about the coalition

The Lift the Ban Coalition is made up of over 300 organisations across the UK (including businesses, NGOs, think tanks, faith groups, local authorities, universities, arts institutions and more), campaigning for people seeking asylum to be granted full working rights within six months of awaiting a decision on their claim. Asylum Matters and Refugee Action act as the co-secretariat of the coalition. Find our membership below broken down by sector.

Businesses and business groups within the Lift the Ban Coalition include AllianceHR, the Association of Labour Providers (ALP), Ben & Jerry’s, Bread & Roses, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Centre for Entrepreneurs, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Escape the City, Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, Global Future, Learn for Life Enterprise, Migrants at Work, Nemi Teas, Pret a Manger, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), Refugees & Mentors, Romanac Consulting, Routes Collective, Sona Circle, Sunshine Cooperative, The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN), The Business Group Salford, the Launchpad Collective, Thread Ahead & Waterbear. Lifting the ban has also been backed by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

Think tanks within the Lift the Ban Coalition include the Adam Smith Institute, the Bevan Foundation, Bright Blue, British Future, Centre, Cymru Global (FKA the Welsh Centre for International Affairs), IARS International Institute, the Institute of Welsh Affairs, Just Fair, New Economics Foundation, and The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN). Lifting the ban has also been backed by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR), the Institute for Government and the independent Commission for the Integration of Refugees.

Trade unions within the Lift the Ban Coalition include the British Medical Association (BMA), the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), the National Education Union (NEU), Public & Commercial Services Union (PCS), the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Unison, United Tech & Allied Workers (UTAW) and United Voices of the World (UVW). Lifting the ban has also been backed by the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union (GMB).

The arts and creative industry partners within the Lift the Ban Coalition include the Aurora Trinity Collective, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art,  Community Arts Trust North West, Creative Youth Network, Glasgow Creative Arts Network, Good Chance Theatre, Ice & Fire, Mafwa Theatre, Migration Matters Festival, North Tyneside Art Studio, Our World Too, Phosphorous Theatre, Stand Up & Be Counted (SBC) Theatre, and the Scottish Crannog Centre.

The education sector (including schools, colleges and universities) partners within the Lift the Ban Coalition include Aston University, BPP University – STAR, Cardinal Wiseman, Code Your Future, Newcastle University, Newcastle University Students’ Union, St Ambrose Barlow, University of Birmingham – Refugee & Me, University of Liverpool – Help the Homeless Society, and University of Warwick.  

There a range of faith-based organisations and institutions within the Lift the Ban Coalition, including Baptists Together, Caritas Salford, Caritas Southwark, the Church at Carrs Lane, the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, Churches Together, HIAS+JCORE, the Methodist Church, Metropolitan Community Church of North London, the Quakers, the Salvation Army, and the United Reformed Church.

Local authorities across the UK have passed motions calling for the ban on work to be lifted, and several have formally joined the Lift the Ban Coalition, including Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council, Birmingham City Council, Brent Council, Calderdale Council, Coventry City Council, East Sussex County Council, Gateshead City Council, Glasgow City Council, the Greater London Authority, Hartlepool Borough Council, Hastings Borough Council, Lambeth Council, Leeds City Council, Leicester City Council, Lewisham Council, Newcastle City Council, Salford City Council, Sheffield City Council, Southwark Council, Stroud District Council, Sutton Council, Merton Council, Middlesborough Council and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council. Lifting the ban has also been supported by the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government, the Northern Irish Government, and several Metro-Mayors of Combined Authorities as well as Core Cities UK.

National and International NGOs and charities in the Lift the Ban Coalition include Amnesty International, Another Europe is Possible, Anti-Slavery International, Asylum Matters, Asylum Reform Initiative, Breaking Barriers, British Red Cross, Burma Campaign UK, City of Sanctuary UK, Community Foundation Northern Ireland, Community Organisers, Child Poverty Action Group, Choose Love, Crisis, Detention Forum, Doctors of the World, End Child Prostitution & Trafficking (ECPAT) UK, Freedom from Labour Exploitation (FLEX), Freedom From Torture, Freedom United, Helen Bamber Foundation, Hope at Home, Human Rights Consortium Scotland, Human Rights Watch, Human Trafficking Foundation, Imix, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Kalayaan, Law Centre Northern Ireland, Law Centres Network, Liberty, Local Welcome, Micro Rainbow, Micro Rainbow International, Migrant Democracy Project, Migrant Voice, Migrants Organise, Migrants’ Rights Network (MRN), Migration & Asylum Justice Forum, No Accommodation Network (NACCOM), National Association of Welfare Rights Advisors (NAWRA), National Lottery Community Fund, No More Traffik, Oxfam, Oxfam Cymru, Peter Tatchell Foundation, Praxis, Race on the Agenda (ROTA), Rainbow Migration, Refugee Asylum and Migration Project (RAMP), Rape Crisis England & Wales, RAS Voice, REFEO, Refugee Action, Refugee Council, Refugee Rights Project, Refugee Support, Right to Remain, Runnymede Trust, Sanctuary Coalition Cymru, Scottish Homelessness Network, Scottish Refugee Council, Shiva Foundation, Singa, Sisters Not Strangers, Social Workers Without Borders, Sophie Hayes Foundation, St Giles Trust, Student Action for Refugees (STAR), The Blue Thread, The Trussell Trust, Unseen, Voices Network, Waging Peace, War on Want, Welsh Refugee Council, Women for Refugee Women, Work Rights Centre.

