refugees – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Hereford asks about impact of new immigration regulations on refugees

The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on the viability of safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK on 20th November 2025, during a discussion on the government’s asylum policy:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I declare an interest as a participant in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Three and a half years on, we have a delightful Ukrainian family still living in our house. In the section of the report on safe and legal routes, the options in the policy document include a route to safety for students and skilled workers. Such schemes may be a useful adjunct to sufficient open safe and legal routes, but does the Minister share my concern that, in a world where safe and legal routes are limited, we may send a message that young, healthy, skilled people are more deserving of sanctuary than others?

Bishop of Sheffield asks about application routes for refugee families

The Bishop of Sheffield tabled a question on the Refugee Family Reunion Scheme, asking what the timeline would be for introducing a new application route for families on 14th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: To ask His Majesty’s Government, following the temporary suspension of new applications to a refugee family reunion scheme, what is the timeline for introducing a new route.

Bishop of St Albans asks about forced deportations of Rohingya refugees from India

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th July 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of India regarding the forced deportation of Rohingya refugees.

Bishop of Oxford asks about accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers

The Bishop of Oxford asked a question on identifying suitable accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees on Tuesday 22nd April 2025, during a discussion on the costs of temporary accommodation provided by local authorities:

The Lord Bishop of Oxford: My Lords, I declare an interest as patron of Asylum Welcome, which works with asylum seekers and refugees in Oxford and Oxfordshire. What proportion of temporary accommodation provided by local authorities is used to house refugees who are assessed as priority need after having been granted refugee status? What steps are being taken to identify more suitable long-term accommodation for this cohort?

Bishop of St Albans asks about situation of Rohingya children in India

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 11th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of India regarding the admission of stateless Rohingya children to schools.

Bishop of St Albans asks about status of refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand and Bangladesh

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 29th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Thailand regarding Uyghur asylum seekers detained there.

Bishop of Leeds asks about return of refugees to Syria

The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on protection of refugees from Syria, particularly those in minority groups, following a government statement on the recent regime change in the country:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, although Governments might learn a lot about not establishing red lines in other countries where we then breach them, which we have done with Putin and, particularly, in Syria with chemical weapons, it is clearly too early to know how Russia will respond to this. We know that it has withdrawn some of its naval fleet, but we do not know what the immediate future holds in Putin’s mind. These are early days—I am glad to hear in the Statement that asylum claims have been suspended, as it were, for the time being—but can the Minister give any guarantee that nobody will be returned to Syria before we are clearer about what they might be going back to, especially if they belong to a minority, and that proper hearings will still be held so that justice is done for some very vulnerable people?

Bishop of Chelmsford asks about migration and refugees

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 19th November 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked His Majesty’s Government how many asylum liaison officers are currently in post in the Home Office, and whether there are any plans for further recruitment to support newly recognised refugees through the move-on process.

Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of funding challenges facing refugee camps in Chad on irregular migration in Europe

On 6th November 2024, the Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of funding challenges facing refugee camps in Chad on the levels of irregular migration in Europe.

Bishop of Leicester encourages government to support interculturalism and welcome refugees, as demonstrated by the Ukraine scheme

On 25th October 2024, the Bishop of Leicester took part in a debate on the situation in Ukraine, promoting the use of the Ukraine scheme as a model to foster a sustainable way of welcoming all refugees and compassionately supporting their integration in the wider community:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, it is a sad truth that as wars go on, public attention often dissipates. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, and other noble Lords for reminding us that while coverage of the war in Ukraine has waned, daily suffering there has not, so our moral responsibility continues.

While others have focused on this responsibility in terms of military support, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on another very important and positive aspect of our response to the war, in the hope that the new Government will build on its successes. As noble Lords will be aware, the Ukraine family scheme and the Ukraine sponsorship scheme, set up in March 2022, were two of the only legal routes for people seeking asylum in the UK. More than 200,000 visas were issued to Ukrainians, and thousands of families from across the political spectrum offered their homes to those fleeing the war.

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