Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Harrison.

I'm the person who's going to be guiding you through today's lesson.

The lesson today is called "What Support is Available for Migrants?" and it's part of a larger series of lessons called "Why Do People Move Around the World?" By the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to say, I can explain the different kinds of support migrants may need, and who is likely to give this kind of support.

Some of this learning might be new to you and some of it might be challenging, but I'm gonna guide us both all the way through it and we'll tackle it together.

Today, some of the content we cover might be sensitive or upsetting to some people, so it's really important that we have some ground rules before we begin.

So Laura says, "Listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, challenge the statement, not the person." Andeep continues, "Respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves." Izzy says, "Choose level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose to not answer a question or join a discussion, and we're never going to put anybody on the spot." And finally, Jacob says, "No judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without the fear of being judged." Thank you.

Let's start with some keywords then.

I'm going to say the keyword, you are going to repeat it back, and then I'll share the definition.

Migration.

That's the movement of people from one place to another.

For example, moving from one country to another.

Support.

That's to provide someone with care, advice, or encouragement, especially if they're facing a problem or a challenge.

Asylum seeker.

That's someone who's left their home country and is now living in a different country, seeking protection so that they don't have to return to their home country.

Refugee.

That's a person who's been forced to leave their home due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted.

It's time for our first learning cycle called what kind of support might migrants need.

Migration is when people move between places and across borders.

Now, this could be for a huge variety of different reasons, which might be positive or negative.

Push factors, so factors that push people away from their home country might include things like war or conflict, violence or persecution, or things like natural disasters.

Whole factors, so factors that encourage people to move to a country might include things like better opportunities, safer conditions, or things like family or friends, or lifestyle choice.

Or for most of the people who migrate, the final goal for lots of people is to find a more positive, more stable, or more hopeful life and lifestyle.

Adjusting to a new place to live can take time, and it might mean that some people need support with this.

Because when you move to another country, there's lots of new things that you need to get used to.

So it could be a different language.

It could be unfamiliar customs or routines, and just generally new ways of doing things.

It can be exciting, but it can also be quite challenging or daunting for a lot of people, especially if you're far from family and away from everything that's ever felt familiar to you.

Support during this time can make a huge difference to people who are migrating, and that's to every kind of migrant, no matter what their reason is for migrating.

So when people migrate to a new place for any reason, so positives, negatives, push factors, pull factors, everybody needs quick access to basic essentials, and that's things like a place to live, healthcare, food and water, security and safety, clothing, and things like sanitation and hygiene to keep people clean and well and safe.

All the things that might be useful to migrants are things like language support, because that's going to help with communication, work, education, just finding your way around in the day and being able to talk to people.

Things like legal guidance.

It's really helpful if you're navigating and finding your way through immigration rules and paperwork.

Access to education, so to keep that learning going or going to school, college for example.

Jobs and skills help, so finding work using the skills that could be really helpful to people who are first moved.

Things like cultural orientation.

So as we've said, lots of things can be different in a new country when you've moved there to live.

So being able to have some guidance and some support to learn how things work in the new country can be really helpful.

Things like community connections as well.

No human ever lives in complete isolation, so if you can build a community and build that network, that can be really good for helping people settle.

So meeting others, building friendships and support networks is really important.

A quick check for understanding then.

So name three of the basic needs all migrants may need quick access to when they arrive in a new country.

I'll give you a few seconds to think about it, and then we'll go through some possible answers.

Okay, so name three basic needs that all migrants may need quick access to when they arrive in a new country, or you could have chosen three from any of these.

So a place to live, healthcare, food and water, security and safety, clothing, or sanitation and hygiene.

Well done if you got three of those.

So as we've just said then in that check for understanding, all migrants need basic things like safety, housing, and access to services like healthcare.

However, there might be more specific support needed, and that can often depend on why the person has moved in the first place.

So for example, somebody who is fleeing war might need emergency shelter and legal help, whereas somebody who's moving to retire, they might need help settling in and accessing healthcare, which is very different from the previous example.

Now, people who are seeking asylum, they're individuals who've left their home country and are now living in another country while asking for protection, and their asylum claim hasn't yet fully been officially accepted.

So that means it's not legally recognised by the country that they're living in at the moment.

Now, the nature of asylum seekers means that they often have to leave home quite suddenly with very little possessions and other bits and pieces as well.

So many need very urgent support, things like safe shelter, emergency food, clothes, maybe medicine.

