Our statement on the new Immigration and Asylum Bill

July 3, 2026

We remain deeply concerned by the government’s proposed changes to asylum and immigration laws. Rather than strengthening protections for people seeking sanctuary in times of global instability and unrest, this legislation will cause further harm without fixing the problems that exist in the current system.

Ensuring access to justice through fair and high-quality legal advice is at the heart of our mission as a funder. We know through our work with grant partners that currently, multiple barriers exist to give people access to early legal advice. We also worry about the quality of Home Office decision-making, the complexity of asylum and immigration law and its impact on people going through the system. We do not believe that the bill’s proposals for a new Independent Appeals Body will address the issues the advice sector faces. The government needs to significantly invest in the immigration advice sector and decision-making system to ensure that people have the representation they need and decision-makers are equipped with the skills and expertise to decide on claims. Instead, these proposals suggest lowering professional standards for adjudicators, with stricter limits on further submissions and accelerated processes of cases deemed unlikely to succeed.

This is particularly concerning in the context that many people in the asylum system have gone through significant trauma. They will need time, sensitive support and appropriate care to prepare their claims. We believe that long-term, stable and increased funding for the legal aid sector from the government is key to ensuring that applicants can access timely, high-quality advice that can ensure that delays and late claims are avoided, and better decisions reached. This must go hand-in-hand with trauma-informed practices, including flexibility around evidence deadlines, sensitive questioning and trained decision-makers who have expertise in working with trauma survivors.

Furthermore, the government is planning to bring in new measures to restrict protections for people who have experienced modern slavery and trafficking, limit the application of Article 8 (the right to family life) and force people granted refugee protection to pay back £10,000 for the state support they have received. These cruel and punitive proposals intensify the hostile environment that refugees face in the UK in this current moment. Our political leaders cannot be influenced by the demands of the rising far-right, and instead must stand behind humane, progressive approaches that centre care and justice.

We are committed to an immigration system in which people can access justice fairly and equally without being harmed. We urge the next Prime Minister and their Cabinet to rethink this approach and engage constructively with the immigration sector, which unites the wealth of expertise of those with lived experience, frontline support workers and policy and research professionals.