Home Secretary’s announcement that asylum support would be revoked for those who “have the ability to support themselves” risks pushing people who simply cannot work towards homelessness, poverty & losing access to legal aid. Our response: www.helenbamber.org/resources/la...

This cruel change, which deliberately keeps people’s lives in limbo, will not deter men, women, children & families fleeing war, conflict & persecution from seeking protection in the UK. What it WILL do is trap people in a constant state of instability & profoundly harm their mental health.

Refugees experience profound psychological distress when separated from their families, many of whom remain in active conflict zones. Family reunion can be a matter of life or death. We're representing @safepassageintl.bsky.social in this vital legal challenge. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

We're deeply concerned about the UK government's proposed changes to settlement. These plans are incompatible with the UK’s international obligations and would push migrants, refugees and stateless people towards insecurity, poverty and exclusion. 👇

The government’s plan to make refugees ‘earn’ protection by proving their ‘contribution to society’ makes their safety and stability in the UK dependent on their economic ‘worthiness.’ These are men, women, children & families who have fled conflict, torture, trafficking & extreme violence. 🧵

Labour peer @alfdubs.bsky.social is right to call for the restoration of family reunion rights so that children in need of protection can reach the UK. In the year ending June 2025, 93% of family reunion visas went to women & children, over half to children. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

1/4 UN Experts and Special Rapporteurs have sent formal allegation letters to both the UK and French governments over serious potential human rights violations under the ‘one-in, one-out’ deal. You may read the full story here: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Refugees need stability & security to recover from profound trauma. But the government's asylum reforms will force them to re-prove their need for protection every 2.5 years for up to 20 years before they can settle in the UK. We're already seeing the impact of this on our clients' mental health 🧵

Congratulations to @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social on being appointed King’s Counsel! Very well deserved. 🎉 Alasdair was one of the founders of Asylum Aid and his unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of people seeking asylum is an inspiration. 👏

Ex-military barracks & hotels are NOT suitable sites to house people seeking asylum in the UK, who have experienced unimaginable trauma. Protests like these only deepen fear & make already-vulnerable people feel even less safe. We need #CommunitiesNotCamps www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

On #HumanRightsDay today, we celebrate 75 years of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) & 25 years of the Human Rights Act. For generations, these frameworks have protected people’s dignity & safety, limited the misuse of power & upheld fairness. But they are currently under threat 🧵1/5

We're 10% of the way there but we need your help! Please donate to our Winter Fundraising Appeal and help us continue to empower our visitors, build community and resist the hostile environment: localgiving.org/fundraising/...

🚨 Today we’re in court challenging changes to the Home Office’s 'Allocation of Asylum Accommodation' policy which force more trafficking & torture survivors to share rooms with strangers. These were introduced with no consultation or warning. 🧵 www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

New government measures won’t deter people fleeing danger but they WILL cause significant harm. Forcing refugees into decades of limbo, tearing families apart & restricting support in the name of 'deterrence' will only worsen mental health and leave people at risk. asylumaid.org.uk/resources/ne...

"I was isolated and it was very re-traumatising..." Our client speaks to @claudiahammond.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4's All in the Mind about his experience of being placed in an asylum hotel & the harmful impact it had on his mental health. 📻 Listen in! www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

In case you missed it: Rule changes from 11 November to affect family members of stateless people | Djamilla Hitchins

Legal advice is vital for survivors to navigate complex asylum systems. But many are unable to access it. Ambassadors for Change, a group of campaigners with experience of the UK asylum system, write about the barriers in getting free, quality legal advice 👇 www.helenbamber.org/resources/re...

Latest post from us: Migrant Help to provide training to staff after admitting trafficking policy breach | Monika Glowacka

Yesterday, a parliamentary committee report warned that housing people seeking asylum in large sites is harmful. The response? Today, the government announced plans to accommodate hundreds in two ex-military sites. This is cruel & inhumane. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

"It is unacceptable that significant amounts of taxpayers’ money is being used to house often vulnerable people in sub-standard accommodation." This is YET another warning that asylum accommodation is harmful & eye-wateringly expensive. Here's what the Home Affairs Committee report found🧵

⏰ One week before the deadline! ⏰ Applications are open for the next cohort of Compass: The Asylum Aid Advisor Development Programme. This free programme offers 5 IAA Level 2 trainees in-depth training, shadowing opportunities, supervision & a peer support network. 👇

Refugee family reunion saves lives. Last year, over half of those reunited were children fleeing dangerous situations & joining their parents. But the suspension of family reunion until next spring & plans to tighten rules afterwards could turn temporary separation into permanent loss for many. 1/3

"You are not the same person after you experience torture." Ambassadors for Change, a group of survivors of torture, trafficking & persecution, share their experiences & recommendations for better systems with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture 👇 helenbamber.org/resources/re...

On #AntiSlaveryDay, let's remember that thousands of confirmed trafficking victims are still being left at risk. In 2024, only 4% were granted permission to stay in the UK, leaving 96% facing poverty & possible re-exploitation. Read our latest blog for more ⬇️ www.helenbamber.org/resources/la...

REMINDER: Asylum hotels are NOT places of luxury. They are often dilapidated, squalid & overcrowded. Being forced to live there for months (even years) causes profound harm to people. Those seeking safety in the UK must be housed in communities where they can rebuild their lives with dignity. 👇📽️

Applications are now open for the next cohort of Compass: The Asylum Aid Advisor Development Programme! This free programme offers 5 IAA Level 2 trainees in-depth training, shadowing opportunities, supervision & a peer support network. Find out how to apply here: asylumaid.org.uk/what-we-do/c...

