Reports

Studying abroad to serve China
This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society suggests that it is critical for universities and students’ unions to recognise that CSSAs are not independent – they are part of a system. Universities and students’ unions are operating under the fiction that CSSAs, the Chinese Students and Scholars Associations [中国学生学者联谊会] in the UK,...

Charting new waters
This report from UK think tank IPPR is a progressive response to the Channel crossings. The surge in arrivals from people crossing the Channel in small boats has become an increasingly charged issue for government. The number of detected arrivals rose sharply from 299 in 2018 to 45,744 in 2022, and there have been more...


A tale of two human rights lawyers
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation explores whether a Labour government could realise a better future in the UK for refugee protection with control. Judgment on the legality of the government’s ‘Rwanda plan’ response to the irregular migrant flows across the English Channel is currently awaited from the Supreme Court. In...


Why the international community is failing urban refugees
This report from UK think tank IIED looks at four 'myths' about protracted displacement. This paper challenges decision makers’ and humanitarian practitioners’ reliance on stereotypes about protracted displacement. It questions received ideas about camps and about displaced people’s experiences in towns and cities. It is structured around four such ‘myths’, examining each in turn, before...


Dilemmas of control
This report from UK think tank British Future presents the findings of the immigration attitudes tracker 2023. ‘Dilemmas of Control’ reports the new 2023 findings from the Ipsos/British Future Immigration attitudes tracker, which has followed public attitudes to immigration across a range of questions since 2015. It examines public attitudes to immigration numbers, migration for...


Alternative policies for the UK’s asylum system
This report from UK think tank Bright Blue looks at UK public attitudes towards the principles and policies of the asylum system. This Bright Blue report analyses UK public attitudes towards the principles and policies of the asylum system in the UK. The findings provide a strong case to - and policy advice for -...


The asylum in-tray in 2025
This report from UK think tank IPPR sets out the in-tray for the UK government after the next general election for the main parts of the asylum system. With a general election expected in the next 12-18 months, the UK’s asylum system is in crisis. The backlog is at over 130,000 cases, the system is...


The sound of silence
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation look at rethinking asylum seekers' right to work in the UK. This report by the Social Market Foundation provides a differentiated approach to asylum policy – specifically on their right to work – that can balance competing interests of workforce shortages, rights of claimants and...


Lawful and fair
This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society looks at building a better migration system. Migration policy in Britain is failing. It does not work for communities, it does not work for the economy, and it does not work for migrants themselves. The British public want a sensible, workable, middle-ground solution – a fair...


The whole of the moon
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation looks at the challenges of labour shortages for UK immigration policy if aiming for a high-wage high-skill economy. With labour immigration to the UK scrambled by Brexit, the pandemic, and broader developments in the practical economy, this report focuses on the challenges of labour shortages...


The economic and social impacts of lifting work restrictions on people seeking asylum
This report from UK think tank NIESR looks at the impact of restrictions on the UK economy, government spending and the individuals. The UK imposes some of the strongest set of restrictions on the right to work for people applying for asylum compared to other European nations. This research from the National Institute of Economic...


Home truths: Cultural and institutional problems at the Home Office
This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government looks at the deep-rooted institutional and cultural problems that undermine the Home Office’s performance. Deep-rooted institutional and cultural problems undermine the Home Office’s performance and approach to crime, immigration, and asylum seekers – and are neglected by ministers at their peril. This report says Suella...


The Illegal Migration Bill: seven questions for the government to answer
This report from UK think tank the Institute for Government highlights seven questions for the government to answer on the new Illegal Immigration Bill. One of the five key pledges Rishi Sunak set out in January was to stop asylum seekers arriving in the UK by small boats crossing the English Channel. The number of...


Immigration after Brexit: where are we going?
This report from UK think tank the UK in a Changing Europe looks at what has happened to immigration, immigration policy and public attitudes since Brexit. Immigration was a key, if not the key issue in the referendum of 2016. The last few years have seen the biggest shakeup in the UK migration system in...


‘A punishing process’
This report from UK think tank IPPR looks at experiences of people on the 10-year route to settlement. Around 170,000 people are estimated to have permission to remain in the UK on a ’10-year route to settlement’ - a pathway that requires them to accrue 10 years of continuous lawful residence before they can apply...
Related Events
18 December 2023
Location: Online
Think tank: Bright Blue
Reducing migration responsibly
This event hosted by UK think tank Bright Blue will explore how the UK Government should go about ‘reducing migration responsibly’. We are delighted to invite you to join our next Ludgate Lecture, a series where we hear from prominent thinkers and decision-makers on the biggest issues of our time. For this event, we will be hosting Alan...
Related Articles
Post Covid-19, what should be the primary focus for UK immigration policy
After the coronavirus crisis and the recognised contribution of key workers, many of whom are immigrants, has this changed the immigration debate? A points-based system will prevent migrants from working in many key roles By Cameron Boyle (The Foreign Policy Centre) One positive to emerge from the COVID-19 era has been the increased appreciation for...