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MiCLU

@micluteam.bsky.social
149 followers 86 following 110 posts

The Migrant and Refugee Children's Legal Unit based at Islington Law Centre. Working for the rights of migrant and refugee children and young people. miclu.org

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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Reminder that there is still time to apply for this post: deadline is 12pm tomorrow.
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
We are highly concerned about recent changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 259) which expand the circumstances in which asylum claims may be decided without a substantive asylum interview. 🧵
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Free Movement @freemovement.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The Upper Tribunal has found a NAAB age assessment "quite wrong" and rejected the argument that NAAB decisions deserve special weight. The same settled principles apply regardless of which body conducts the assessment — including the benefit of the doubt owed to the applicant.
freemovement.org.uk
No special weight to be given to National Age Assessment Board decisions as tribunal finds assessment ‘quite wrong’ - Free Movement
The Upper Tribunal has rejected the Home Office’s argument that special weight should be afforded to age assessments carried out by the National Age
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Submitting AI hallucinations to court is always professional negligence, but the potential consequences here are far more serious than any case I have seen before. Time to start disbarring lawyers for cases as serious as this. And the first instance judge missing it is unimpressive too.
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Free Movement @freemovement.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
The High Court has found that scrapping reconsiderations for negative trafficking decisions was unlawful. A significant check on flawed decision-making was removed without proper authority — and the court has now struck it down. Nath Gbikpi walks through what the ruling means in practice.
freemovement.org.uk
Home Office acted unlawfully by removing reconsiderations for trafficking decisions - Free Movement
The High Court has ruled that the Home Office acted unlawfully when it removed the ability to request a reconsideration of a negative trafficking decision.
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Women for Refugee Women @4refugeewomen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
🚨Yesterday, the Immigration and Asylum Bill had its second reading in Parliament. This is an opportunity to debate the principles and core purpose of a proposed Bill. We know it's cruel, performative, and will cause huge harm to people seeking safety. Here's a snippet of what happened 👇 1/🧵
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Join us as Immigration Solicitor/Senior Caseworker, building a rewarding career on a pioneering project recognised for its innovation and impact. We'll support you to develop case preparation & strategic litigation skills alongside expertise in child-centred, trauma-informed practice bit.ly/4plRBqX
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Helen Bamber Foundation 🧡 @helenbamber.org · 02/07/2026
You cannot address human trafficking without supporting & protecting survivors. The government's new Immigration & Asylum Bill does the opposite. A system that punishes survivors doesn't fight trafficking but enables it. We will keep fighting this. 📑 more: www.helenbamber.org/resources/la...
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Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit @atleu.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Anti-slavery charities warn that the new Immigration and Asylum Bill will damage modern slavery protections as the Bill prioritises immigration control over safeguarding survivors of a serious crime. Read our full statement here: www.atleu.org.uk/cases-news/t...