They might need help finding missing family if they've been split up, and they might need things like legal advice to help 'em claim asylum or protection in the new country.

And also things like language support would be really beneficial.

For those that have experienced trauma in the situation that they've been in, having support with that, support for their mental health is also really important.

Refugees are people who've been forced to leave their home because of serious danger.

Now, this could be a war or it could be a well-founded fear of persecution.

If their claim protection is accepted, then they're granted refugee status, and that means that they've got the right to stay in the country under international law.

Now they might need support as well.

This might be things like apply for more permanent housing.

Now, if you're in asylum seeker, then you are provided with accommodation for the short term.

But once you are granted refugee status, you can find your own accommodation.

So people might need support with that.

Things like healthcare as well, perhaps help finding missing family, again, if they've been separated similar to asylum seekers.

They might need legal advice or support on what happens next now they have been granted that status.

Things like access to education or training and also things like language support and helping settle into new communication in the country that they're living in, and also things like trauma support as well.

People who are internally displaced have had to move from the place that they live but haven't left their own country, so they still fall under the protection of their own governments.

They might need support such as maybe knowledge of the new language or dialect, maybe finding employment in this new place.

Finding housing, support for that would be very important.

Apply for schooling or education in the new place, and also things like financial support, and this is particularly important for those who might have lost their homes, or their businesses, or other property, or their form of income at that time.

Another check for understanding then.

True or false? The kind of support all migrants need is the same for everyone.

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, is this true or is this false? Well, this is false, but why is it false? Take a few more seconds to think.

Okay, so the kind of support all migrants need is the same for everyone.

That is false.

And the reason for that is, yes, all migrants need some basic things, but the kind of support that people need might depend on the reason that they move.

So for example, someone moving for retirement reasons is likely to need different support than somebody who is moving to escape war.

Well done if you've got that.

Now onto task A then, and your first part of this task is to match these words to their descriptions.

We've got the words, migration, asylum seeker, refugee, and internally displaced.

And the descriptions are forced to move, no legal recognition, forced to move within a country, forced to move, legal recognition, or movement of a person from where they usually live.

So match those words to their descriptions.

A good idea now is to pause the video to give yourself the time to do this.

Then we'll come back together and look at the answers.

Okay, so let's match these words to their descriptions then, and your answer should look like this.

So A, migration, that links to movement of a person from where they usually live.

B, asylum seeker is forced to move with no legal recognition.

C is refugee, and that is forced to move with legal recognition.

And D, internally displaced is forced to move within a country.

Well done if you've got those ones.

The second part of this task is to then place these needs of migrants into a Venn diagram, and that's to compare what support asylum seekers or voluntary migrants or those who choose to move the differences in support that they may need.

So what might help you with this is to consider what support might be more likely for people fleeing an emergency compared to what people who are voluntary migrating might need.

So here we have some of these forms of support.

So A, emergency legal protection, B, school places, C, clothes and toiletries, D, trauma support, E, help finding long-term accommodation, F, social opportunities, G, financial information like taxes and banking, H, employment or skills advice, I, access to healthcare, J, language support, and K, urgent shelter and safety.

So you are going to place these into a Venn diagram to compare what support asylum seekers might need versus what voluntary migrants may need and which ones might be needed by both.

Again, pause the video to give yourself the time to do this, and then we'll come back and look at the answers together.

Okay, let's have a look at this task together then.

So your answer should look like this.

So A, emergency legal protection is more likely to be needed by asylum seekers.

B, school places are needed by both.

C, clothes and toiletries are more likely to be needed by asylum seekers than those who have voluntarily migrating.

B, trauma support, again, is more likely to be needed by asylum seekers.

E, help finding long-term accommodation would be for voluntary migrants because asylum seekers are generally provided with accommodation temporarily.

F, social opportunities are needed by both kinds of migrants.

G, financial information like taxes and banking, that's more likely to be people who are voluntarily migrating.

H, employment or skills advice, again, is more likely to be needed by voluntary migrants as they start their jobs and build a new life there.

Access to healthcare, I, that's, again, by both sets of migrants.

And language support, again, could be by both sets of migrants.

And K, urgent shelter and safety is more likely to be needed by asylum seekers.

Well done if you got those answers.

It's time for our second learning cycle now called "Who gives support to migrants?" Refugees and asylum seekers have left their home countries because it was no longer safe for them to stay.