There are local and regional charities across the UK within the Lift the Ban Coalition as well as a host of grassroots community organisations. Broken down by region of the UK, these include:

East Midlands – After18, Derby City of Sanctuary, Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity, Greater Lincolnshire Area of Sanctuary, Northamptonshire Rights and Equality Council, Nottingham City of Sanctuary, Nottingham Universities of Sanctuary & Refugee Roots.

Eastern – Calais Light, Herts for Refugees, Hope & Aid Direct & PARCA.

London – AFRIL, Advance Myanmar, Afghan Association of London, Barking & Dagenham CVS, Breadwinners, CARAS, Community Links, Croydon Refugee Forum, Ella’s, Haringey Migrant Support Centre, Lewisham Refugee & Migrant Network, LGSMigrants, Look Ahead, MamaSuze, Migrants Resource Centre, Migrateful, Olmec, RAMFEL, Room to Heal, Shpresa Programme, Solace, Speak Street, The Bike Project, Waltham Forest Migrant Action, West End Refugee Service and Young Roots.

North East – Action Foundation, Bright Minds Big Futures, Citizens Advice Newcastle, English For All, FODI Sunderland, Hartlepool Asylum Seekers and Refugee Group, Independent Advocacy North East, Meadow Well Connected, Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency, Newcastle CVS, North of England Refugee Service, North East Against Racism, North East Law Centre, Northumberland County of Sanctuary, Open Door North East, Regional Refugee Forum North East, Riverside Community Health Project, Social Rights Alliance North East, Tees Valley of Sanctuary, Tynemouth Together with Refugees, VONNE and Walking With. 

North West – African Rainbow Family, Asylum Link Merseyside, Blackburn YMCA, Boaz Trust, First Wednesday LGBT Support Group, Global Link, Greater Manchester Humanists, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, Growing Together Levenshulme, Lesbian Immigration Support Group, Manchester Migrant Solidarity, Manchester Refugee Support Network, Refugee Women Connect, Salford Voluntary & Community Services and SWAP Wigan.

Northern Ireland – NICRAS and PPR Project.

Scotland – Cranhill Development Trust, Maryhill Integration Network, MORE, The Welcoming, Positive Action in Housing and Refugee Survival Trust.

South East – Asylum Welcome, CLEAR, Friends Without Borders, Hastings City of Sanctuary, LOSRAS, Reading Refugee Support Group, Samphire Project, Southampton Action, SWVG and Voices in Exile.

South West – ACH, Aid Box Community, Bridges for Communities, Bristol City of Sanctuary, Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign, Bristol Hospitality Network, Bristol Refugee Rights, Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees, Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support (DCRS), Refugee Support  Devon, and Trauma Foundation South West.

Wales – Displaced People in Action, Ethnic Youth Support Team, Hay Brecon & Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees, Home4U, Made in Roath, Mid Wales Refugee Action, Oasis Cardiff, Swansea Asylum Seekers’ Support, Space4U, Swansea City of Sanctuary, Tai Pawb, TGP Cymru, The GAP Newport, Together Creating Communities, Trinity Centre, Wrexham City of Sanctuary and YMCA Swansea.

West Midlands – Action for Refugees, Baobab, Bearwood Action for Refugees, Birmingham City of Sanctuary, Birmingham Community Law Centre, CARAG, Citizens Advice North Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry Cyrenians, Coventry Independent Advice Service, Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, Entraide, Fatima House, Journey LGBT+ Asylum Group, Mothership, Refugee and Migrant Centre, Restore, Roma Project, St Chad’s Sanctuary and Stories of Hope and Home.

Yorkshire & Humber – Abigail Housing, ASSIST Sheffield, Barnsley Borough of Sanctuary, Beacon Bradford, BIASAN, Bradford City of Sanctuary, BRAVE, City of Sanctuary Sheffield, DASH – Huddersfield, Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support Network, Leeds City of Sanctuary, Leeds Refugee Forum, Meeting Point, Newcomer Aid Network (NAN), PAFRAS, RETAS Leeds, Ripon City of Sanctuary, Sisters United, SYMAAG, St. Augustine’s Centre Halifax, St. Vincent de Paul Society Bradford, Voluntary Action Leeds and WomenCentre.