The Nationality and Borders Bill – Take Action Against the Bill and Get Involved

Asylum Welcome is an active member of Together with Refugees, the national coalition of over 200 refugee charities calling for a more effective, fair, and humane approach to the UK’s asylum system. We work alongside like-minded agencies to raise our concerns, challenge legislation and reiterate the public’s support for our commitment to give sanctuary to those fleeing persecution. The coalition’s symbol is an orange heart – the same colour as the flag designed to mark the participation of the first ever refugee team in the 2016 Olympic games. 

To join us in opposing the Bill and creating a space of sanctuary for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK you can: 

• Fight the bill in your local community 
•  Empower your local leaders to take a stand 
• Show solidarity everyday 
• Get in contact with us!

Communities across the country are coming together to oppose the bill through demonstrations and by educating members of the community on its impact on the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and the British population. You can get involved by joining any local demonstrations against the bill, and by understanding what provisions and actions are being taken in your local community to show solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers at this time.  

Amnesty International UK have launched a new video and campaign highlighting how the Bill will drive an increase in people smuggling. Add your name to their letter to the Prime Minister.

Local and municipal councils and decision-makers across the UK are taking a stand against the Bill. You can lobby and empower your local leaders – councillors, local authority Mayors, ‘Metro’ Mayors and representatives of devolved governments –  to join this call and strengthen opposition to the Bill at a national scale. You can do this by calling on them to make a public statement, proposing a council motion, and/or raising awareness in local media outlets. 

In light of recent events in Parliament, you can lobby your local MPs to retain the significant and important changes made to the Bill in the House of Lords, which include: scrapping clause 11; removing the proposal to offshore refugee processing; lifting the ban on employment for people seeking asylum; including a family reunification clause; and setting a meaningful annual re-settlement target. 

Asylum Welcome is an active member of Together with Refugees, a new national coalition of over 300 refugee charities calling for a more effective, fair and humane approach to the UK’s asylum system. We work with like-minded agencies to raise our concerns, challenge the legislation and reiterate the public’s support for our commitment to give sanctuary to those fleeing persecution. The coalition’s symbol is an orange heart – the same colour as the flag designed to mark the participation of the first ever refugee team in the 2016 Olympic games. The orange heart is a unifying symbol that we can stand behind to express our solidarity with asylum seekers and refugees in the UK.

One small way to show your solidarity and get involved is to display this orange heart in the window of your home, vehicle or business, or share it on social media (tagging @AsylumWelcome #TogetherWithRefugees). You can also send a message of solidarity to refugees using this online form and/or by printing and writing on this postcard and sending it to our offices so we can share it with our clients!

If you would like to get more involved, chat through how best to take action, learn more about what is happening in Oxfordshire, or even start volunteering, feel free to drop us a line – we would love to hear from you!