Links to organisations campaigning on the issue of asylum

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Access to Health Care for Vulnerable Migrants - the Government is currently considering charging refused asylum seekers and undocumented migrants for NHS primary health care. Medact is concerned such charges could prevent vulnerable people including pregnant women and children, from accessing vital treatment. Please consider signing their petition.

Ad-hoc coalition of anti-deportation campaigns in the North West
Contact 07947 996966 or wastmanchester@yahoo.co.uk

Amnesty International - Refugees and Asylum
Amnesty International's goal is to bring about a fair and effective asylum system. We attempt to achieve that goal in a number of ways - carrying out research into aspects of asylum policy and practice, developing proposals for improving those policies and practices, and then promoting our proposals with the Government, Members of Parliament and other influential audiences.

ARC - Birmingham Anti-Racist Campaign
Campaigns and runs events in Birmingham like Beats without Borders and sleepouts. Contact via email

Asylum Aid - an independent, national charity assisting refugees in the UK, helping the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people seeking asylum.

asylumpolicy.info - source of up-to-date news and essential reading for all researchers and practitioners with an interest in asylum policy.

Asylum Rights Campaign

Bail for Immigration Detainees
An independent charity that exists to challenge immigration detention in the UK, working with asylum seekers and migrants to secure their release from detention.
London Office: 0207 247 3590
Portsmouth Office: 023 9258 7567
Oxford Office:0845 3304536

Birmingham Law Centre previously B-MAG (Birmingham Money Advice and Grants)
Runs destitution fund for asylum seekers

Birmingham Anti-Racist Campaign (ARC)

Brides without Borders - a campaign group for couples who are facing separation, possibly indefinitely, or have been denied the right to marry as a result of UK government immigration policies

CARF - Campaign against racism and fascism

Church Action on Poverty (CAP) - Living Ghosts Campaign

Committee to defend Asylum Seekers
Contact: CDAS, BCM Box 4289, London WC1N 3XX
email: info@defend-asylum.org
phone: 07941 566 183

Local committees:
Brighton & Hove Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers
Address: c/o 4 Crestway Parade, Brighton BN1 7BL
Email: bton_def_asy@hotmail.com

Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign
The Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign was set up to counter the abuse currently being aimed at asylum seekers by politicians and sections of the press. The most vunerable group of people, fleeing persecution, oppression and war are being falsely blamed for all the ills of British society. Racist sentiment is inflamed when terms such as "floods" and "swamping" are used to describe the relatively small numbers of asylum seekers arriving here. The New Labour Government says that it wants to combat racism yet its attacks on asylum seekers- such as the forced dispersal of refugees and detention - are encouraging racism. We believe that asylum seekers deserve our compassion and help. They do not deserve to be vilified and treated as criminals.
Bristol-based campaign. Email: asylumbristol@hotmail.com

Hackney Migrant and Refugee Support Group
email: hrmsgroup@googlemail.com (messages are not read every day)
Support group based in Hackney, East London

Manchester Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers
Address: c/o 400 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester M8 9LE
e-mail: manchester@defend-asylum.org or tony.openshaw@pop3.poptel.org.uk

Sheffield Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers
Address: c/o Sheffield TUC, Sheffield Trades and Labour Club, Talbot Street Entrance, Sheffield S2 2TG

European Council on Refugees & Exiles: - umbrella of 76 refugee-assisting agencies in 30 countries working towards fair treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.

Immigration Law Practitioners Association
ILPA has more than 1,200 members including lawyers, advice workers, academics and law students, and is regularly consulted by the Government on key issues relating to immigration.

Institute for Race Relations (IRR) - comprehensive information on racism, and refugee and asylum issues.
The IRR was established as an independent educational charity in 1958 to carry our research, publish and collect resources on race relations throughout the world. Since 1972, the IRR has concentrated on responding to the needs of Black people and making direct analyses of insitutionalised racism in Britain and the rest of Europe. Today, the IRR is at the cutting edge of the research and aanalysis that informs the struggle for racial justice in Britain and internationally. It seeks to reflect the experience of those who suffer racial oppression and draws its perspectives from the most vulnerable in society.

Just.Fair is a campaign of the Refugee Council. See below, or sign up to help by sending an email

Medact is a global health charity tackling issues at the centre of international policy debates. It is currently organising a petition relating to health care for vulnerable migrants. The Government is currently considering charging refused asylum seekers and undocumented migrants for NHS primary health care. Medact is concerned such charges could prevent vulnerable people including pregnant women and children, from accessing vital treatment. Please consider signing their petition.

National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns
Bringing Together Families and Individuals Fighting Deportation
If your Choice is no Choice! Speak out! Campaign to Stay!

General enquiries 0121 554 6947 or ncadc@ncadc.org.uk
Ad-hoc coalition of anti-deportation campaigns in the North West, 07947 996966 or wastmanchester@yahoo.co.uk

No Border Network
A European network of antiracist groups that are working together against exclusion and criminalisation of migrants and for the free movement of everyone. A list of UK groups can be found at www.noborders.org.uk

No One Is Illegal challenges the ideology of immigration controls and campaigns for their total abolition . We oppose controls in principle and reject any idea there can be “fair” of “just” or “reasonable” or “non racist” controls We make no distinction between “economic migrants and “refugees”, between the “legal” and the “illegal”. These are political categories invented by politicians. We campaign to break down these categories and support free movement for all and unity between all.

