Our impact

Thanks to our work in 2024 we helped:

262

families to be granted visas

125

families to be granted permanent immigration status

106

people obtain British citizenship

62

families overcome homelessness

1,500

food parcels given out to people in need

6

campaigns ran to change legislation

My son was born here, but he was never recognised as British now, thanks to Layla, he has the citizenship he deserves. Finally I can stop worrying about his future.”

Cecilia, Client

In recent years we’ve influenced government policy, positively impacting the lives of thousands of refugees and migrants.

1. Won a landmark legal case that found the government was acting unlawfully by not providing people on “3C leave” proof of their immigration status. With echoes of the Windrush scandal, this was seeing tens of thousands of people each year wrongly suspended from work, having disability benefits cuts and denied access to housing and education.
2. Forced the government to introduce a fee waiver for its “bereaved partner concession”. They were previously charging grieving widows £2,885 to secure their immigration status, meaning if the bereaved couldn’t pay they’d face detention and deportation.
3. Made the government abandon plans to remove vital safeguards from asylum accommodation. The proposed regulations would have suspended the fire safety and other standards in houses in multiple occupancy (HMOs) used to house asylum seekers, putting peoples’ lives at risk.
4. Supported a challenge that found the government’s no recourse to public funds policy discriminated against people with disabilities. The policy was changed to better protect vulnerable people from being denied access to vital support.
5. Prevented rough sleepers from being deported for the “crime” of falling on hard times. We threatened legal action after the government attempted to make rough sleeping a reason for visa refusals, resulting in them changing the rules and removing this provision

Read about the impact we have had on refugees and migrants in the UK

Abraham’s story

Abraham came to the UK as a child refugee, fleeing indefinite military conscription in Eritrea. Abraham’s two sisters fled Eritrea after him and ended up in a refugee camp in Ethiopia. We helped to reunite Abraham with one of his sisters in the UK.

Read Abraham’s story

Helen’s story

Helen came to the UK aged 13 in 1958. As a Commonwealth national, she did not need a visa and had permission to stay. Helen left in 1969 for a short visit back to Nigeria, however ended up staying to care for sick relatives, returning intermittently before finally moving back in 2005. At this point The Home Office consistently refused applications for status. With our help, Helen was eventually granted indefinite leave.

Read Helen’s story

Ben’s story

Ben came to the UK with his mother as a child, fleeing domestic violence from his father in their home country. Ben and his mother had no official status in the UK, so Ben’s mother could not work or claim benefits. As a result, Ben spent much of his childhood in poverty. We helped Ben and his mother to secure accommodation and eventually obtain indefinite leave to remain.

Read Ben's story

Nasrin’s story

Nasrin came to the UK in 2019, aged 21, to join her British husband. She had been told they would be living together along with their infant son; but upon her arrival they were taken to a garage in an industrial area and told this was their new home where she was subjected to frequent verbal, sexual and physical violence. We helped Nasrin to rebuild her life and escape her abuser.

Read Nasrin’s story