NCADC Campaigning Toolkit
Part One of the Toolkit sets out different ways of campaigning for the right to stay in the UK that may be useful in an individual campaign. The strategies could be used individually, or in combination. It is likely that different strategies will be appropriate at different times in your campaign, and a combination of strategies will be most effective. Each campaign is different.
Some of the actions are public, others can be taken up in non-public campaigning. The difference between these types of campaigning is explained at the start of Part One. Other campaigning information, such as campaigning that can be done when a deportation is imminent, can be found in the sections on the relevant part of the asylum/immigration process - Part Two.
Part Two gives an explanation of the procedures for applying for asylum or immigration status. It is a general overview, and it is very important to get legal advice on your individual case.
The sections roughly follow the order in which the procedures may come up in your own case. The final part of the Toolkit is a Glossary of key terms used in the Toolkit.
First and foremost, we aim to help migrants understand the asylum and immigration systems, to know their rights, and to be as well-equipped as possible to make a successful application. In the case of a refusal, we hope the Toolkit enables migrants to know what a campaign is, whether it’s right for them, and to be at the centre of the campaign and of all of the decisions made. We want to help migrants’ voices be heard.
Most of the Toolkit is written addressing a person going through the process, but is intended to be used by anyone who finds it useful in supporting migrants through anti-deportation campaigns. You or your organisation may be supporting migrants but be unable to get directly involved in individual campaigning work. The Toolkit contains information to assist people who don’t have an organisation backing their campaign, information for signposting to appropriate campaign support, and may help you understand the process the person you’re supporting is trying to navigate. The Toolkit explains what different campaigns may involve, so that more people are able to make an informed decision about whether they want a campaign.
Many people who campaign for justice have supporters from their community working alongside them. They may be from the same country of origin, social group, religious group, geographical area, or simply people who care about human rights. The Toolkit is also designed to help supporters, and there are particular sections directed to the needs of those in a supporting role rather than experiencing the process directly.
The circumstances facing refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers throughout Europe are more restrictive and dangerous than ever. At the same time, there are more reasons than ever forcing people to flee their homelands, and make lives in the UK. The need for local campaigners and organisations to fight for migrants’ rights is clearer than ever. The Toolkit is intended to increase local groups’ capacity to fight for these rights and their capacity to support people going through the asylum and immigration systems. Much of the material contained in the Toolkit is based on the experiences of individual campaigns provided by supporters and partners of NCADC. We are sharing this knowledge and experience across the country, running local toolkit workshops, and the toolkit can be used by other groups running their own training and workshops.
While many of the campaigning principles and strategies will be relevant outside the UK, the legal processes to which this Toolkit refers are specific to the UK.
NCADC does not provide Immigration Advice as defined in section 82 v of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Material in this Toolkit is not, and should not be understood as, legal advice. The Toolkit aims to explain legal processes and terminology to those without a legal background.
