What is the Bill?
The Nationality and Borders Bill is part of the government’s New Plan for Immigration. The government says it wants to make the asylum system fairer and more effective, deter illegal entry and remove those who do not have a right to be in the UK. The Bill is now at the committee stage in the Commons, where each part of the Bill and any amendments can be debated.
Response from organisations working with asylum seekers
The Bill has been widely criticised for being inhumane and breaching an asylum seeker’s fundamental rights. Organisations who have spoken out against the Bill include UNHCR, British Red Cross, Refugee Council, Freedom from Torture, Amnesty International UK and many others.
The main concerns, summarised by Mary Brandon of Asylum Matters, are that the legislation would:
- “Allow for the “differential treatment of refugees” depending on their mode of arrival, including limiting length of leave, family reunion rights, access to benefits and conditions for settlement.
- Allow asylum claims to be declared as ‘inadmissible’ where applicants have a connection to a safe third country.
- Make it a criminal offence to arrive in the UK without permission.
- Give new powers for the Border Force to stop and divert vessels suspected of carrying illegal migrants”.
Here are some useful summaries of the impact of the Bill by the Refugee Council, Freedom from Torture and The Evening Standard.
How can people respond?
This is not about party politics but is fundamentally about how we choose to treat people. We should be calling on the government to protect the rights of refugees and not penalise those who need help the most.
Organisations are asking people to sign petitions and contact their local MP, asking them to speak out for refugees. A template of a letter to an MP, written by Families Together, can be found here. This page will be kept up to date with new templates, or other ways to respond, as the Bill progresses through Parliament.
You can also join (as an organisation) or support (as an individual) the Together with Refugees Coalition, which is calling for a more humane approach to those seeking protection in the UK.