West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership Regional Context and

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

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

West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

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 Network • Support for people with ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) • NRPF PWG West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

Asylum • 1999 - 7 West Midlands LAs begin operating as asylum dispersal areas: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, Walsall & Wolverhampton • 2012 - G 4 S 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

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

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

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

VPRS & VCRS • VPRS – commitment to resettle, by 2020, 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 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

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

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 1 st year of new scheme • New process for emergency resettlement • In addition to Community Sponsorship West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

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 3 rd 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

LA No of looked after UASC 31. 03. 2018 Birmingham 145 Staffordshire 76 Warwickshire 66 Solihull 57 Coventry 44 Worcestershire 25 Shropshire 17 Stoke-on-Trent 11 Wolverhampton 10 Walsall 9 Herefordshire 8 Sandwell 8 Dudley x Telford and Wrekin x 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

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

Wider migration context • West Midlands total population estimate: 5, 811, 000 • • UK born (est. ): 5, 010, 000 British nationality (est. ): 5, 274, 000 Non-UK born (est. ): 800, 000 (13. 8%) Non-British (est. ): 536, 000 (9. 2%) Nationality Population size (Estimated) India Pakistan Poland Romania Republic of Ireland 102, 000 86, 000 81, 000 48, 000 32, 000 Percentage of West Midlands population (Estimated) 1. 8% 1. 5% 1. 4% 0. 8% 0. 6% • • 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/p opulationoftheunitedkingdombycountryofbirthandnationality West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership | July 2019

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

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