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
There is nothing "fair" about Labour's plans. These are the most regressive and hostile changes to the asylum rules we have seen in decades, which is saying something considering those passed by Labour. They undermine human rights, and put trafficking victims at risk. They are abhorrent. 15/
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Jon Featonby @jonfeatonby.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
A change in PM should be a chance to rethink, but it appears that the immigration and asylum bill will be introduced next week, a bill that will do nothing to help the asylum system run more smoothly while making life harder for those seeking protection in the UK. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Shabana Mahmood’s immigration and asylum bill to go before MPs next week
Refugee charities fear controversial changes, including on forced removals and age checks, are being rushed through
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Mahmood must have Burnham's support to make it virtually impossible to seek sanctuary in Britain let alone reunite with your family. Every refugee organisation opposes these 'reforms' which will lead to rushed & unfair decision making. The bill should be stopped. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Shabana Mahmood’s immigration and asylum bill to go before MPs next week
Refugee charities fear controversial changes, including on forced removals and age checks, are being rushed through
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Helen Bamber Foundation 🧡 @helenbamber.org · 21/05/2026
After a decade of campaigning, the government has finally published data confirming what we warned for years: hundreds of child refugees arriving alone in the UK are wrongly treated as adults, with devastating consequences. 🧵 We speak to @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
independent.co.uk
Migrant children put at ‘significant’ risk after being wrongly treated as adults
Exclusive: Home Office accused of ‘safeguarding failure’ as hundreds of migrant children initially assessed as adults
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Free Movement @freemovement.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
New: Nearly 90% of conclusive grounds reconsiderations result in positive outcome and more UK referrals than ever — by Jasmine Quiller-Doust
freemovement.org.uk
Nearly 90% of conclusive grounds reconsiderations result in positive outcome and more UK referrals than ever - Free Movement
We now have the latest quarterly trafficking statistics for January to March 2026. A few new records have been set, including UK national referrals which are
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ECPAT UK @ecpatuk.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
ECPAT UK Youth Advisory Group responds to the King's Speech and another Immigration and Asylum Bill. Their message is unequivocal, these proposals put children at risk and punish the very children who need protection, removing vital support at the moment they need it the most.  bit.ly/YAGMay26
bit.ly
Child Trafficking Survivors Warn: Government Proposals Will Put Vulnerable Children at Risk
The ECPAT UK Youth Advisory Group has issued a strong response to the King’s Speech with the announcement of a new Immigration and Asylum Bill as part of the government’s ongoing plans to reform the a...
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Colin Yeo @colinyeo.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
New: Briefing: registering a child as British — by James Ritchie
freemovement.org.uk
Briefing: registering a child as British - Free Movement
In this briefing, we will cover the four most common entitlement routes for registering a child as British, alongside the discretionary route.
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
MICLU is a Kids in Need of Defense UK hub and provides free legal advice to children & young people looking to apply for British citizenship. If you're supporting a child who you think may be entitled to citizenship, you can make a referral to us here: bit.ly/4naD4gA
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Caring about children's rights means caring about the rights of every child. That's why we and 140+ organisations are speaking out against new rules that put thousands of migrant and refugee children in the UK at risk of poverty, homelessness and trauma bit.ly/4sZazUt @asylummatters.bsky.social
bit.ly
A message to Government: Charities sound the alarm over ‘sustained attack on children’s rights’ - Asylum Matters
New migration rules represent a “sustained attack on children’s rights”, say children’s charities, social workers, lawyers and migrants’ rights groups. In a letter to the Prime Minister, nearly 150 ch...
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Mirror Politics @politics.mirror.co.uk · 26/04/2026
Nearly 150 children's groups have accused the Government of a "sustained attack on children's rights" as they demanded a U-turn on proposals to handcuff kids during deportations.
mirror.co.uk
Plan to handcuff migrant kids is 'sustained attack on children', Starmer warned
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Sile Reynolds @silereynolds.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
The Home Office has extended the deadline for responding to this call for evidence to 6th May, but hasn't yet updated the webpage or issued public comms. If you want to confirm this, just email IABcallforevidence@homeoffice.gov.uk & you'll get an automated message with the extension info.
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
“I would say keep fighting: you have survived one time, you are going to survive each day, and one day the fairness in your life will come.”
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
The lunatic quality of these proposals is persistently underestimated. They are far, far worse than people recognise.
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Free Movement @freemovement.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Latest post from us: Home Secretary concedes use of unlawful evidential threshold in trafficking decisions | Ralitsa Peykova
freemovement.org.uk
Home Secretary concedes use of unlawful evidential threshold in trafficking decisions - Free Movement
The Home Secretary has accepted that decision-makers applied an unlawful evidential threshold in trafficking cases.
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
These designs are awesome and have the added bonus of supporting young migrants!
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
“It feels like you have tied a sack of rocks to someone and they are trying to drag those rocks along with them for a decade, or now for 15 years.” - MiCLU’s Anna Skehan recently spoke to the Home Affairs Committee about the impact of changes to routes to settlement on children.
