United Kingdom
Along with its lush countryside and rich heritage, the United Kingdom has a long history of welcoming those who have been displaced, including large numbers of refugees from WWI and WWII. Most recently, UK citizens welcomed more than 100,000 people from Ukraine into homes across the UK and continue to advocate and care for forcibly displaced persons. The Community Programs team in the United Kingdom is actively engaged with local nonprofit organizations, serving in the community, and developing opportunities for collecting and sharing refugee stories.
FY 2017-2021 data sources: gov.uk, The Migration Observatory
FY 2022 data source: gov.uk, includes 213,307 arrivals under Ukrainian Visa scheme
FY 2016-2022 data source: Asylum summary Sept 2022 tables and 2022 Ukrainian newcomers. Does not include Afghan arrivals under the ARAP and Pathways 1 and 3 of ACAP.
- Ukrainian
- Persian
- Albanian
- Arabic
- Dari
- Pashto
- Tigrinya
- English
FY 2022 data source: Languages based on the official and/or most common language of arrivals’ country of origin.
These numbers currently do not include the full number of people resettled from Afghanistan over the past 2 years. Data on those resettled under Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) is included (approximately 40). Data on those resettled under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Pathways 1 and 3 of the ACRS are not included at this time (estimated at 20,471 as of March 2023).
Small boat arrivals accounted for 41% of asylum applications in the year ending September 2022. To view small boat arrivals by country of origin, click here.
23,226 people entered immigration detention in the year ending September 2022. At the end of September 2022, there were 2,077 people in immigration detention (including those detained under immigration powers in prison). Source: UNHCR
All Change (yet no change) for the UK
Queen Elizabeth's passing has brought a renewed love of Paddington Bear, who for many charities, has become a powerful image for refugees. Mugs and t-shirts with pictures of Paddington and stating ‘Migration is not a Crime’ can be seen. And who can argue with a cute bear?
The Need For Friendship
"For all their uncertainty, one of their greatest needs, and probably one of the greatest needs of everyone, (after basic physical needs are met), is for friendship..."
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