Resettlement
Experts by Experience: Rawasia and her experience of resettlement
Navigating resettlement as a teenager can be full of extremely difficult challenges, including losing friends, losing your education and losing your home. On top of this, you are contending with starting a new life in a host country you may not feel at home in, or feel wanted in. This has been Rawasia’s experience, one…
Experts by Experience: Resettlement as a single parent
Making the journey firstly from your home country to a host country, and then to another country via resettlement, is a hard undertaking for any family – and one that becomes even more difficult as a single parent. The reassurance there is in being able to turn to your partner in such a situation, and…
Indefinite Leave to Remain: Changes to status for UKRS
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILtR) means that there is no time limit for how long you can remain in the UK. It means that you are entitled to access benefits, education, healthcare and other rights of UK Citizens. It is possible to apply for Citizenship after you have lived here for 5 years. More details…
Adopting an empowerment approach to ILtR applications
For families who arrive before winter 2021, they will have been given the right to live and work here for 5 years. Once the family members have been in the UK for 4 years and 11 months, they will need to submit an application for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILtR). The application process is carried out…
Covid-19 and arrival planning
Welcoming a family who will be self-isolating on arrival is going to represent challenges, and all Community Sponsorship Groups should be prepared for last minute changes to your plans as guidance changes. It is essential that all members of the family are registered with a GP as soon as possible. Each family member will…
Reset’s Introductory Guide for Refugees
Before arriving in the UK, resettled refugees receive cultural orientation training from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The family will also be given a book that explains life in the UK called the Welcome to the UK booklet; there are also similar booklets available in other languages. The training and the booklet explain what…
Understanding ACRS
On 6 January 2022, the UK Government announced that the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme had opened. Having previously confirmed that Community Sponsorship groups were going to be able to resettle Afghans through the scheme and in their neighbourhoods. The programme is still under development as it’s put into practice and changes are happening as lessons are learnt on…
Welcome Pack
As part of your application form, you will be asked to prepare a Welcome Pack for the family. Below is a list of suggested documents you could include. You may wish to add, remove or amend the title of any of these documents – it’s really about what you as a group would like to…
Welcome to the UK booklet
Groups have found it useful to refer to this booklet and the information it contains to remind the family they are supporting about life in the UK. This is provided to refugees before they arrive in the UK, and should be provided in hard copy to your group. The booklet was created in 2018/9 by the Home…
Addressing misinformation about life in the UK
Moving to a new country without speaking the language, knowing the house you’ll move to and having only a vague idea of the support you’ll receive can be a terrifying prospect. It is not surprising that many refugees decide to seek information on what to expect in the UK wherever they can. Those who can,…
Arrival planning guidance
The day you’ve been planning for is getting very close! Here, we share what other groups have done or thought about during the arrival period. Managing the arrival of the family you will be supporting is usually one of the most exciting parts of your Community Sponsorship journey, as it marks the time when all…
Changes to BRPs
The Biometric Residency Permit is the ID card that will be issued to each family member once they have arrived in the UK. It is the size of a bank card, which can be used as proof of identity, and to confirm the right to work or study in the UK and the right to access…
Experts by Experience: Abdullah’s resettlement experience
One question that we’re often asked in Reset’s Community Sponsorship training sessions is: “What do refugees think their life in the UK will be like before they’re resettled?” We usually answer these questions with a range of anecdotes but with a strong reminder that refugees will have a breadth of opinions, worldviews and expectations of…
Experts by Experience: Khadeja’s resettlement experience
One question that we’re often asked in Reset’s Community Sponsorship training sessions is: “What do refugees think their life in the UK will be like before they’re resettled?” We usually answer these questions with a range of anecdotes but with a strong reminder that refugees will have a breadth of opinions, worldviews and expectations of…
Experts by Experience: Mohammed’s resettlement experience
One question that we’re often asked in Reset’s Community Sponsorship training sessions is: “What do refugees think their life in the UK will be like before they’re resettled?” We usually answer these questions with a range of anecdotes but with a strong reminder that refugees will have a breadth of opinions, worldviews and expectations of…
In country cultural training
All refugees arriving through the Community Sponsorship programme will receive preparation training in their country of asylum prior to arriving in the UK. This training is run by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), takes place across 3 days and is delivered through a variety of methods. You will find it useful to understand what the family…
New Scots: Integration strategy for Scotland
The Scottish Government have implemented a refugee integration strategy for 2018-2022, which Groups will find a useful guide for the support that they offer. The New Scots strategy is the means through which integration is implemented at national and local levels in Scotland. It has been developed over a number of years through consultation with…
Preparing a fact sheet for the family you will support
Once you’ve been allocated a family and you and your Local Authority have accepted them, you will need to prepare a fact sheet that will be shared with the family who will be arriving. This is your opportunity to introduce yourselves, the support you are offering as well as the area they will be living in. We’ve provided…
Receiving the personal data of refugees
As a Community Sponsor you will receive personal data of the refugees that are allocated to your group. This will help you decide whether you can meet the needs of the family that is allocated to you. The information you will receive is extremely confidential and will contain the ages, genders, biographic information and medical…
The refugee resettlement process
When the family you support arrive in the UK, they will be beginning a new chapter in their lives. But to get to this point, the family will have been going through a process to be resettled for years. In this page, we will give you an idea of the behind-the-scenes process that is involved…