They might be fleeing things like war, or violence, or persecution.

Now, many countries, including the United Kingdom have signed something called the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

And this means that if they have people who are refugees or asylum seekers, they agree that it's a human right to seek asylum, to seek protection and safety.

They agree that people must not be returned to a place where they do face serious danger.

And they also agree that once somebody is recognised as a refugee, they're entitled to certain rights and protections, such as things like access to housing, healthcare, and education.

So this means that even if refugees or asylum seekers don't have the correct documents and visas, they are still protected by international law.

Now, in the United Kingdom, these kinds of protections that are under this convention are also part of national law, including things like the immigration rules and the Nationality and Borders Act of 2022.

To be recognised as a refugee, a person has to apply for asylum first, and they have to explain as part of that why it's not possible for them to return to their home country.

And then the government of that country will carefully consider each case.

If that claim and that case is accepted as true, then the person will be granted refugee status sufficiently, and then that will give them the legal right to stay and build a new life in that country.

Now, around the world, there are many different organisations which work globally to support migrants, and these include the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or the UNHCR, and that's the UN's refugee agency.

And they work tirelessly to help people who are fleeing conflict or persecution.

There's the International Red Cross, and they're an organisation which give emergency shelter, healthcare, and support to displaced people.

There are other charities and organisations like Oxfam, Save the Children, and Médecins Sans Frontières, that's called Doctors Without Borders, and they help with education, medicine, and basic needs in many countries around the world.

It's important to know though that not all migrants are offered the same support because some countries are safer and some countries offer more support than others do.

A quick check for understanding then.

So which of the following statements is true about refugees and asylum seekers under international law? We have, A, they must have valid passports and visas before applying for asylum, B, they are only protected if they move to a neighbouring country to the one they left, C, they have the right to seek asylum and cannot be sent back to a country where they face danger, and D, they must find support only from charities, not from governments.

So which of these is true about refugees and asylum seekers? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so which of these is true about refugees and asylum seekers under international law? Well, it is C.

So they have the right to seek asylum, to seek protection in a country, and they cannot be sent back to a country where they face danger.

They don't have to have valid passports and visas before applying for asylum because they may not have been able to get those together before fleeing in an emergency.

They don't have to seek protection only in a neighbouring country to one that they've left, and that they can find support not just from charities but from different organisations and governments as well.

Well done if you've got that answer.

Now, the global organisations we've refer to, they help migrants, but it's each country which decides which specific support to give.

Now, in the United Kingdom, in the year ending March 2019, around about 612,000 people migrated to the UK from around the world.

Just over 32,500 applications were thought asylum, and sometimes these cases might have been referring to an individual needing asylum or a family for example.

And the people that were actually granted protection or other leave by the UK government in that period was just over 18,500 people.

If we compare those numbers now to the 12 months leading up to June 2024, there were around 1.

2 million people migrating to the UK, and there were over 7,500 asylum applications, and they related to over 97,000 people.

And around 56,000 people were granted refugee status by the UK government or allowed to stay for other serious reasons.

So as you can see there, the numbers leading up to June 2024 are significantly larger than the numbers ending in 2019.

So as more people are moving to the UK and for different reasons, there is a growing need with services to be able to support migrants.

So let's now look at who provides support for asylum seekers and refugees.

Now, in the United Kingdom, support for the people doesn't really just come from one place.

It's a joint effort from three main areas.

One of these is the United Kingdom governments and they provide legal housing and financial support.

Charities and other organisations help often with practical needs, advice, and then living support as well.

Then you've got local communities playing a key role in welcoming people, and then helping them settle into a new life.

So let's look at the support that comes from the UK government.

Now, here we've got a table, which is divided into asylum seekers and people who have been granted refugee status.

Now, with asylum seekers, for work, they're not usually allowed to work.

With housing, they're given basic accommodation, and they can't choose where in the United Kingdom that they will go.

often as well, they will settle in one area, and then they have moved very quickly, often without a lot of notice, to another place in the UK.

Financial support is about 49 pounds per person per week, and that's if you have to buy all of your own food as well.

If they're provided with accommodation which provides those main meals, then they'll be given 9.

95 pounds per person per week.

If someone is pregnant or has a child under three, they can claim a little bit more per week to help supply with healthy food.

With healthcare, they're often entitled to free NHS Care.

And with education, they are entitled to free access to state schools.

