"Recent data shows that there is a legal aid deficit in every region of England and Wales, including London." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on the problem of ‘advice sharks’ providing poor or fraudulent legal advice to migrants 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/the-making-o...

New blog on 'advice sharks' charging high fees for poor or fradulent immigration advice 👇

Noelia Martinez CEO of @citzrights.bsky.social opening their 2026 Europe Day conference: 'From Migration Narratives to Lived Realities' part of #festivalofeuropescotland.org

"Simply making conditions harsher in the hope it will deter arrivals appears, based on the evidence, unlikely to achieve the desired effect." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on 'pull factors' & whether stricter asylum policies matter 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

"It will probably not significantly reduce costs or deter new arrivals. It may push even more asylum seekers into destitution." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social and Ali Ahmadi assess govt plans to stop providing support to destitute asylum seekers. ukandeu.ac.uk/asylum-suppo...

"The UK’s restrictions on asylum seekers’ right to work do not appear to act as a strong deterrent, yet they drive up asylum costs..." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi ask whether the ban on asylum seekers working actually works 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/does-the-ban...

🏥 "It is clear that there is no quick fix to the UK’s health and care workforce crisis. What should be resisted is the tendency to frame international recruitment as problematic in itself." ✍️ @vvelyvyte.bsky.social on international recruitment in the NHS post-Brexit 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/internationa...

Ending free movement "led to a modest rise in the number of foreign born workers in the UK, but a dramatic shift in their countries of origin." 💥 New analysis from @jdportes.bsky.social & @johnspringford.bsky.social on the impact of Brexit on immigration to the UK 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/the-impact-o...

"Closing asylum hotels may redistribute costs and pressures rather than reducing them, let alone eliminating them." ✍️ Ali Ahmadi, @cbarnard.bsky.social & @fionacostello.bsky.social look at the implications of the government’s promise to close all asylum hotels 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/closing-asyl...

"Simply making conditions harsher in the hope it will deter arrivals appears, based on the evidence, unlikely to achieve the desired effect." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on 'pull factors' & whether stricter asylum policies matter 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

New blog by our Director Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social and Dr @fionacostello.bsky.social

"Simply making conditions harsher in the hope it will deter arrivals appears, based on the evidence, unlikely to achieve the desired effect." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on whether stricter asylum policy would act as a deterrant 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

"Simply making conditions harsher in the hope it will deter arrivals appears, based on the evidence, unlikely to achieve the desired effect." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on whether stricter asylum policy will act as a deterrant 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

"The available evidence shows that there is a far more complex relationship between asylum policy and asylum inflow than a simple ‘pull factor’ model would suggest." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on why asylum seekers come to the UK ukandeu.ac.uk/what-are-the...

Source: The Guardian search.app/qDFpM

"Without these, the system risks creating constant administrative churn, expanding backlogs, heavier burdens on public services, and deep insecurity for refugees." ✍️ Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello & Ali Ahmadi on Labour's proposed reforms to the asylum system 🔗 https://ow.ly/uTBI50XY0UG

"By contrast, rapid processes introduced by the Sunak govt have not led to good decision-making and thus to a large number of (successful) appeals" @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on Labour's proposals to emulate the Danish asylum system ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asyl...

"Whether this will reduce delays and costs without increasing the risk of wrong decisions will be the key question about the reforms" ✍️ Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello & Ali Ahmadi on Labour’s proposals to overhaul the asylum appeals system https://ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asylum-appeals-overhaul/

📣 NEW EVENT 📣 🇬🇧 British politics has become increasingly volatile and more fragmented To discuss the impact of the UK's changing political landscape, we're bringing together a panel of acacemics, pollsters and MPs 📆 Tues 20 Jan, 1pm GMT Join us online 👇 ukandeu.ac.uk/events/ukice...

Very thoughtful @ukandeu.bsky.social post by our Director Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social @fionacostello.bsky.social and Ali Ahmadi - 'Whether this will reduce delays and costs without increasing the risk of wrong decisions will be the central question...' ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asyl...

"Whether this will reduce delays and costs without increasing the risk of wrong decisions will be the central question about the reforms" ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi on Labour’s proposals to overhaul the asylum appeals system 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asyl...

What happens when you start with a hostile asylum system that sets people up to fail and then persistently degrade the legal aid system people depend on to accompany them through it, to put together the evidence in the framework of the law.

Please read Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social and @fionacostello.bsky.social's excellent @ukandeu.bsky.social Blog on Reform’s appetite to put the Brexit deal back in the oven - in my view, completely for the birds as the EU would go cold turkey on the UK. ukandeu.ac.uk/reform-and-t...

"Considering the implications of reneging on international agreements, a more efficient way to address the numbers of those claiming benefits under the EUSS is to look at low paid or atypical work contracts." 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/reform-and-t...

A new blog on Reform's proposals to scrap welfare benefits for EU nationals 👇👇

"Home Office data suggests that recent immigrants are more likely to be working than British nationals and make higher wages than them." ✍️ Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out, ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...

