Hello everyone,

Here is the newsletter

If there’s anything you’d like to be included in the next newsletter, or that you would like me to send to our supporters urgently, please contact me at [email protected]. I want this newsletter to be a helpful resource for members of the community, so appreciate feedback and input.

In solidarity,

Joseph

WFMA Updates

Free bus travel for asylum seekers campaign

On 7 February we went to City Hall with over 100 people from a range of groups and organisation to give Seb Dance (Deputy Mayor of London for Transport) a Valentine’s card and ask for a date to discuss how we can make space on the bus for all of us!

Asylum seekers receive a mere £8.86 a week and struggle to afford bus travel. This affects mothers doing the school run, individuals attending medical appointments, and language learners missing out on ESOL classes.

Outside City Hall, Seb Dance agreed to meet with representatives of the campaign. Read a Big Issue article about the protest here and go to Citizens UK‘s website to learn more about the next steps for the campaign.

Waltham Forest Council Welcome and Family Hubs

Waltham Forest Council are holding a regular community drop-in – the Welcome Hub – for migrants and refugees in the borough. The team will be able to help with advice and support on work, benefits, housing, English classes, form-filling among other things.

There is also a similar support hub for families in Leyton, Chingford, Walthamstow and Leytonstone.

For more info head to our website.

London Legal Walk: 18 June 2024

WFMA has registered to be part of the London Legal Walk on 18 June 2024 in London to fundraise . For those of you who don’t know, the London Legal Walk has been bringing together the legal community to support free legal advice services on the frontline. As the cost of living rises, the need for free legal has never been more important – particularly for our migrant, refugee and asylum seeking visitors.

The meeting point is in Lincoln Inn’s Fields in Central London from 3pm. The Parks and River Route are both 10km, while there are also two shorter routes for those who want to participate but require a shorter route as an adjustment. The Strand Route is 3.5km and The Lincoln’s Inn Field route is 1.32km.

More details to follow! If you’re interested in joining the walk, please get in touch at [email protected].

News

Gaza refugees

Last October, WFMA joined the Refugee Council and many other organisations urged the government to put in place an emergency visa scheme for people fleeing the war in Gaza. As a charity supporting and campaigning on behalf of migrants and refugees, we also urged the government to demand a ceasefire and an immediate end to the escalating violence.

Months later, in the continued absence of any such scheme, Palestinians in Gaza face insurmountable obstacles to reuniting with their loved ones in the UK. The Home Office requires them to enrol their biometrics at a visa application centre – but the nearest one is in Egypt, and it is virtually impossible for non-British nationals to reach it. As such, Palestinians in Gaza can’t leave Gaza without enrolling their biometrics (a prerequisite to making an immigration application), but they can’t enrol their biometrics without leaving Gaza. A man applying for his wife and children to join him in the UK from Gaza recently won his case, meaning they won’t have to enrol biometrics before applying – but a bespoke scheme is clearly needed.

Gaza Families Reunited are calling fo a viable family reunion scheme and a petition started by Palestinians living in the UK is being circulated calling for the issue to be debated in Parliament. 

Conviction of Ibrahimah Bah

As detailed in a new report, increasingly people seeking asylum in the UK are being arrested and imprisoned for their arrival on ‘small boats’. In February, Ibrahima Bah, a young Sudanese asylum seeker, was convicted for “facilitating” an immigration offence and manslaughter over the tragic deaths that occurred in the Channel in December 2022.

Many campaigners, including those directly supporting Ibrahima, are arguing that blaming a young survivor for the shipwreck is deeply cruel and that this is a miscarriage of justice. Read the open letter by Captain Support UK for more.

Right to Remain – Guide to Destitution and Housing

Right to Remain has published a very useful introductory Key Guide to Destitution & Housing – which can be accessed here. 

Destitution – the experience of being unable to afford basic necessities (like food and shelter) – is something that many of our visitors experience, as migrant communities are disproportionately at risk of and affected by destitution. The Guide outlines how destitution affects different migrant communities, and links to key support organisations and resources.

Immigration Health Surcharge

Migrant Voice, JCWI and others have produced a helpful briefing on the Immigration Health Surcharge, which was recently increased to £1,035 per adult per year. (applies to immigration applications made on or after 6 February 2024, affecting those already in the UK and part way along an immigration route). When the charge was first introduced in 2015, it was £200. 

Alongside the 35% increase to visa and immigration application fees since last October, this will push more migrant families into poverty, debt and destitution. 

Get involved!

Could you be a WFMA volunteer?

If you have any time to spare each week, month or even for a one-off piece of work, please do email [email protected] and we will send you a registration form so we can see how we might best use your talents!

If you’re interested in anything campaigns or communications related, please contact me at [email protected]

Support us

Become a WFMA member and become part of our community – click here to fill out the joining form.

Alternatively, click here! to make a one-time donation – or even better, set up a monthly recurring donation – and make a valuable contribution to what we do.

Every penny you give will be appreciated and go towards helping us give urgently needed support to migrants in Waltham Forest through our Support Centre and other work.

The Support Centre is open for drop-in every Friday from 10am -12.30pm at the Baptist Church, 65 Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow E17 7AS.

For more information, please email is [email protected]. Most immigration inquiries will require a follow up appointment – so drop in, phone or email to secure a time.