RAMP Project Statement: Refugee Resettlement
We congratulate the Government on the success of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and - for being close to reaching the target of resettling 20,000 refugees since 2015. The UK has helped lead the world in providing sanctuary for those fleeing persecution and conflict - but there is still much more to do.
We recognise that this has, in many ways, been a new way of welcoming refugees to the UK, involving both Central and Local Government working in close partnership with the voluntary sector, faith, and community groups as well as agencies.
We also recognise the huge benefits in creating this safe and legal route for refugees to come to the UK. Arriving into the UK directly with confirmed refugee status together with suitable accommodation and resettlement support is hugely important for successful integration and for enabling refugees to fully participate and contribute to UK society.
We very much welcome the announcement made by the then Home Secretary in June 2019 for a further year’s commitment to resettlement through the formation of a new global resettlement scheme. We also welcome Baroness Williams of Trafford’s response of 24th February 2020 to the Bishop of Durham stating the government’s position that, in terms of the refugee resettlement levels, ‘ ...the ambition for this coming year is that it should exceed previous years….’
We are also pleased that refugee resettlement via Community Sponsorship will, under the new scheme, be additional to the government’s targets under the new global resettlement scheme. This is a welcome encouragement to those groups of committed citizens across the UK who are working hard to welcome refugees into their communities.
Much has been achieved already, but the tragic consequences of global conflicts and persecution continue to ripple around the world. The UN estimates that there are still 26 million refugees in the world, desperate to rebuild their lives. A long term commitment to refugee resettlement, to keep open a safe and legal route for refugees to seek sanctuary in the UK, would demonstrate that the UK continues to be a welcoming country, upholding our long-standing tradition of offering sanctuary to those fleeing oppression, persecution, and conflict.
We, therefore, call on the Government to commit to operating the new Global Resettlement Scheme for at least the next five years, to last the full length of the current parliament. This means committing to fully funding the scheme in the Comprehensive Spending Review. The Government should be committing to resettle a minimum of 5,000 refugees per year. The existing scheme clearly demonstrates the feasibility of this especially as the geographic scope of the scheme is widened.
Finally, the lessons that Central and Local Government together with Civil Society have learnt in developing the resettlement programme should be applied to the broader asylum and refugee system. These would include the long view of welcoming refugees which involves sufficient investment and effective decision making to allow asylum seekers and refugees to live with dignity in the UK, to be assured that their immigration cases are considered correctly and that allow them to contribute to society and to begin integrating as soon as they arrive in the UK.
"The RAMP Project supports a cross-party group of Parliamentarians to secure sensible and practical changes to migration policy. We want to improve the quality of the political debate about migration in Parliament, and build consensus around the steps needed to build a compassionate and managed migration system that works for both newcomers and long-standing residents of Britain. We advocate for a system that values skills and matches the needs of the economy, but also upholds the rights of individuals and addresses community needs at the same time - and which commands public confidence."