Embracing Diversity Information Update 2013
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Embracing Diversity Information Update 2013 Margaret McNulty EMBRACE NI 48 Elmwood Avenue Belfast BT9 6AZ Published by EMBRACE NI 48 Elmwood Avenue Belfast BT9 6AZ E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.embraceni.org March 2013 ©EMBRACE NI Material from this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission, provided that it is not altered in any way, and that the authorship of EMBRACE is acknowledged. This project was supported by funding from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and the Churches. Type-set by Wendy McCague [email protected] Printed by Ream Ltd, Unit 21 East Belfast Enterprise Centre, 308 Albertbridge Road, Belfast BT5 4GX. Contents Select Abbreviations ................................................................................. vi Introduction ..............................................................................................vii Why should we care? .............................................................................viii Migration ...................................................................................................... 1 Impact of migration on the birth rate ...................................... 3 Changing Patterns of Migration ................................................... 4 Who is Entitled to Come Here to Work .................................... 6 Bulgaria and Romania (A2) ........................................................... 6 Roma People ............................................................................. 8 Languages and Language Diversity .............................................. 9 The Impact of the Recession ......................................................... 9 International Consequences of World Recession ..................11 The Causes and Effects of Mass Migration .............................. 13 Impacts on Countries of Origin .................................................. 14 The Immigration Debate .............................................................. 14 Immigration Policy and Legislation ....................................................... 20 Who is Entitled to Come Here from Outside the European Economic Area ....................................................................... 24 Sponsorship (Tier 2 and Tier 5) .................................................. 25 The Cost of Being a Migrant ........................................................ 27 People Seeking Asylum and Refugees .................................................. 29 Why Do People Apply for Asylum in the UK? ........................ 31 The New Asylum Model (NAM) .................................................. 31 Monitoring the Asylum System ................................................. 33 How Many People Apply for Asylum Locally ......................... 34 The Application Process in Northern Ireland ....................... 35 Problems for People Seeking Asylum ...................................... 39 Refugee Support and Community Integration ...................... 40 Challenges for Migrants, Refugees and Minority-Ethnic People .... 45 The Effects of Immigration Policies .......................................... 47 Access to Healthcare............................................................. 47 Entitlement to Benefits ........................................................ 49 Bulgaria and Romania (A2 countries) ............................... 51 Citizenship ............................................................................... 51 Border Issues .......................................................................... 53 How Immigration Policies are Enforced ........................... 56 Human Trafficking ................................................................................. 60 The UK National Referral Mechanism .............................. 61 The Local Situation ................................................................ 63 Recent Developments ........................................................... 65 Worker Exploitation ..................................................................... 68 Agencies and Employers ....................................................... 69 The Gangmasters Licensing Authority ............................. 72 Recognition of Qualifications ..................................................... 75 Negative Attitudes and Racism ................................................. 77 Attitudes and Stereotypes about Migrants and Minority Ethnic People .................................................................. 77 Negative Stereotypes about People Seeking Asylum ... 81 Attitudes in Churches ........................................................... 82 Far Right Groups .................................................................... 84 Racist Attitudes Lead to Racist Actions ........................... 84 Racist Crime ............................................................................ 89 Attacks on Roma People in 2009 ........................................ 93 Gaps in Legislation ................................................................. 93 Reporting Race Hate Crimes or Discrimination ................... 94 Language Difficulties ..................................................................... 95 Poverty and Homelessness .......................................................... 97 Migrant Worker Destitution ............................................... 97 Poverty and Destitution Within the Asylum System .. 102 Mental Health and Suicide ......................................................... 106 Public Policy ..............................................................................................110 Positive Developments ...........................................................................115 Christian Responses .............................................................................. 121 What the Bible Has to Say about Welcoming Outsiders .. 121 Embracing the Stranger ...................................................... 121 Some Christian Resources ................................................. 122 The Role of the Church ............................................................... 124 Churches’ Responses to Immigration, Asylum and Racism ............................................................. 126 EMBRACE Activities............................................................ 130 Migrant-Led Churches ........................................................ 131 Inter-Church Structures ............................................................ 131 Irish Churches’ Affirmations ............................................. 133 Research on Church Responses to Migration ....................... 134 European Churches and Migrants ............................................ 136 Building Welcoming Congregations ........................................ 138 Some Ideas for Congregational Welcome ...................... 139 Pastoral Considerations ..................................................... 140 Helping to Build More Inclusive Communities .................... 141 How We Can Learn from Each Other .............................. 142 The Use of Church Premises and Other Resources ..... 143 Volunteering Opportunities .............................................. 143 Difference and Sameness ...................................................................... 145 Some Useful Sources and Resources ................................................. 146 Acknowledgements ................................................................................ 158 Index of Support Groups and Agencies ............................................ 159 Selected Abbreviations A2 EU Accession 2 countries A8 EU Accession 8 countries AICCMR All-Ireland Churches Consultative Meeting on Racism ASAP Asylum Support Appeals Project AVID Association of Visitors of Immigration Detainees BSO Business Services Organisation (Health Service) CCME Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe CEC Conference of European Churches CERD Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination CFNI Community Foundation for Northern Ireland COI Country of Origin Information CORI (NI) Conference of the Religious of Ireland (Northern Ireland) CSI Cohesion Sharing and Integration DEL Department of Employment and Learning EEA European Economic Area EAL English as an Additional Language ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages EU European Union GLA Gangmasters Licensing Authority GRETA Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking HIMLO Hate Incident and Minority Liaison Officer ICCM Irish Inter-Church Meeting ICTU (NI) Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Northern Ireland) ILO International Labour Organization ILR Indefinite Leave to Remain INP Integrated Neighbourhood Project IOM International Organization for Migration ITF International Transport Workers’ Federation LLR Limited Leave to Remain MAC Migration Advisory Committee NAM New Asylum Model NARIC National Academic Recognition Information Centre NASS National Asylum Support Service NCB National Children’s Bureau NICEM Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities NICRAS Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers NIHE Northern Ireland Housing Executive NISMP Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership NISRA Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency NICVA Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action NRM National Referral Mechanism NRPF No Recourse to Public Funds Network NSA Non-Suspensive Appeals OFMDFM Office of the