West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership:

1. West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership: Regional Context and Overview of Migration in the West Midlands West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

2. What is WMSMP? What do we do? • One of 12 regional strategic migration partnerships (SMPs) across the UK • SMPs work in partnership with local authorities & provide structures & fora of engagement to effectively manage migration at a local, regional & national level • Set up in 1999 following the introduction of the regional dispersal policy for people seeking asylum • WMSMP covers 14 West Midlands upper-tier local authorities (33 including district authorities) • Funded by the Home Office, hosted by Birmingham City Council on behalf of the West Midlands • Overseen by Regional Board of Councillors West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

3. West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

4. What is WMSMP? What do we do? • Core areas of work: • Dispersal of asylum seekers • Lead Officer • Asylum Priority Working Group (PWG) • Resettlement of refugees • Resettlement Policy Officer • Resettlement PWG • Transfers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) • UASC Policy Officer • UASC PWG • Provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) • Learning & Work Institute • Additional areas of work: • Migrant Health • Migrant Health Network • Support for people with ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) • NRPF PWG West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

5. Asylum • 1999 - 7 West Midlands LAs begin operating as asylum dispersal areas: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, Walsall & Wolverhampton • 2012 - G4S secures COMPASS contract for the West Midlands • January 2019 • Serco awarded the 10 year Asylum Accommodation & Support Contract (AASC) for the West Midlands  • Migrant Help awarded the Advice Issue Reporting & Eligibility (AIRE) contract for the UK • End March 2019 • 45,643 asylum seekers in the UK receiving section 95 support • 5,599 asylum seekers in the West Midlands receiving section 95 support (12% of national total) • Home Office Immigration Statistics released 24 May 2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019-data-tables West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

6. Adult asylum dispersal map Number of asylum seekers on section 95 support West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

7. Asylum- some challenges • No central government funding for LAs to support asylum dispersal • Property procurement • Refused asylum applications → NRPF → destitution & homelessness • Refugee status BUT problems with ‘move on’ → destitution & homelessness West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

8. Resettlement • Resettlement = transfer of refugees from an asylum country to another State that has agreed to admit them as refugees & ultimately grant them permanent settlement • UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s resettlement submission categories: • Legal &/or physical protection needs • Survivors of torture &/or violence • Medical needs • Women & girls at risk • Family reunification • Children & adolescents at risk • Lack of foreseeable alternative durable solutions • UK’s resettlement schemes: • Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) • Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) • Gateway Protection Programme • Mandate Refugee Scheme West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

9. VPRS & VCRS • VPRS – commitment to resettle, by 2020, 20,000 people displaced as a result of the conflict in Syria & residing in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region • VCRS – commitment to resettle, by 2020, up to 3,000 children & their families, of any nationality, residing in the MENA region • LAs participating in the VPRS & VCRS receive government funding: • £20,520 per person tapered over 5 years • Plus education, ESOL & exceptional costs funding • All but one West Midlands LA has participated in the VPRS &/or VCRS • Community Sponsorship • End March 2019 • 15,977 people resettled in UK under VPRS - 1,562 in West Midlands (9.7 %) • 1410 people resettled in UK under VCRS - 138 in the West Midlands (9.8%) • Home Office Immigration Statistics released 24 May 2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019-data-tables West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

10. VPRS map Number of individuals resettled West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

11. Resettlement – some challenges & post 2020 • Challenges • LAs and community groups new to hosting refugees • Independence, integration & indefinite leave to remain at the end of the 5 years • Post 2020 resettlement scheme: • VPRS, VCRS & Gateway merged • Geographical focus beyond MENA region • In the region of 5,000 refugees to be resettled in 1st year of new scheme • New process for emergency resettlement • In addition to Community Sponsorship West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

12. Unaccompanied children • Spontaneous arrivals • National Transfer Scheme • Transfers from LAs with high numbers of UASC to those with fewer • Transfers from Europe under s. 67 Immigration Act 2016 (Dubs scheme) • VCRS • Dublin III Regulation • End March 2018 • 4,480 UASC looked after by English LAs; 480 by West Midlands LAs (10.7%) • Birmingham looking after 3rd highest number of UASC (145) in England • Figures do not include 18+ former UASC care leavers supported by LAs • Department for Education statistics released 15 November 2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018 • Funding from Home Office for LAs: • UASC- £114 per night • Former UASC care leavers aged 18-24 - £200 per week • UNLESS no leave to remain & ‘appeal rights exhausted’ West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

13. Department for Education statistics released 15 November 2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018 West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

14. Unaccompanied children – some challenges • Wide disparity in numbers accommodated by different LAs • Pressures on LAs with higher numbers • BUT barriers to transferring young people to other LAs • Refusal of leave to remain post 18 → ‘appeal rights exhausted’ → termination of support from LA West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

15. Wider migration context • West Midlands total population estimate: 5, 811, 000 • UK born (est.): 5,010,000 Non-UK born (est.): 800,000 (13.8%) • British nationality (est.): 5,274,000 Non-British (est.): 536,000 (9.2%) • Brexit – EU Settlement Scheme • West Midlands EU born (est.): 302,000 W Mids EU nationality (est.): 333,000 • Office for National Statistics population estimates released 24 May 2019 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/populationoftheunitedkingdombycountryofbirthandnationality West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

16. Cross-cutting issues • Wide variation in size of migrant population across the UK & the West Midlands – practical and ethical challenges to pursuing more even distribution of certain groups of migrants • Impact of funding • Implications of both securing & not securing immigration status • NRPF • Destitution & homelessness • Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking • Barriers to accessing healthcare for physical & mental health needs • ESOL • Education & training • Employment West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

17. Keep in touch! • www.wmsmp.org.uk • Monthly e-bulletin • Quarterly Statistics Briefing • Email: wmsmp@birmingham.gov.uk • Phone: 0121 303 4219 • Twitter @WestMidlandsSMP West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019