For those that have been granted refugee status, they then have the right to work in the UK, and there is a programme called the Refugee Employability Service, and that's really specialised in helping refugees who do have the right to work in the UK.

It helps them find and keep jobs.

So it offers support with things like learning English.

It might be writing CVS or interview advice.

It could be for searching for jobs and also things like accessing training.

Often refugees will have qualifications from their home country, which might not be recognised in the UK.

So things like getting those qualifications recognised or setting up further training can have a huge impact for people who just want to set up a new life and just want to start working in the United Kingdom.

Gaining employment and being able to earn money helps you settle into life and gives independence, and it helps build confidence in people as well.

So having that programme there for people who've been granted that refugee status is really important.

When it comes to housing, people who've been granted refugee status now have to find their own accommodation.

Now they might get support with this.

That's the same kind of support as any UK national would get.

When it comes to financial support, it's the same story.

They have the same eligibility as UK nationals.

They're also entitled to free healthcare in the same way as other UK nationals.

And also the same access for free to state schools like UK Nationals.

Another check for understanding then.

So Sam here is talking about the support that some migrants get in the UK.

Is she right? And if not, why not? So she says, "Asylum seekers and refugees get the same support in the UK.

They can both work and choose where to live." Is she right? And if not, Why not? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so is Sam right then? Well, no, she's not because asylum seekers, for example, can't usually work, and they've got very limited accommodation options provided by the government, and they don't choose where that is.

Refugees, once they've been granted that status, they can work and they can apply for housing in the same way as UK nationals can.

Well done if you've got that one.

Let's move on to the kind of support that refugees and asylum seekers get from charities and other organisations.

Well, charities like the Refugee Council, the British Red Cross and Migrant Help, they offer support by things like giving food, clothes, and shelter, providing interpreters, so people to translate languages, and also things like language classes.

They can offer legal advice, particularly on immigration paperwork, and also running welcome centres and support groups to help people build that social network.

They can help with access and education and finding school places and support refugees once they're being granted the status to then find jobs and employment.

Charities also support people who are internally displaced as well.

And a lot of work goes into helping people move around a country to find a safe place to live.

Clive here is a person who was being internally displaced due to a natural disaster.

And he says, "When the tsunami hits our town, our house was destroyed and the whole area became too dangerous to live in.

The support we got from charities was incredible.

They stepped in when we needed it most.

They gave us food, blankets, and a place to sleep.

Volunteers helped us find clean water and medical help.

My children were frightened, but there were people who sat with them, played games and gave them comfort.

The small things like someone listening, someone showing us that we weren't alone made the biggest difference.

Without their support, I don't know how we would've made it through those first weeks." So what kind of support might refugees and asylum seekers get from the local community then? Well, local communities often help people settle in, and they make them feel welcome, and they do this in different ways, through things like giving practical help, so things like donations of clothes, food, furniture, and help with finding housing or filling out forms. They might also provide things like language classes and conversation clubs, things like friendship and inclusion events, like community meals, clubs, events, and all sorts of things like that to help bring people together and build that social network can be really helpful.

And also advice about how to understand.

And also advice about things like how to apply for schools, how to get a doctor, and how to access other support that is available to them.

And as well as things like activities, access to sport, maybe it's for the children to have access to youth groups, and creative sessions, again, as a way of building support networks and building that social connection.

Another check for understanding then.

So which of the following is a way that local communities might support refugees and asylum seekers? So A, organise community meals and welcome events, B, provide legal representation in court, C, grant refugee status, or D, issue travel documents.

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so which of the following is a way local communities might support refugees? It is A, organising community meals and welcome events.

And Lucas here is saying that local communities can be really good for offering advice on these other things, so like legal representation, or getting refugee status, or travel documents.

And they can signpost people to those who can actually help with that, but they can't do it for themselves.

So well done if you've got that answer.

Now let's talk about migrants who choose to move abroad.

Well, they still need to have support.

So for example, they might have employers that help them settle into their new jobs.

The schools might help children learn and make friends.

There might be some community groups which could offer language classes or advice, again, for things like school places, or employment, or social connections and things like that, and also provide social events as well.

It might be mentors or volunteers that can help people adjust to life in this new country.

And there's organisations and charities like Citizens' Advice, The Children's Society, and the Migrants' Rights Network in the UK can all support migrants no matter why they've actually migrated to the UK, but it can support everybody, even those who move by choice.

Peter here says, "My family and I migrated to be closer to our family.

