1. Will your candidates support the repeal of anti-refugee laws?

All of us want a safe place to call home, with community and support. If we ever had to move, we would want to be treated fairly and have the opportunity to rebuild our lives.

Anti-refugee laws and policies do exactly the opposite. These include: the Illegal Migration Act, which bans most refugees from claiming asylum at all; housing people in appalling settings like barges and disused military barracks; and plans to forcibly transfer people to Rwanda.

These are completely incompatible with Catholic teaching on welcoming refugees. They violate people’s rights and abandon our responsibility to offer sanctuary.

There is a better way. Let’s repeal the anti-refugee laws, and build a system that considers asylum claims fairly, ensures that people have the legal support they need to navigate the process, and treats everyone in search of sanctuary as human beings.

2. Will your candidates support an end to immigration detention?

All of us want to be treated with justice and humanity. Yet every year, thousands of people are incarcerated, without any time limit, in prison-like conditions, for immigration purposes. The decision to detain people does not even go before a judge.

Detention destroys lives – it is hugely harmful to people’s physical and mental health. People who have survived torture and then been detained say it’s like being tortured again. Abuse, neglect, and humiliation of detained people are prolific. Pope Francis and other church leaders have warned that immigration detention violates human dignity.

We don’t want our society to treat people like this and it’s not a good way of managing our immigration system. There are many effective options for supporting people through the asylum or immigration process in the community. Let’s end immigration detention.

3. Will your candidates support the right to work for people seeking asylum?

Everyone wants the opportunity to participate in society and we all find fulfilment in being able to use our gifts. Everyone deserves to meet their basic needs and live in dignity.

However, people seeking asylum are banned from working. This means they are forced to live in poverty and denied a crucial way of participating in society. Because people often spend years in the asylum system, they can also lose valuable skills and their sense of purpose.

Some people waiting for twelve months may apply for permission to work in jobs on a highly restrictive list – but for the vast majority this amounts to a total ban on employment.

There is strong public support for the right to work. Most people seeking asylum desperately want to work, so they can contribute, participate, and support themselves and their families. Let’s lift the ban on work.

Download and print our poster to put in your window or church:

Or email uk@jrs.net with the subject line ‘JRS UK Election Poster’, include in the email your name and address, and we’ll send you a copy of the poster by mail.

If you’re already signed up to receive our postal newsletters, you’ll be getting a copy of the election poster in the mail soon.

JRS UK produces a number of publications and resources that you may find helpful if you would like to advocate on behalf of refugees, or support your parish or develop resources in schools.

Recent reports cover topics such as detention, destitution, and a just and person-centred asylum system.

See all JRS UK reports

We’ve prepared resources to help you bring the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers into your prayer.

See prayer resources

Want to support JRS UK further?

Here are some ideas of what you can do:

• Hold a fundraiser for JRS UK – a bake sale? a charity run? a raffle?;
• Write letters to people held in immigration detention;
• Organise a donation of essential items such as toiletries, food, and clothing;
• Walk the London Legal Walk and fundraise for the JRS UK Legal Project
• Invite JRS UK to come and speak!
• Check out current volunteering opportunities

For more information, please get in contact at uk@jrs.net.

Donate

JRS UK is politically independent and does not endorse any party or candidate.

New constituency boundaries will be used for the 2024 election. Your constituency may have changed since the last election. Use the link below to find out who the candidates are in your local area:

Who can I vote for?

Our top-tips for contacting your candidates:

• Check who your candidates are: candidates can only represent and respond to you if you live in their constituency – you can check who your candidate is at www.whocanivotefor.co.uk, all you need is your postcode.
• Learn a bit about your candidates: the more you know about your candidates, the more you can tailor your correspondence – for example, what party do they belong to? Have they spoken about refugees and asylum seekers before? Are they a government or an opposition candidate?
• Be polite and respectful: candidates are human beings like the rest of us. They might be acting from good motives. If you disagree – listen to them, allow them the chance to listen to  you and to potentially change their view. That is what lobbying your candidate is about.
• Keep it to the point: whether its a letter, e-mail, phonecall or tweet, candidates receive lots of correspondence everyday – so be clear and concise in why you’re contacting them and why the issue concerns you.
• Include your contact details: so they can contact you to update you on what action they will take in response to you raising an issue with them.
• Don’t forget your postcode!: candidates can only respond and act on behalf of people who live in their constituency, and your postcode is the easiest way to prove this.