At Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, we have been giving grants to organisations welcoming and supporting refugees in the UK for 30 years.
Today we remain committed to migrant justice - to a society where migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum can all live in safety, in a place where their rights and dignity are protected.
This week's statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy will take away support for people who are destitute, and the changes to family reunion and removal will have a disproportionate impact on women and children.
Refugees have been living and thriving in communities across the UK for much longer than the 30 years Esmée has been supporting them. Migration is a vital part of UK life, and safe and legal routes should be a priority for those most in need of asylum and refuge in the UK. We will continue to support organisations working for this.
Responses from organisations we fund
- Statement from the Scottish Refugee Council: “We can have a firm, fair asylum system without abandoning our humanity. It is entirely reasonable that if someone’s asylum claim is refused after full consideration, they return home. But the way we speak about people seeking sanctuary matters just as much as the policies we design.”
- Statement from 60 organisations led by Reunite Families UK and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants: "As we see time and time again, closing off safe routes doesn’t stop people from moving. It will leave people stranded in dangerous and life-threatening situations, forcing more families to take perilous journeys in order to reunite with their loved ones. Moreover, this change will disproportionately affect women and children. In the year to June 2025, more than 20,000 refugee family reunion visas issued, of which nine in ten or 93% were issued to children or adult women. More than half were issued to children."
- Statement from Southall Black Sisters, Hibiscus, End Violence Against Women Coalition, and Latin American Women's Rights Service: "These policies disregard the daily realities we as specialist ending violence against women and girls organisations witness firsthand on the frontline. We see, with painful clarity, that insecure immigration status is one of the strongest predictors of continued abuse, exploitation, and homelessness. When the state strips away human rights protections, restricts family-life claims, renders refugees' settlement temporary, and closes off safe routes to safety, the consequences fall most brutally on women and children who are already marginalised and least able to defend themselves.
- Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit has written a blog explaining the changes proposed in the government's plans and the potential impact.
Sharing hope
We also want to share a short film from migrant justice organisers Fatou, Pious, Son, Nanou and Rosanna reflect on what is means to practise radical hope, and why doing so is an essential part of their organising practice. The film is part of Solidarity knows no borders, a campaign by Migrants Organise.
