New
New
Year 9

What support is available for migrants?

I can explain the different kinds of support migrants may need and who is likely to give this support.

New
New
Year 9

What support is available for migrants?

I can explain the different kinds of support migrants may need and who is likely to give this support.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Migration is when people move between places and across borders. Some migrants need support when living in a new place.
  2. All migrants need the basics, like shelter, but other kinds of support can depend on why they moved.
  3. Refugees and asylum seekers have rights under international law and are helped by government, charities and communities.
  4. Even migrants who choose to move still need support, for example, social support, language or schooling and work advice.
  5. Supporting migrants allows them to share their skills and get involved in society.

Keywords

  • Migration - the movement of people from one place to another, for example, moving from one country to another

  • Support - to provide someone with care, advice or encouragement, especially when they are facing a problem or challenge

  • Asylum seeker - someone who has left their home country and is now living in a different country, seeking protection so they don't have to return to their home country

  • Refugee - a person who has been forced to leave their home due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted

Common misconception

Only asylum seekers need support when they move to a new country.

All migrants may need support. Refugees often flee danger and need urgent help, but even those who move for work, study or family benefit from language classes, job advice and community events to settle in and feel part of their new home.


To help you plan your year 9 citizenship lesson on: What support is available for migrants?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Emphasise that the term 'migrant' is broad with various meanings and connotations. Encourage pupils to understand the different reasons people move and avoid assumptions: some migrants flee danger, others move by choice, but all may need support to settle and thrive.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Migration is when people move across __________ to new countries.

Correct answer: borders
towns
jobs
neighbourhoods

Q2.
What is an example of a pull factor for migration?

escaping war
Correct answer: better healthcare
natural disaster
violence

Q3.
What is an example of a push factor for migration?

Correct answer: escaping war
good education opportunities
moving closer to family
better lifestyle opportunities

Q4.
Refugees and have rights under international law.

Correct Answer: asylum seekers

Q5.
Put these stages of support for refugees and asylum seekers in the most likely order they are needed after arrival.

1 - immediate support for basic needs, e.g., temporary shelter, food, medical care
2 - help understanding legal rights and beginning the asylum process
3 - support finding long-term housing, education and work

Q6.
Which of the following is not a type of support migrants might need?

language help
Correct answer: community isolation
access to education
help finding work

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the word with its correct definition.

Correct Answer:migration,the movement of people from one place to another

the movement of people from one place to another

Correct Answer:support,providing care, advice or encouragement, especially during difficulty

providing care, advice or encouragement, especially during difficulty

Correct Answer:refugee,someone forced to leave their home due to a fear of persecution

someone forced to leave their home due to a fear of persecution

Correct Answer:asylum seeker,someone who left their home and seeks safety in another country

someone who left their home and seeks safety in another country

Q2.
Put these stages of the UK asylum process into the correct order.

1 - claim asylum after arriving in the UK
2 - begin asylum application process
3 - await decision from the UK Government
4 - granted refugee status or told to leave/appeal

Q3.
All migrants need to have immediate to basics, like shelter, safety, food and water.

Correct Answer: access

Q4.
Which of the following statements correctly challenges a common misconception about migrant support?

Only people in war zones need support.
Refugees can always go home after they have got support.
Only asylum seekers need help.
Correct answer: All migrants may need support, not just refugees or asylum seekers.

Q5.
Which of the following describes what organisations like UNHCR and International Red Cross do to support migrants in an emergency?

help migrants find a job
create laws for adult workers
Correct answer: help people fleeing conflict and persecution
provide only medical support

Q6.
In what ways can local communities help migrants?

letting them get on with their lives and figure it out
Correct answer: organising community meals and events
Correct answer: advising or signposting to services
avoiding unfamiliar customs and languages