• In Focus

    Illegal migration: Dealing with inadmissible asylum applications

    Home Office data shows that approximately 40,000 people have entered the UK illegally since March 2023. The Illegal Migration Act 2023 deems asylum applications as inadmissible if the claimant has entered the UK illegally, but not all the act’s provisions have yet been commenced. This briefing summarises the migration statistics and how the government has said it will deal with illegal migrants in conjunction with its Rwanda deportation scheme.

  • In Focus

    Foreign national offenders in UK prisons: Powers to deport

    Under UK legislation, the government has a duty to consider deportation of foreign nationals convicted of an offence in the UK and sentenced to at least 12 months’ imprisonment. It can remove foreign national offenders before the end of their prison sentence through various schemes and through prisoner transfer agreements. The deportation of foreign national offenders is a government priority. During 2023, 3,926 foreign national offenders were returned.

  • In Focus

    Questions to the foreign secretary: 16 April 2024

    Members of the House of Lords will ask Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton a series of oral questions on 16 April 2024. Topics include the current state of freedom of religion or belief in India; what is being done to maintain support for Ukraine; when the UK will next hold a bilateral meeting with France on security issues; and whether the UK will mark the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe.

  • In Focus

    Windrush scandal and compensation scheme

    The Windrush generation refers to individuals who migrated to the UK from Commonwealth countries between 1948 and 1973. Despite legal entitlement to stay, many faced job losses, denial of services and removal. In 2018, the then government acknowledged their mistreatment and introduced measures including the creation of a compensation scheme for those affected. However, several reviews have raised concerns about the accessibility and effectiveness of the scheme to date.

  • Research Briefing

    Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill: HL Bill 41 of 2023-24

    The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill would confirm Rwanda as a safe country in UK domestic law. This would advance the government’s ‘Rwanda policy’, following a Supreme Court judgment that the policy was unlawful based on a risk that those removed to Rwanda under a UK-Rwanda asylum partnership could be returned to countries where they may face persecution or other inhumane treatment. The bill passed the House of Commons unamended.

  • In Focus

    International Agreements Committee report on the UK-Rwanda treaty

    The UK government signed a treaty with Rwanda in December 2023 in response to a Supreme Court judgment that its proposed Rwanda asylum policy was unlawful. The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has recommended that the government does not ratify the treaty until Parliament is satisfied that the protections it provides have been fully implemented, in the context of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill asking Parliament to make a judgement that Rwanda is safe.

  • In Focus

    Integration of newly recognised refugees

    The UK grants successful asylum applicants refugee status, enabling them to stay in the UK, access the labour market and claim benefits. Some refugees also arrive in the UK through settlement schemes. However, not all of those who are offered protection in the UK are refugees. Concerns have been raised recently about difficulties faced by refugees in moving on from asylum accommodation once they receive their grant of refugee status.

  • In Focus

    King’s Speech 2023: Home affairs

    This briefing explores what home affairs related announcements the government could make in the King’s Speech on 7 November 2023. It includes information on potential new offences, new powers for the dismissal of police officers and possible changes to community safety partnerships. It also looks at potential legislation relating to modern slavery and a Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill.

  • In Focus

    Family migration: Justice and Home Affairs Committee report

    This briefing summarises the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee report on family migration, and the government’s response to the report. Stressing the importance of family life, the committee made a number of recommendations to make family migration pathways simpler and more flexible. However, the government defended how family migration was managed, saying that it balanced the need to protect public finances whilst providing pathways to many that need them.

  • In Focus

    The future UK-EU relationship: Report by the House of Lords European Affairs Committee

    Since the Windsor Framework was agreed in February 2023, the UK and the EU agree their relationship has been on a positive trajectory. In light of this, a recent House of Lords committee report made recommendations about further opportunities for UK-EU cooperation on foreign policy, defence and security, energy security, climate change and mobility of people.

  • In Focus

    Climate change-induced migration: UK collaboration with international partners

    Climate change is likely to increase migration flows over the coming decades. Increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events are expected to increase “forcible displacements”, and the “slow-onset” impacts of climate change are expected to make the hardest hit regions uninhabitable. The UK is involved with several international forums which aim to discuss and cooperate on these issues.

  • In Focus

    Citizens’ rights after Brexit: Report and follow-up work of the House of Lords European Affairs Committee

    In July 2021 the House of Lords European Affairs Committee published a report examining citizens’ rights in the UK and EU after Brexit. The committee raised concerns about the European Union settlement scheme for EU citizens wishing to continue to reside in the UK, among other things. The committee wrote to the home secretary in 2023 asking further questions. This briefing looks at some of the issues raised in the report, the committee’s follow-up work and the government’s responses.

  • In Focus

    75th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush generation

    22 June 2023 was the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the passengers of the Empire Windrush in the UK. The day celebrates the contribution and achievements of the Windrush generation and their descendants. This briefing provides background information for a debate in the House of Lords on marking this anniversary.

  • Current Affairs Digest

    Current Affairs Digest: Law (July 2023)

    The government describes the Illegal Migration Bill as seeking to “prevent and deter unlawful migration”. The bill has proven controversial, with various organisations raising concerns about the bill’s impact on UK legal obligations under international law. This article draws together commentary on the bill’s interaction with international law, as well as presenting the government’s position on the issues.

  • Research Briefing

    British Nationality (Regularisation of Past Practice) Bill: HL Bill 144 of 2022–23

    The British Nationality (Regularisation of Past Practice) Bill would deal with a legal issue that has come to light which casts doubt on the British citizenship of some people born in the UK to European Economic Area (EEA) or Swiss nationals between 1 January 1983 and 1 October 2000. The bill would amend the British Nationality Act 1981 to effectively confirm the British citizenship of these individuals.

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