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Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants @jcwi-uk.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
The Home Office wants to handcuff children during forced removals of families. This level of violence & dehumanisation must never be normalised, our spokesperson Griff Ferris warns. Stand up for your neighbours. Organise locally. Boycott border profiteers. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Home Office may forcibly remove child asylum seekers from UK in handcuffs
Move is part of scheme to target families for expedited voluntary removals before enforced removal proceedings
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Helen Bamber Foundation 🧡 @helenbamber.org · 05/03/2026
Home Secretary’s announcement that asylum support would be revoked for those who “have the ability to support themselves” risks pushing people who simply cannot work towards homelessness, poverty & losing access to legal aid. Our response: www.helenbamber.org/resources/la...
helenbamber.org
Helen Bamber Foundation’s response to the government’s announcement on asylum support | Helen Bamber
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
The recent flurry of policy announcements by the Home Secretary aiming to change “perceptions of what the refugee offer is” has been creating huge anxiety and distress among our client group.
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Alasdair Mackenzie @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Hi! Immigration lawyer here! Mahmood's view of the Refugee Convention as providing temporary protection just isn’t correct & AFAIK isn’t one anyone has ever adopted. On the contrary, the Convention is clearly predicated on a long-term need for protection. 1/🧵
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Siân Pearce @sianp.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
First PAVA spray, then proudly announcing new powers to manhandle migrant kids. A Home Office made up of Trunchbulls...
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Alasdair Mackenzie @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Here's Mahmood's written statement to Parliament on changes to the treatment of refugees - as morally bankrupt and evidence-free as you might expect. A few initial thoughts > 1/
questions-statements.parliament.uk
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.
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Nathan Phillips @nbphillips1872.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
We all need a home. Take action today to stop newly-granted refugees being made homeless. Gov is deciding on future of 56 day move-on period in the coming weeks. Use @weareyoungroots.bsky.social online tool to email your MP – it only takes a few minutes! action.youngroots.org.uk/make-56-days...
action.youngroots.org.uk
Email your MP today to stop newly-granted refugees becoming homeless
You need more than 28 days to find a home - help us to get the government to agree to a 56 day move-on period when people are granted refugee status
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Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) @gmiau.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
🧵This is the biggest attack on the rights of recognised refugees in recent memory & is reminiscent of the worst failed policies of the disastrous last govt. People seeking safety need security in order to start over, but this govt seems to want to forget that there are people at the centre of this.
theguardian.com
Refugee status to be temporary as Shabana Mahmood rips up rules on UK asylum
Home secretary announces 30-month protection limit, with refugees required to leave if their home countries are later judged safe
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Helen Bamber Foundation 🧡 @helenbamber.org · 02/03/2026
This cruel change, which deliberately keeps people’s lives in limbo, will not deter men, women, children & families fleeing war, conflict & persecution from seeking protection in the UK. What it WILL do is trap people in a constant state of instability & profoundly harm their mental health.
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ECPAT UK @ecpatuk.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
New 2025 data show rising referrals of children as potential victims of trafficking. But the most alarming truth? These are only the children we manage to identify. Many more remain outside the system entirely. Read our full breakdown ⬇️ www.ecpat.org.uk/News/thousan...
ecpat.org.uk
Thousands of Children Identified as Potential Victims of Modern Slavery in 2025
The Home Office has released the latest end of year summary of National Referral Mechanism (NRM) statistics, showing that in 2025 thousands of children were identified as potential victims of traffick...
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Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants @jcwi-uk.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
What this means is that the UK government is going to entrench child poverty, deep poverty, and homelessness for many people across the country. @ramfel.bsky.social
theguardian.com
UK migrant families face giving up vital in-work benefits to avoid being ‘punished’
Under Shabana Mahmood’s proposals, wait for settled status would double to 20 years if public funds used while in work
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
“Interrogatory, hostile and terrifying” is how children described the new Home Office age assessment scheme, according to a new report which finds that NAAB assessments endanger child refugees www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Home Office age assessment scheme endangers child refugees and must be scrapped, NGOs say
Coalition of refugee support groups says board’s ‘traumatic’ and ‘flawed’ processes are putting children at risk
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Safe Passage International @safepassageintl.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Migration is estimated to contribute over £3 billion to the UK economy every year. Meanwhile, Jim Ratcliffe’s move to Monaco reportedly cost the UK Treasury between £440m and £4bn in lost tax revenue. This rhetoric isn’t just incredibly harmful and divisive. It’s also completely baseless.
