National Roma Network Forum 28 September 2017 Sheffield Welcome - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

National Roma Network Forum 28 September 2017 Sheffield

Welcome and Overview Dave Brown Migration Yorkshire

Panel Discussion Communities, Neighbourhood and Housing

Panellists: • Alexandra Bahor, Granby Toxteth Development Trust • Phil Brown, University of Salford • Catherine Hughes, Sheffield City Council • Sue Lukes, MigrationWork

Local updates

Lunch Enjoy - please be back by 1:30pm!

Roundtable Discussions Evaluation and Impact of National Roma Network

Please focus your discussions around the following questions: 1. What do you think the NRN has done well and what are its biggest achievements? 2. How could the NRN improve? Please allow 20 minutes discussion for each question. When answering, please consider format and content of meetings, email updates, website, etc…

Race Disparity Audit – Proposed data on Roma Marcus Bell Cabinet Office (Race Disparity Unit)

Update on Brexit Ewa Jamroz, Migration Yorkshire & Denisa Gannon, Co-Chair of NRN

Legal position of EU nationals • According to the Home Office no need to apply for EEA residency documentation, as all EU nationals will have to apply for ‘settled status’ anyway • Some indication that it will be easier to get settled status (no income or CSI requirements) • Government increasingly talks of several years of transition so potentially longer time to accumulate years of residence

Legal position of EU nationals However… • Leaked plans of the future immigration system indicate EU nationals will be subject to similar rules as third country nationals • In practice it means spouse visas (income requirements), more difficult to bring family members, and harder for low skilled workers to come here

In the meantime EU nationals are anxious… • Increase in EU nationals applying for residence documentation continues (over 100K applications in Q2 2017 and nearly 350K in 12 months to June 2017) • More EU nationals applying for British nationality; but it is very expensive (over £1K per person for application and associated docs only) and need to have residence docs first

In the meantime EU nationals are anxious… • Increase in EU nationals applying for residence documentation continues (350K in 12 months to June 2017) • More EU nationals applying for British nationality; but it is very expensive and need to have residence docs first • Reports of families requesting to de- ascribe as Roma (in school) because of Brexit

In the meantime …rightly so?

In the meantime …rightly so? • Recently reported examples of discriminatory practices in employment and housing market, UK’s Equality Office is currently investigating • Some EU nationals got letters telling them to leave the country… • …though Home Office immediately apologised and confirmed it was an error

In the meantime M ore EU nationals are leaving the UK… • Brexodus – latest ONS data shows significant increase in departures of EU nationals, mainly from A8 countries • But also A2 (Romania and Bulgaria) • Anecdotal reports of Roma families moving from the UK to other countries

In the meantime …but some can’t get back in • While EU nationals are still coming to the UK, there is a fall new arrivals, including from A2 countries • Increase in EU nationals refused entry at port (2,726 compared to 2,158 last year) • Anecdotal evidence of Roma families being stranded in France

In the meantime Agencies sharing info with Immigration Enforcement (IE)… • Police • Schools • HMRC

In the meantime …links with removals? • There were 20% more enforced returns (5,301) of EU nationals in the year ending June 2017 compared with the previous 12 months (4,424) • Nationals of Romania and Poland accounted for 60% of EU enforced returns compared to 57% the same time a year ago

NRN – what we are doing • We are linked with other migrant organisations and support their efforts to secure the rights of EU nationals in the UK • We are gathering information on Roma experiences across the UK • We are ensuring Roma voice is present in the Brexit debate

Final NRN Forum Meeting will be held in London on 14 th December 2017 An invitation will be sent out shortly Hope to see you all there!

Thank you for listening! Papers from today’s event will be available at NRN website https://nationalromanetwork.wordpress .com/