So we already knew some people here, but everything else felt new.

Luckily, we were welcomed into our community.

One person helped us with school applications and another helped us find clubs and activities for our kids." One lady helped me with my job, finding a way to get my medical qualifications recognised over here, and support made a huge difference to us settling in and getting involved.

And again, it's about building that community, building that network around you so that people can be part of this new society that they're involved in.

So with support, all migrants can be safe.

They can work and contribute to the economy.

They can learn and they can thrive and build that new life, and they can feel part of their new community.

And this support helps all migrants, whether they've moved for safety, for work, for study, or for family.

And with the right help, when people can settle in, that means they can share their skills, and it means that they can take part in society.

Our communities and society as a whole will all benefit when the migrants feel safe, and they feel included, and they can build a new life here and contributes.

another check for understanding then.

So how can support for migrants benefit the wider community? We've got A, it allows migrants to return to their home countries quickly.

B, it helps migrants to take part in society and share their skills.

C, it reduces the need for schools and community services, or D, it ensures all migrants receive the same financial support.

So how can support for migrants benefit the wider community? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so how can support for migrants benefit the wider community? It is B.

It helps migrants take part in society and share their skills, which ultimately benefits everybody.

Well done if you've got that.

Now it's time for task B.

And the first part of this task is to read this information below in these boxes, and there will be some mistakes or some missing information.

So it's your job to correct those mistakes or add the missing information if there's something not there.

So let me read these boxes to you.

So the first one here, claiming asylum is an inhumane right.

The 2020 refugee convention is a piece of international law used to define and give rights to refugees.

The United Nations gives financial support to migrants in the UK.

Charities such, mm, mm, and mm work globally to support migrants.

Before a person's asylum claim is granted, they are known as a refugee.

The UK has no organisations that work to support migrants.

So correct the mistakes and add in any missing information.

Again, it's a good idea now to pause the video to give yourself the time to do this.

Then we'll come back and look at the answers together.

Okay, let's have a look then.

So your answer might look something like this.

So in the first one, claiming asylum, it's not an inhumane.

It's a human right.

The second one, the 1951 Refugee Convention, not the 2021, and it's a piece of international law to give rights to refugees.

The next one here, it's not the UN which gives financial support.

It's the UK government gives financial support to migrants in the UK.

The next one, charities such as, and then there were some gaps.

So you could have chosen Oxfam, International Red Cross, and Save the Children.

They work globally to support migrants.

The next one here, before a person's asylum is granted, they are known as an asylum seeker.

And the final one, the UK has no organisations.

It has several organisations that work to support migrants.

For example, the Refugee Council, the British Red Cross, and Migrant Help.

Well done if you picked out those key pieces of information and were able to correct any mistakes.

The second part of your task then is to consider this girl here and her family.

So she's called Anna, and she fled a war in her home country, and she arrived in the UK with her mom.

So how might her and her mom be supported? So for this, I'd like you to write one paragraph to explain what support Anna and her family might need right away, who might help them, and what support might help them in the long term.

So again, pause the video to give yourself the time to do this, and then we'll come back and look at some possible answers.

Okay, then let's look at some possible answers then.

So your answer might look something like this.

Ana and her mom might need urgent support with housing, food and safety when they first arrive in the UK.

The UK government could provide a place to stay and basic financial support while they apply for asylum.

Charities like Migrant Help could help them understand the asylum process and help them get access to medical care.

In the long term, Ana would need a school place and her mom might need language lessons and support to find work if they're granted refugee status.

Local communities and organisations could also help them settle in, feel welcome, and build a new life in the UK.

Well done if you've picked out there who could help them and which support would help in the short term and the longer term as well.

Well done.

Time now to summarise our lesson, which is being called, "What Support is available for migrants?" All migrants need some basic things, like safety, housing, and access to services.

But other kinds of support can depend on why they migrated.

Refugees and asylum seekers have left their home countries because it was no longer safe to stay, and they have rights under international law.

In the United Kingdom, they're supported by the government, charities, and other organisations and local communities.

This support can include temporary housing, a weekly allowance for essentials, legal advice, help with applying for asylum, access to healthcare, and community groups.

Even migrants who choose to move might still need support.

For example, social support, language, or schooling, or work advice.

And supporting migrants allows them to share their skills and get involved in society.

Well done for your hard work in this lesson today.

Some of that has been really challenging, and I'm proud of you for sticking all the way through it.

See you again soon.