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West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership:

Learn about West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership's role in managing migration locally, regionally, and nationally. Explore its core and additional areas of work, challenges faced in asylum dispersal and resettlement, and the impact of government-funded schemes.

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West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership:

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  1. West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership: Regional Context and Overview of Migration in the West Midlands West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  2. What is WMSMP? What do we do? • One of 12 regional strategic migration partnerships (SMPs) across the UK • SMPs work in partnership with local authorities & provide structures & fora of engagement to effectively manage migration at a local, regional & national level • Set up in 1999 following the introduction of the regional dispersal policy for people seeking asylum • WMSMP covers 14 West Midlands upper-tier local authorities (33 including district authorities) • Funded by the Home Office, hosted by Birmingham City Council on behalf of the West Midlands • Overseen by Regional Board of Councillors West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  3. West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  4. What is WMSMP? What do we do? • Core areas of work: • Dispersal of asylum seekers • Lead Officer • Asylum Priority Working Group (PWG) • Resettlement of refugees • Resettlement Policy Officer • Resettlement PWG • Transfers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) • UASC Policy Officer • UASC PWG • Provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) • Learning & Work Institute • Additional areas of work: • Migrant Health • Migrant Health Network • Support for people with ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) • NRPF PWG West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  5. Asylum • 1999 - 7 West Midlands LAs begin operating as asylum dispersal areas: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, Walsall & Wolverhampton • 2012 - G4S secures COMPASS contract for the West Midlands • January 2019 • Serco awarded the 10 year Asylum Accommodation & Support Contract (AASC) for the West Midlands  • Migrant Help awarded the Advice Issue Reporting & Eligibility (AIRE) contract for the UK • End March 2019 • 45,643 asylum seekers in the UK receiving section 95 support • 5,599 asylum seekers in the West Midlands receiving section 95 support (12% of national total) • Home Office Immigration Statistics released 24 May 2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019-data-tables West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  6. Adult asylum dispersal map Number of asylum seekers on section 95 support West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  7. Asylum- some challenges • No central government funding for LAs to support asylum dispersal • Property procurement • Refused asylum applications → NRPF → destitution & homelessness • Refugee status BUT problems with ‘move on’ → destitution & homelessness West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  8. Resettlement • Resettlement = transfer of refugees from an asylum country to another State that has agreed to admit them as refugees & ultimately grant them permanent settlement • UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s resettlement submission categories: • Legal &/or physical protection needs • Survivors of torture &/or violence • Medical needs • Women & girls at risk • Family reunification • Children & adolescents at risk • Lack of foreseeable alternative durable solutions • UK’s resettlement schemes: • Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) • Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) • Gateway Protection Programme • Mandate Refugee Scheme West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  9. VPRS & VCRS • VPRS – commitment to resettle, by 2020, 20,000 people displaced as a result of the conflict in Syria & residing in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region • VCRS – commitment to resettle, by 2020, up to 3,000 children & their families, of any nationality, residing in the MENA region • LAs participating in the VPRS & VCRS receive government funding: • £20,520 per person tapered over 5 years • Plus education, ESOL & exceptional costs funding • All but one West Midlands LA has participated in the VPRS &/or VCRS • Community Sponsorship • End March 2019 • 15,977 people resettled in UK under VPRS - 1,562 in West Midlands (9.7 %) • 1410 people resettled in UK under VCRS - 138 in the West Midlands (9.8%) • Home Office Immigration Statistics released 24 May 2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019-data-tables West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  10. VPRS map Number of individuals resettled West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  11. Resettlement – some challenges & post 2020 • Challenges • LAs and community groups new to hosting refugees • Independence, integration & indefinite leave to remain at the end of the 5 years • Post 2020 resettlement scheme: • VPRS, VCRS & Gateway merged • Geographical focus beyond MENA region • In the region of 5,000 refugees to be resettled in 1st year of new scheme • New process for emergency resettlement • In addition to Community Sponsorship West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  12. Unaccompanied children • Spontaneous arrivals • National Transfer Scheme • Transfers from LAs with high numbers of UASC to those with fewer • Transfers from Europe under s. 67 Immigration Act 2016 (Dubs scheme) • VCRS • Dublin III Regulation • End March 2018 • 4,480 UASC looked after by English LAs; 480 by West Midlands LAs (10.7%) • Birmingham looking after 3rd highest number of UASC (145) in England • Figures do not include 18+ former UASC care leavers supported by LAs • Department for Education statistics released 15 November 2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018 • Funding from Home Office for LAs: • UASC- £114 per night • Former UASC care leavers aged 18-24 - £200 per week • UNLESS no leave to remain & ‘appeal rights exhausted’ West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  13. Department for Education statistics released 15 November 2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018 West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  14. Unaccompanied children – some challenges • Wide disparity in numbers accommodated by different LAs • Pressures on LAs with higher numbers • BUT barriers to transferring young people to other LAs • Refusal of leave to remain post 18 → ‘appeal rights exhausted’ → termination of support from LA West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  15. Wider migration context • West Midlands total population estimate: 5, 811, 000 • UK born (est.): 5,010,000 Non-UK born (est.): 800,000 (13.8%) • British nationality (est.): 5,274,000 Non-British (est.): 536,000 (9.2%) • Brexit – EU Settlement Scheme • West Midlands EU born (est.): 302,000 W Mids EU nationality (est.): 333,000 • Office for National Statistics population estimates released 24 May 2019 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/populationoftheunitedkingdombycountryofbirthandnationality West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  16. Cross-cutting issues • Wide variation in size of migrant population across the UK & the West Midlands – practical and ethical challenges to pursuing more even distribution of certain groups of migrants • Impact of funding • Implications of both securing & not securing immigration status • NRPF • Destitution & homelessness • Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking • Barriers to accessing healthcare for physical & mental health needs • ESOL • Education & training • Employment West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

  17. Keep in touch! • www.wmsmp.org.uk • Monthly e-bulletin • Quarterly Statistics Briefing • Email: wmsmp@birmingham.gov.uk • Phone: 0121 303 4219 • Twitter @WestMidlandsSMP West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

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