With 63 other expert orgs, we’ve written to the government to strongly oppose the reduction in the length of time newly-recognised refugees get to move on from asylum accommodation. This could leave thousands more refugees destitute & on the streets this winter. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

We cannot stress enough how harmful asylum hotels are — contrary to the perception that they are 'luxurious'. They must be closed urgently but not be replaced with crumbling, overcrowded & isolated large sites.  Thanks @benchu.bsky.social for dispelling the myths around asylum hotels 👇

We have been witnessing the fear, sadness & disappointment among the people we support over the last few weeks. The horrific attacks on asylum hotels are a direct outcome of the constant scapegoating of people seeking safety in our politics & the media. This must stop immediately. Our response 👇

📢 New vacancy: We're looking for a Legal Administrator and Training Programme Coordinator to provide vital casework support, manage files and administration for our teams and training programmes. 📍 Based in London 📅 Deadline: 5pm, 27th August We’d love to hear from you. 👉 ow.ly/m6az50WISzR

The plans to use facial recognition technology to assess the age of children seeking asylum are concerning, unless significant safeguards are put in place. Replacing poor human decision making with inaccurate AI will not prevent children being put at risk. www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2025...

Thousands of families with children arrive in the UK every year to seek protection. But they are pushed into extreme poverty by the Home Office. Two months ago, the government froze the rates of financial support given to people seeking asylum. This has a devastating impact on children. 🧵

"I did not come here seeking wealth or running from poverty. In fact, I had a stable life back in my country, Yemen. "What forced me to leave was not economic hardship, but persecution and fear for my safety and the safety of my family." www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Many survivors stay silent due to trauma, stigma & fear of retaliation. We must build trust, create safe reporting channels & remove barriers so they can seek help without fear. On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we call for systems that protect & support survivors. #EndHumanTrafficking

❓Did you know that hundreds of thousands of people are forced to wait over 10 years for the right to permanently settle in the place they already call home? And it’s about to get worse. 🧵

🚨 We welcome the government's decision to scrap 'scientific methods' of assessing age of children seeking asylum. X-raying children to decide their age is inaccurate, expensive & potentially harmful. But we remain concerned about the Home Office’s use of visual assessments & plans to use AI. 🧵👇

🚨 Thousands of trafficking survivors continue to be denied permission to stay in the UK despite their critical need for safety and support — a new report by @helenbamber.bsky.social, ATLEU & @ecpatuk.bsky.social reveals. Instead survivors are left in fear and at risk of further exploitation. 🧵1/3

🎧 Second episode of Lawmanity podcast featuring our Executive Director Alison Pickup just dropped! 📻 Listen in to this insightful conversation on securing justice for people seeking asylum and some career advice for aspiring human rights lawyers 👇

🚨 For the third year in a row, our data shows that HUNDREDS of child refugees, who come to the UK alone, are continuing to be incorrectly treated as adults after a visual assessment of age at the border. They are placed with strangers in adult accommodation & even adult prisons. 1/2

📻 Our Executive Director Alison Pickup speaks on Lawmanity podcast about Asylum Aid's vital role in successfully challenging the Conservative government's Rwanda plan. Want to know more about went behind this critical legal challenge? Listen in! 🎧 pnc.st/s/lawmanity

On #WorldRefugeeDay today, we celebrate the friendships, solidarity & joy among our clients, who attend our community groups every fortnight. They bond over shared experiences & fun activities & often inspire us with some extraordinary talent. 🌿🥗🎼🎨🧶 #RefugeeWeek 🧡

🚨 We found that, in the first half of 2024, over HALF of young people seeking asylum were initially assessed as adults by the Home Office but found to be children after being referred to local authorities – at least 262 children. This cannot continue. 1/2 www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

This #RefugeeWeek, #OurSuperpower is resilience ✊🧡 The hostile environment that people seeking asylum in the UK experience takes a huge toll on their mental health. But the resilience and strength of our clients, many of whom continue to face tremendous hardship, inspire us every day.

🚨 We need your support as our wonderful team goes on a 10 km walk w/ @londonlegal.bsky.social tomorrow to raise money for Asylum Aid! Please donate here so we can continue to help some of the most vulnerable people seeking protection in the UK 👇 🙏 londonlegalsupporttrust.enthuse.com/pf/asylum-ai...

Over the past 2 years, we've warned repeatedly that moving men seeking asylum in the UK to Wethersfield causes them profound & long-lasting harm. Instead of closing the site urgently, the govt plans to extend its use — it's disgraceful. We need #CommunitiesNotCamps www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🚨 16p a day — that's how much the Home Office has increased the rate of asylum support for people in hotels. 😖 It hasn't raised self-catered support rate AT ALL. This is after we provided detailed evidence of the abject poverty people seeking protection are forced to live in. It is disgraceful 🧵

This is a tragic story. Men, women & children who come to the UK to seek asylum are forced to live in squalid hotels, where they often encounter hostile & untrained staff — while private companies running these inhumane housing systems earn millions in profit. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Fantastic achievement! Congratulations from all at Team LALY 🥰

🥳 We are thrilled to be shortlisted for the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards in TWO categories! 🙌 Asylum Aid is a finalist for the 'Legal Aid Firm/Not for Profit Agency' award and our wonderful solicitor Molly Nicolson is shortlisted in the 'Immigration & Asylum Law' category. 🎉

With @antislavery.org and 31 other organisations and survivor groups, we have written to the government calling for an end to the hostile narrative towards migrants and regressive policies that drive exploitation and deny survivors rights, safety and justice: www.antislavery.org/reports/open...