Community Sponsorship in the UK: Refugees to citizens: June 2020 report

The Home Office introduced the UK’s Community Sponsorship Scheme (CSS) in 2016. The Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS) commenced a formative evaluation of the scheme in 2017 and presented interim findings in July 2019. This report builds on the findings of the first phase of the evaluation offering new insight on the aspirations and experiences of refugees supported by the scheme. On the whole, respondents reported positive experiences, but with some differences in evidence between men and women and those living in diverse and less diverse areas. Respondents recognised the amount of work that volunteers put into supporting them and were hugely appreciative of their efforts. These feelings of gratitude could make them reluctant to raise any concerns. This report has highlighted some of the strengths and weaknesses of the scheme from the perspective of refugees. There is much to celebrate but also clear potential for improvement, particularly in terms of clarifying expectations, improving language training, facilitating economic activity, building social connections and ensuring access to family reunion. We offer a series of recommendations about how to improve the scheme in the future.