On 11 March, IRMO took part in a national mass lobby in Parliament opposing proposed changes to the UK’s current settlement system, often referred to by the government as a new model of “earned settlement.”

As part of the day, we met with five MPs representing areas with high numbers of Latin American migrants: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill), Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood), Neil Coyle (Bermondsey and Old Southwark), Miatta Fahnbulleh (Peckham) and Florence Eshalomi (Vauxhall and Camberwell Green).

We shared evidence from our frontline work on how these proposed changes could affect Latin American communities and migrants more broadly by moving the goalposts for thousands of families and increasing insecurity for those already navigating complex immigration processes.

We urged MPs to oppose these changes and to call for a full impact assessment, particularly in relation to the effects on children, families and local authorities.

This engagement forms part of our ongoing work to ensure that the experiences of Latin American migrants are reflected in national policy discussions and that harmful changes to the immigration system are challenged.