The Pickwell Foundation welcomes the expansion of resettlement routes and calls for a system built on rights, fairness and safety for all

The Pickwell Foundation welcomes the Government's renewed commitment to the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), with around a quarter of new referrals expected to go to Afghan women and girls and Palestinians fleeing war and persecution. UKRS has remained open, but referrals have been low. This commitment matters only if it translates into real numbers of people reaching safety.

We also welcome confirmation that organisations can apply to become sponsors under the new community sponsorship route from October, and that everyone arriving through these routes will be on a five-year path to settlement.

For people living through conflict, persecution and displacement, safe and legal routes offer a vital pathway to safety, stability and the chance to rebuild their lives. Resettlement should offer permanent safety without asking anyone to give up the hope, or the right, of one day returning home if it becomes safe to do so.

Communities across the UK have consistently shown their commitment to helping people seeking safety rebuild their lives. Community Sponsorship, Homes for Ukraine and the Communities for Afghans scheme have shown what communities can do: providing practical support, building social connections, and helping people towards independence through English, education and work. The Government now has the chance to build on those lessons and put communities at the heart of resettlement.

Refugees should also be involved in designing the routes meant to support them. People with lived experience know what works. orks.

What we see locally 

The Pickwell Foundation supports newcomers who have arrived by many different routes, including people seeking asylum. We provide casework, English language support and a warm, safe space at our welcome hub. Every day we see the strength of local people who want to help, and the courage of those rebuilding their lives here. 

We also see the gaps. Many of the people we support arrived by irregular routes. They are no less deserving of safety, and no less committed to building a life here. 

The Government has said the five-year path to settlement is deliberately more generous for people arriving through resettlement routes than for those who arrive by boat. We do not believe the route someone takes should determine how long they wait to settle. Once someone is recognised as a refugee, their need for protection is the same. A woman fleeing the Taliban faces the same danger whether an UNHCR caseworker found her or she had to find her own way here. 

The new routes will start with a small number of capped places, and they will not reach most people already in danger. People who fall outside the criteria will still face desperate and dangerous choices. 

"This is good news for the people who will find safety through these routes, and for the communities ready to welcome them. We'll help make these routes work, and we'll keep pushing for them to reach further, including by letting communities choose who they welcome, and making sure safety doesn't depend on how you got here”.  - Susannah Baker, MBE, Director and Trustee.

What we are asking the Government 

• Let communities name who they sponsor. Many communities already have links to people in danger through family, friends and colleagues. The community route should let sponsors name the person or family they want to welcome, not only accept referrals. Many people have already registered interest through our Named Sponsorship form.

• Five years for everyone. The five-year path to settlement should apply to everyone recognised as a refugee, whatever their route.

• Resource the sponsors. Sponsors are being asked to provide accommodation, integration support and help into work. Housing is the hardest part. It all needs funding, infrastructure and specialist support, not a transfer of cost from local authorities to volunteers.

• Set numbers by need. Places should reflect global need and community capacity, not how many other people cross the Channel.

"Every day we see the joy and hope that come when a community opens its arms and chooses to welcome, and that is why we are so delighted to see the Government putting communities at the heart of resettlement. We believe communities are ready, but a warm welcome needs real investment from the Government to grow, and we look forward to hearing the Government's ambition on numbers, so that this can reach the many, not just the few. Our hope is that safe routes like this will one day make dangerous journeys unnecessary, but that can only happen when they're open to everyone who needs them". - Steph Molligoda, Operations Manager

We will keep working with the Home Office, local communities, people with lived experience and our partners in the Community Sponsorship Alliance (CSA) to make these routes safe, sustainable and able to grow. We will also keep speaking up for fair routes and fair policies for everyone seeking safety. 

Learn more about Community Sponsorship and forming a Sponsorship group here.

Register your interest in Named Sponsorship here.