring net migration down to zero, which would see the UK\u2019s population stagnate, seems implausible, however.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also,&nbsp;in the year ending June 2025, just 16 per cent of UK immigration was accounted for by asylum seekers and refugees. This was made up of around 96,000 asylum seekers, 17,000 Ukrainians and 7,000 other people resettled because of conflicts abroad, and 21,000 family members of refugees given visas to enter the UK.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the last few weeks of 2025, there was a raft of government policy announcements on migration,&nbsp;housing&nbsp;and homelessness. But good news was limited, and many&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Latest government policies on homelessness, child\u00a0poverty\u00a0and more offer little help to migrants - Housing Rights","description":"In the last few weeks of 2025, there was a raft of government policy announcements on migration,&nbsp;housing&nbsp;and homelessness. But good news was limited,"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/housing-rights.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}