Jesus Christ. We go mad about one bloke we wrongly released, yet hear next to nothing about this horror? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

There is still time to join us next week - please register on our website - open to all. @cambridgelaw.bsky.social www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk/press/events...

📉 "Any political benefit the government may gain from this fall in immigration could be jeopardised by the economic damage that it causes." 🖊️ @jamesbowes01.bsky.social analyses the fall in net migration to the UK and the potential political and economic consequences ukandeu.ac.uk/the-coming-c...

New blog 👇👇

A new @ukandeu.bsky.social blog on asylum by our Director Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social, Dres @fionacostello.bsky.social and @aliahmadi.bsky.social @cambridgelaw.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/can-refugees...

"UK rules discourage or prohibit refugees from travelling back to the country they have fled, with specifics varying by status and scheme." ✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi explain whether refugees can visit their home countries ukandeu.ac.uk/can-refugees...

Hi Bluesky. We’re Contemporary European Politics (CEP) a journal by Wiley & UACES, publishing cutting-edge research on the politics, governance & societies of Europe. Follow us for new articles, special issues, & insights shaping Europe’s future. #EuropeanPolitics #AcademicResearch #UACES #Wiley

UACES Virtual Conference Day is TOMORROW. After an amazing week in Liverpool, we're continuing the research conversations online. Join us for flexible sessions across 14 panels covering everything from EU security to digital policy. Liverpool attendees: check ConfTool for access links. #UACES2025

🥳 Many congratulations to @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social and @sarahfraserbutlin.bsky.social - their book 'Low-Paid EU Migrant Workers: The House, The Street, The Town' won the @uaces.bsky.social Best Book Prize at the annual conference last week. More: bit.ly/4nrPb8e

NEW: An Oxford report warns that misleading media coverage is shaping public debate on immigration and human rights. The study finds the ECHR is frequently misreported in deportation cases, fueling misconceptions that erode trust in the legal system. 🧵 [1/8]

The winners of this year’s UACES Best Book Award goes to @fionacostello.bsky.social, @cbarnard.bsky.social and @sarahfraserbutlin.bsky.social for: Low Paid EU Migrant Workers: the House, the Street, the Town. We congratulate all three authors on this significant achievement.

Asylum applications in the UK hit a record high in 2024. Our updated briefing explores application numbers, grant rates, system costs, employment outcomes for people who came to the UK to seek asylum and much more. Check it out 👉 migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

After 1 year in government, has Labour made progress towards its goals on migration? We look at 5 pledges: - Net migration↘️ - Work visas↘️ - Small boat arrivals ↗️ - Asylum backlog ↘️ but appeals backlog ↗️ - Returns↗️ migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...

Our #refugeeweek content so far.... First up, a long read by me about the rights of refugees under the Refugee Convention. These are both weaker in many ways yet stronger in others than many realise. They represent a compromise between individual and state rights. freemovement.org.uk/what-rights-...

On the train to London, giving me 1 hour and 20 minutes to start @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social 's new book "Anywhere but here. How Britain's broken asylum system fails us all" 👇

"Trying to fire a legal weapon devised to combat organised crime at the desperate mother and aunt of two young girls offers us a moment of rare moral clarity" 👇 Excellent analysis by @stevepeers.bsky.social on CJEU Kinsa judgement as well as its broader implications. 👇

💥 ONE WEEK TO GO 💥 💻 Join our experts online at 1pm BST to unpack the implications, trade offs & public opinion around the UK government's migration policy With @jdportes.bsky.social, Madeleine Sumption, @robfordmancs.bsky.social & @anandmenon.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/events/ukice...

In last month's white paper, the government said the standard route to settlement will change from five years to ten. Our new commentary looks at how many people could be covered by the changes and their potential impact on migrants. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...

Our latest on the seasonal worker visa. What jumped out at me when reading this government-commissioned report is that farm-owners will quite openly say that they prefer migrant workers to accrue huge levels of debt, because this pushes them to work harder so that they can pay it off.

Finally managed to write something new for my Substack. It’s on the government’s immigration white paper and its likely unintended consequences. open.substack.com/pub/wewanted...

Under the Same Sky | Refugee Week 2025 The exhibition launches on 18 June, 7 - 9PM. For more information, take a look at the link below! Funded by @bhamcitycouncil.bsky.social as part of the Community Rescue Fund centrala-space.org.uk/exhibitions/...

UK government scraps plans for checks on EU fruit and veg www.gov.uk/government/n...

New blog with @cbarnard.bsky.social on the ongoing issues with the EUSS, including how the paucity of (free) accredited help/advice is pushing many into the arms of advice sharks 👇 @ukandeu.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/brexit-eu-ci...

"The success in terms of numbers of applications to EUSS masks the reality that for more vulnerable EU citizens, there are still long-term risks in obtaining and maintaining EUSS status" @cbarnard.bsky.social & @fionacostello.bsky.social on the EU Settlement Scheme ukandeu.ac.uk/brexit-eu-ci...