The Community Sponsorship Alliance welcomes the announcement of new and expanded safe routes for refugees

The Community Sponsorship Alliance welcomes the announcement of new and expanded safe routes for refugees, including the expansion of the UK Resettlement Scheme and further detail on the new community, study and work sponsorship routes.

Communities across the UK have repeatedly shown their willingness to welcome people seeking safety and help them rebuild their lives. Community Sponsorship has demonstrated what is possible when local people are given the opportunity, support and infrastructure to play an active role in refugee welcome and integration.

We particularly welcome the commitment to provide routes for Afghan women and girls and Palestinians fleeing war and persecution. 

We also welcome confirmation that applications for organisations wishing to become Lead Sponsors under the new Community Sponsorship route will open in October.

The announcement is an important step, but the success of these routes will depend on how they are designed and delivered. Community-led welcome requires more than goodwill. Sponsors need effective infrastructure, clear guidance, appropriate resources and access to specialist support, while refugees must be at the heart of the design of the programmes intended to support them.

The Community Sponsorship Alliance and its members bring years of practical experience of supporting communities to welcome refugees across the UK. We look forward to continuing to work with the Home Office, communities, people with lived experience of displacement, and partners across civil society to ensure these new routes are safe, sustainable and capable of growing over time.

The UK has seen the extraordinary contribution communities can make when they are empowered to welcome people seeking safety. We now have an opportunity to build on that experience and establish community-led welcome as an enduring part of the UK’s approach to refugee protection.