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The suspension of refugee family reunion and proposed changes risk cutting off this vital legal path for families and driving refugees toward dangerous routes, such as small-boat crossings. In addition, they will have a devastating impact on the mental health of refugees in the UK. The government has repeatedly stated its commitment to preserving family unity, but these changes will only serve to keep families separated, worsening trauma, increasing isolation and preventing integration.

Despite going through a complex two-stage system, in 2024 only 4% of non-British nationals who were confirmed to be victims of trafficking were given permission to stay in the UK on that basis. That’s only 176 out of 4,240 people. Over 4,000 adults were refused permission to stay (known as ‘leave to remain’), despite many needing to do so for their safety and recovery and to assist with the prosecution of their traffickers. The situation is no better for children. The government's claim that people are “misusing” modern slavery and trafficking protections to remain in the UK could not be further from the truth.

The Ambassadors for Change, are survivors of torture, trafficking and persecution who have come to the UK in search of safety. Each of us carries scars — physical, emotional and psychological — from the violence we endured and from the long, punishing asylum process. Some of us are still waiting for decisions, some of us have refugee status, but we are united by survival and by the determination to speak out. This briefing sets out what needs to change to ensure the implementation of survivors' rights and participation.

Over the last weeks, we have been deeply alarmed about the far-right attacks outside asylum hotels and threats of more organised violence across the country. We strongly condemn the racist and vitriolic targeting of people seeking protection in the UK. We stand in solidarity with the men, women, children and families at the sharp end of this hostility, who deserve to live in dignity and with safety.

The government has rightly recognised that child poverty needs to be addressed urgently. But this concern appears to not apply to all children. Just two months ago, the government decided to keep a small group of already disadvantaged children stuck in the very poverty it seeks to address, by freezing the rates of financial support given to people seeking protection in the UK.

The Helen Bamber Foundation (HBF) welcomes the government’s decision to scrap the use of ‘scientific methods’ to assess the age of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the UK. However, we are concerned about the government’s proposals to use artificial intelligence (AI) and facial recognition technologies to assess age, and the ongoing use of visual assessments at the border.

New data reveals that while over 4,240 non-British nationals were confirmed to be victims of trafficking in 2024, only 176 victims were granted permission to stay in the UK (‘leave to remain’) - just 4%. 4,064 adults were refused a grant of leave, despite many needing to stay in the country for their recovery and to assist with the prosecution of their traffickers. This new report from HBF, ATLEU and ECPAT UK looks at the harm caused to adult and child victims of trafficking left with insecure immigration status.

A first-of-its-kind clinical study by the Helen Bamber Foundation and the University of Hertfordshire looked at the mental health impact of living in hotel accommodation on people seeking protection in the UK. It found that those forced to live in asylum hotels experience significantly higher levels of distress and depression compared to people living in alternative accommodation.

Despite mounting evidence of the profound harm it causes, the Home Office continues its practice of wrongly assessing children who come to the UK alone to seek protection, as adults. For the third year in a row, the Helen Bamber Foundation’s data shows that hundreds of child refugees are continuing to be incorrectly treated as adults after a visual assessment of age at the border and placed with strangers in adult accommodation and even adult prisons.

This systematic review examines the psychological effects of prolonged waiting times in the asylum process. Prolonged asylum waiting is strongly associated with worsening psychological outcomes, particularly depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. Both excessively delayed and overly accelerated processes harm applicants. Reducing waiting times is crucial to safeguard mental health. Providing transparent timelines, fairer processing, and opportunities for work or education during waiting could reduce distress.

18 months ago, the Helen Bamber Foundation (HBF) published detailed evidence from medical assessments and casework showing that the government’s use of Wethersfield airbase as a large ‘open-prison camp’ for men seeking asylum since July 2023 was causing profound harm. New data shows that this is still the case and yet, despite the Prime Minister's commitment to close it, the site remains open.

While we welcome the parts of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill that repeal the Safety of Rwanda Act 2024 and parts of the Illegal Migration Act 2023, the Bill does not go far enough to undo the harmful legislation that has been introduced in recent years. We are alarmed by the introduction of yet further criminal offences that could easily be applied to refugees as opposed to smugglers and traffickers.