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The International Metropolis Project is a forum for bridging research, policy and practice on migration and diversity.
The Project aims to enhance academic research capacity, encourage policy-relevant research on migration and diversity issues,
and facilitate the use of that research by governments and non-governmental organizations.
 
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Metropolis Abstract

 

 

 

Title: Dispersal: learning from past experiences

 

 

 

Deborah Platts                                              

Research Officer

Immigration Research & Statistics Service

Home Office 

 

 

 

The disproportionate rise in UK asylum claims in the 1990s prompted a number of reforms. In particular the shortage of accommodation for asylum seekers in London and the Southeast provided an impetus to the dispersal strategy as set out in the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act.  This involves dispersing asylum seekers to locations in the UK on a no choice basis.

 

Dispersal policies have been used in a number of countries, including the UK. Although some evaluation of the impacts has been carried out, little headway has been made to pull the evidence together so that we can collectively learn from past experiences.

 

Hence, we have commissioned a study, which will map the international field and examine the current situation in the UK. The aim of the study is to explore the impacts of dispersal on asylum seekers and local communities, and to identify feasible and effective ways of facilitating the process.

 

The paper will look at the key findings of the study, focusing on international comparisons, good practice that can be shared, and the short- and long-term consequences of this research for stakeholders, including policy-makers, practitioners, and asylum seekers.