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Asylum Matters @asylummatters.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
🚨 Just THREE days left to tell the Government what you think of making refugees wait 20 years for safety 🚨 We cannot let these appalling plans go unchallenged. Follow this guide from Praxis to make sure your voice is heard. www.praxis.org.uk/consultation
Blue box containing the words "Submitting a response to the Government's earned settlement public consultation" with the logo "Praxis, for migrants and refugees"
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Colin Yeo @colinyeo.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Child poverty is the fault of the parents, says the Labour Home Secretary. Or the fault of the children for existing. I'm not sure but it seems to be one of the two.
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Kazzum Arts @kazzumarts.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
These resources are designed to help ensure children and young people who are newly arrived in the UK are supported through high quality, trauma-informed life story work 🌱 We are proud to have supported @bluecabin.bsky.social in creating this work 🤝
creativelifestorywork.com
Life story work resources to support refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people - Creative Life Story Work
Resources to support life story work with refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people.
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Praxis, for migrants and refugees @praxisprojects.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
A new report finds tougher rules may have wrongly denied support to thousands of modern slavery survivors. Home Office data shows over half of refusals later reviewed were overturned, suggesting many initial decisions were wrong. Essential reporting from @mellino.bsky.social at @tbij.bsky.social
thebureauinvestigates.com
UK immigration law has helped modern slavery thrive, says damning…
New findings point to a ‘growing culture of disbelief’ within government towards victims of trafficking
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Jonathan Kingham @jonkingh.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
This is extremely urgent as regards the hugely flawed and damaging Earned Settlement plans, which need to be scrapped entirely asap. There is no problem whatsoever with the existing five year system (bar the Life in the UK test, which could be made more relevant).
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Smugglers often force people to pilot boats, using threats against them or their families. Prosecuting an Afghan 18 year old seeking asylum for this is twisted and shows how Labour is more interested in playing to Reform than ensuring people are provided with safety. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
First person charged under new small boat Channel crossing law - BBC News
Aman Naseri, 18, denies endangering 46 people during a boat crossing to the UK on 5 January.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
For many of those seeking asylum a mobile phone isn't just a lifeline to keep in contact with loved ones, it's an essential resource in accessing information and resources. State mandated theft is another example of Labour's dehumanisation of people seeking safety www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
UK’s plans to seize asylum seekers’ phones condemned by campaigners
People who are sent to Manston processing centre will be eligible for searches for electronic devices from Monday
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Legal practitioners: Sign-up now available for free legal training seminar on 4 February on representing Albanian asylum cases, held jointly with @gardencourtlaw.bsky.social. To register: bit.ly/4qxewyV
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Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants @jcwi-uk.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Yet again, evidence shows that the government’s persecution of migrants is based on lies. The government must stop this performative cruelty against survivors of modern slavery: provide safe routes and safeguard those fleeing exploitation. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
theguardian.com
UK asylum seekers not widely abusing modern slavery rules, report finds
Exclusive: Thinktank’s findings undermine successive home secretaries’ statements about misuse of system in England and Wales
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Thinking about a new role for the New Year? If you are an experienced immigration solicitor, we would love to hear from you! Deadline for the vacancy: 12 Jan 2026
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Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) @gmiau.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
1/🧵📣NEW STATEMENT Members of the Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group have shared a new statement responding to recent changes to the asylum system and how these plans make them feel as people who came to the UK seeking safety. Share on IG: www.instagram.com/p/DSXLsi3jZI...
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MiCLU @micluteam.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
Our Santas are doing their warm ups - please donate!
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