No Place for a Child
The UK government currently detains more than 2,000 children, including babies, in immigration detention centres every year. That's equivalent to the number of pupils at a large inner-city secondary school. The No Place for a Child coalition demands that the UK government:
1. ends the detention of these vulnerable children and babies.
2. trials more viable alternatives to detention, examples of which can be found in other countries

North East Campaign for Asylum Rights
NECFAR is an independent campaigning organisation, including asylum seekers, refugees, anti-racists and concerned individuals.

Refugee Action
20 years of experience in reception, resettlement, development and integration of asylum seekers and refugees. Campaigns on destitution of asylum seekers, influencing policy and women.

Refugee Council
The largest organisation in the UK working with asylum seekers and refugees:
" We not only give direct help and support, but also work with asylum seekers and refugees to ensure their needs and concerns are addressed. We are currently running a campaign called Just.Fair. People can sign up to help by emailing."

Volunteering at the Refugee Council: 020 7346 6727

Scottish Refugee Council
Scottish Refugee Council is an independent charity dedicated to providing advice, information and assistance to asylum seekers and refugees living in Scotland. We also provide specialist services in areas such as housing and welfare, education and employment, family reunion, womens issues, community development, the media and the arts. We play a leading role in policy development and campaign on refugee issues to ensure that Scotland plays a full role in meeting the UK's legal and humanitarian obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees.

Welsh Refugee Council
Phoenix House
389 Newport Road,
Cardiff
CF24 1TP
Tel: 029 2048 9800
Email: info@welshrefugeecouncil.org

Refugee Map providing easy and accessible information for volunteers, especially young people, working with refugees in the UK. This site seeks to gather in one place easily accessible information on refugee situations, news and policy, and volunteering opportunities around the UK.

Schools Against Deportations campaign
We are teachers, headteachers, lecturers, teaching assistants, students, young people, trade-unionists, mentors and others working in the education system who are concerned about the damaging impact which the threat of deportation or actual deportation can have on children and young people studying in schools and colleges.
Schools Against Deportations campaign,
c/o CARF,
BM Box 8784,
London WC1N 3XX,
United Kingdom
Email: info@schoolsagainstdeportations.org

STAR - Student Action for Refugees
STAR is a unique organisation giving university students and young people the opportunity to:
- learn about and raise awareness of refugee issues in innovative ways
- support refugees in a practical way in their local communities through volunteering and
- campaign with and for the rights of refugees everywhere
The STAR network is made up of university based student groups, young people involved in the STAR Youth Network and Friends of STAR (individuals and organisations who support the work of STAR).

Postal Address:
STAR (Student Action for Refugees)
3 Bondway, Vauxhall, London SW8 1SJ
Fax: 020 7840 4401

Telephone numbers:
Katherine Blaker, Chief Executive - 020 7840 4442
Natasha King, Student Outreach Officer - 020 7840 4444
Zuhra Bahman, Youth Outreach Officer - 020 7840 4425
Hannah Blythyn, Communications and Events Officer - 020 7840 4443

Strangers Into Citizens - a campaign by the country¹s largest alliance of civic institutions for a pathway into citizenship for undocumented migrants who have made new lives in the UK.

Still Human, Still Here
Campaign dedicated to highlighting the plight of tens of thousands of refused asylum seekers who are being forced into abject poverty in an attempt to drive them out of the country. Supporters of the campaign believe that the denial of any means of subsistence to refused asylum seekers as a matter of government policy is both inhumane and ineffective. We are calling on the Government to:
* End the threat and use of destitution as a tool of Government policy against refused asylum seekers
* Continue financial support and accommodation to refused asylum seekers as provided during the asylum process and grant permission to work until such a time as they have left the UK or have been granted leave to remain
* Continue to provide full access to health care and education throughout the same period
You can help us by lobbying your MP

Trades Unions for Refugees
As stated at its founding conference TUFR objectives are:
1. to seek the support of the TUC to bring about improvements for asylum seekers and refugees through lobbying and campaigning for legislative change
2. encouraging member trade unions to recruit and organise refugees appropriate to their stated trade/profession
3. supporting any trade union that campaigns for the basic human rights and civil liberies of refugees in Britain
4. to campaign for a TUC committee that will support the above objectives
Chair: Kathleen Nickson (NUT), Secretary: Bob Pounder (NUJ), Treasurer: Phil Liptrot (GMB), Press Officer: Kath Grant (NUJ), Executive members: Mansoor Hassan (NUJ), Sheka Tarawalie (NUJ)
TUFR is based at the NUJ Office, 5th Floor, Arthur House, Chorlton Street, Manchester

UNISON - Liverpool
Two UNISON based anti-deportation campaigns have been represented at the union and community rallies organised by the sacked Liverpool dockers, Jimmy Nolan, chairing these rallies, successfully called upon the audience to put their hands up in support of the fight against racism and the racist Asylum Bill. Public sector workers are often the target of, or the defenders against, racist attacks. Now they must campaign against the deportation of fellow-members as this hated Tory government whips up racism in the run-up to the general election. In the month when UNISON holds its annual conference we publish reports of two of their anti-deportation campaigns.

Tel: 0151 236 1944 and 225 2920

Others
Ashraf Family Must Stay Campaign, Defend Eucharia & Timeyi Campaign, Sukula Family Must Stay Campaign, Manchester Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers, Farhat Khan & Family Campaign, WAST (Women Asylum Seekers Together), United Community Association for Libyan Refugees, Ziadah & Sharif Must Stay Campaign, Olive & Her Children Must Survive Campaign, Samina Altaf Will Stay Campaign, Leeds Coalition against the War, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit