Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)
We provide high-quality legal representation, support and hope to people experiencing immigration injustice across the North-West of England.
Instagram: instagram.com/gmiaunit/
Linktree: linktr.ee/gmiaunit
IAA registered: N201000004
- “If my husband had had a safe place to go to he would never have been in that small boat on that night.” An incredibly tragic and avoidable loss of life. We know that safe routes to seeking safety are imperative, and this outcomes proves this once again. Without them, we will only see more of this.
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)📢"Creating a poorer, more vulnerable migrant class of workers who have no long-term stake in our society worsens wages and conditions for everyone, and increases resentment towards migrants." @zoejardiniere.bsky.social on what Labour can do to change direction. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
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- There are only 7 days left to have your say about the government’s changes to earned settlement. 📖 Our guide breaks down the different questions, what they mean, and ways that you can answer. Please take the opportunity to share your voice. Consultation closes on 12 Feb. gmiau.org/gmiau-guide-...
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- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)"They don’t just delay settlement, they delay recovery. They delay stability. They delay family life. They delay healing. They delay dignity." A brilliant explanation of everything that's wrong with the horrifying 'earned settlement plans': righttoremain.org.uk/if-you-are-l... "
- The gov are consulting on their planned changes to settlement in the UK, known as “earned settlement”. These changes will make it much harder for people to receive indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Use our guide to help you share your voice before 12 Feb: gmiau.org/gmiau-guide-...
- Last week the Home Secretary said that the govt is "prioritising" returns of people from Syria. We know this may be causing a lot of fear and distress for our Syrian communities. The Home Office has to consider people's cases and their individual evidence. Please see our advice for more:
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)Submissions are now open for our “other tongue, mother tongue” issue. We’re looking for poetry by migrants worldwide in any language but English. We pay contributors. Guidelines: othersideofhope.com/submissions-...
- We are running 3 free training sessions for front line staff, managers, and decision makers in local authorities - ‘Children in care- citizenship and immigration training’ which you can sign up to here: gmiau.org/settlement-a...
- This week is Hate Crime Awareness Week in Greater Manchester. Everyone deserves to live free from hate, whatever their background, identity, appearance, beliefs or who they love. Hate crime has no place here. 💚For support and to report hate crime, visit: www.letsendhatecrime.com #WeStandTogether
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)📣Today we have launched the #EndDestitution campaign📣 migrantdestitution.co.uk/end-destitut... ‼️The government’s latest plans threaten to force yet more people in our communities into destitution. We must stand against this. 1/
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- We've published a briefing on settlement and citizenship for children in care, based on the experiences of young people we have supported. ✍ We are asking local authorities to sign a public pledge to identify and support all children in care with immigration issues before they turn 18. READ:
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)On #HMD2026 we remember the six million Jews and five million Roma, LGBTQ+. disabled, political opponents and others murdered by the Nazis, alongside victims of subsequent genocides. Prejudice still continues to day within our communities and across the UK.
- At the end of last year, we published our impact report. Take a moment to read it if you haven’t already, to see the real difference we’ve made in people’s lives and hear their stories firsthand. 💚
- Time and time again, the Windrush generation has been failed by government policies, leaving people’s lives torn apart. This should no longer be happening. We know that this is not an isolated case. If you or someone you know needs help applying for Windrush compensation, email windrush@gmiau.org 🫂
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)Hello, I have a new book out in the spring with Picador and I would love it if you could help me spread the word. IF WE TOLERATE THIS draws on years of work, to help readers understand why British politics is hurtling rightwards and what to do about it. Pre-orders: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/if-w...
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- 🔊Should settlement rules change without hearing from communities? We don’t think so! 📖Our guide breaks down the different questions, what they mean, and ways that you can answer. Please take the time to use our guide and share your voice! The online consultation is open until the 12 February.
- Mahmood is right that people shouldn’t be housed in hotels. Hotels are not homes, and neither are barracks. People seeking safety need housing in communities where they can rebuild their lives, not isolated sites that invite hostility and surveillance. How is anyone meant to feel safe there now?👇
- 'Our Side of the Story' Created by the Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group and Stand & Be Counted Theatre, this short film features people with lived experience of asylum hotels. The group is supported by us, and the film presents a spoken version of a statement they shared a few months ago.
- We hope this film is watched and shared widely, reaching those who need to hear these voices. It reminds us that behind the labels and headlines are people like us, who have risked everything and fled danger in the hope of safety. 📹Full version: gmiau.org/our-side-of-...
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)🚨EXCLUSIVE 🚨Our new briefing shows that policy and prosecutorial responses to the summer 2024 riots delink the violence from racism - paving the way for anti-immigration and Islamophobic protests and far-right vigilantism to form an infinite loop. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
- A reminder that we are also on Instagram! Follow us over there to keep up to date with our work, announcements and news 🤳 Instagram: @gmiaunit / www.instagram.com/p/DTsLmEiDZG...
- Under the Government’s “one in, one out” scheme people are moved back and forth with little regard for their safety or circumstances. This report shines a light on the devastating and completely avoidable failures by the Govt toward people we should be offering safety and protection to. Read here:
- 🗣️YOUR OPINION MATTERS We’ve written a guide to help you fill out the Government’s online consultation about changes to 'earned settlement'. Our guide breaks down the different questions, what they mean, and ways that you can answer. gmiau.org/gmiau-guide-...
- This is a frightening time for people in our community. In 2024, far-right disinformation fuelled racist riots, and a year later intimidation outside asylum accommodation has become routine. "Hostility and toxicity have reached unprecedented levels. And I fear we have not seen the worst of it yet."
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)A new report out today by Unseen, a leading charity which manages the modern slavery helpline, has found that immigration laws brought in since 2022 have helped trafficking thrive. The changes have contributed to a "culture of disbelief" in victims. www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
- The government is consulting on their planned changes to settlement in the UK, known as “earned settlement”. We’re very concerned about the impact on our communities. 📚We’ve shared a guide to explain the questions, impacts, and how to respond. The consultation closes 12 Feb 2026, share your voice!
- Broadcasting dehumanising clickbait about migrants is a far-right tactic, not responsible governance. It fuels unnecessary hatred and normalises racism. What does it say about a government that communicates in this way?
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)More enforcement won’t fix broken policy -which only pushes more people into the shadows. The recent fatal shooting by an ICE officer in the US shows us where we are headed if we continue this hardline enforcement approach. news.sky.com/story/illega...
- Do you support people with no recourse to public funds or limited access to mainstream accommodation? Here are the details for our FREE upcoming training sessions for Jan-March 2026. Want to sign up? 🔗 Follow this link (also in bio!) gmiau.org/help-and-adv...
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- Absolutely. Trying to out-tough Reform hasn’t rebuilt trust, it has drained it! By copying their language instead of holding the line on facts and truth, politics has left space for fear and misinformation to take over.
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)Strong stuff from the Chancellor 💪🏻 One slight prob: her gov's NRPF policy (which restricts access to MOST benefits not just UC & which they're planning to extend to those w/ ILR) does precisely this: discriminates between children based on where parents are from www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- Happy New Year from all of us at GMIAU!⭐ As we begin the year feeling refreshed and ready to take on whatever the months ahead may bring, we’ve shared our first newsletter of 2026 which you can view here: mailchi.mp/gmiau/our-ne... Sign up to our monthly newsletter: gmiau.org/contact/#new...
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- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)For many of those seeking asylum a mobile phone isn't just a lifeline to keep in contact with loved ones, it's an essential resource in accessing information and resources. State mandated theft is another example of Labour's dehumanisation of people seeking safety www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
- Our service will be closed from 24th December for the holiday period and will reopen on the 2nd January. We wish you all a safe and peaceful holiday season. ⭐️🎄⭐️
- Applications for this role to join us are still open! Deadline: 12th Jan 2026 Full details below👇
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)Our dedicated and inspirational Managing Director, Naomi, has decided it is time to hand the baton to someone new. 📣 We're looking for our next Managing Director, to build on the work that has come before, and to lead Social Workers Without Borders into our next phase.
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- ⭐We’re incredibly proud to share our Impact Report 2025. It captures what we’ve achieved over the past year supporting people through the UK’s immigration system during a time of growing hostility. You'll also hear from people we've supported directly about the difference we've made to their lives
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- 1/🧵📣NEW STATEMENT Members of the Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group have shared a new statement responding to recent changes to the asylum system and how these plans make them feel as people who came to the UK seeking safety. Share on IG: www.instagram.com/p/DSXLsi3jZI...
- 2/ At the end of Nov, the govt announced further changes to the asylum system, including proposals affecting refugee rights and a new “earned settlement” model for ILR. We shared explainers to break these down and share what we think about them: gmiau.org/nov-25-chang... gmiau.org/earned-settl...
- Recently, we’ve received outstanding recognition for our pro bono work, particularly for our eVisa support sessions and the Windrush Legal Initiative. Read more about our achievements and the incredible pro bono partners who make this work possible: gmiau.org/wins-for-our...
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)Starmer wants to change the ECHR to to defeat "the forces of hate and division". Yet really, he is bowing to the forces of hate and division. The only people who dislike the ECHR are people with contempt for refugees.
- 🧵1/Today on #HumanRightsDay, we’re marking 75 years of the European Convention on Human Rights and 25 years of the Human Rights Act. These protections currently feel increasingly fragile. Across the immigration and asylum system, rights are being rolled back, especially for people seeking safety.
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)"Ending the two-child limit is vital, but you cannot end child poverty while excluding children from support because of their parents' immigration status. Every child deserves the same chance to thrive." @josephinewy.bsky.social www.thenational.scot/news/2567585...
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- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)Today's Child Poverty Strategy leaves thousands of migrant children - 40% of all children in poverty - out in the cold. Every child deserves the same chance to thrive. Poverty is a political choice. The Govt's failure to act for all children falls short of the scale and urgency of the crisis.
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)HOT OFF THE PRESS: Time for Change is here! Sick of the constant demonisation of migrants? Want to see an alternative plan? Our new report by @zoejardiniere.bsky.social outlines 9 steps to a system that delivers dignity for all. Read it here: www.anothereurope.org/time-for-cha...
- "The govt's ‘earned settlement’ plans clearly discriminate against south Asian, African and Caribbean migrants, who make up the vast majority of people on the existing 10-year route to settlement. The intersection between classism and racism is clear." @nickbeales.bsky.social @ramfel.bsky.social 👏
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)🚨Campaign launch🚨 Today Migrant Voices launched our "Don't knows do care" campaign to counter misinformation around migration. Your support is important. Please donate, if you can., share and take part in helping to combat the hostile rhetoric. Please donate here👇 www.gofundme.com/f/help-comba...
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- We've just sent out our monthly newsletter for November 2025: mailchi.mp/gmiau/our-ne... ⭐Sign up to keep up to date with our news, events, and latest resources: gmiau.org/contact/#new...
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)We have made an animation, to show how the 'No Recourse to Public Funds' immigration condition, has harmed our families: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4x3... Please write to your MP using our pre-filled letter template, to ask them to call for an end to #NRPF: ✍️✉️ win.newmode.net/project17/wi...
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)If you're trying to get your head round Mahmood's idiotic "earned settlement" proposals that aim to keep refugees in limbo 20 years, & offer a sliding scale of crulety to all immigrants based on their pay packet, this is a great, clear explainer by @praxisprojects.bsky.social & @gmiau.bsky.social
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)Great to hear Rachel Reeves acknowledge that "there are many reasons why people choose to have children then find themselves in difficult times. The death of a partner. Separation. Ill health. A lost job. I don’t believe that children should bear the brunt of that." So why should migrant children?
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)This is a very good explainer about the recently released government consultation into changes to settlement by our colleagues at @praxisprojects.bsky.social and @gmiau.bsky.social
- Last week the Government announced changes to settlement, turning the lives of millions of people upside down. Here's what we know so far 👉 www.praxis.org.uk/news/explain... Created with @gmiau.bsky.social
- Reposted by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)Last week the Government announced changes to settlement, turning the lives of millions of people upside down. Here's what we know so far 👉 www.praxis.org.uk/news/explain... Created with @gmiau.bsky.social
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