Until recently we had a focus on Community Relations strategies that address the divisions between Protestant and Catholic communities. The term Good Relations has been applied to dealing positively with all forms of different identity including nationality or ethnicity. Read more
The Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership (NISMP)
Migration partnerships exist throughout the UK in order to ensure that immigration policy and its implementation meets local needs. The Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership (NISMP) was launched in October 2011. Read more
Immigration Detention in the UK
People who are charged with immigration offences may be remanded in custody within the prison system but the majority of immigration detainees are housed in Immigration Removal Centres (IRC) on the assumption that they will be removed from the country within a short time.
In the years from 2009 to 2016, between 2,500 and 3,500 people have been detained in the UK at any given time. During 2016 28,900 people entered detention.
See http://www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/immigration-detention-in-the-uk/
In 2015, 40,896 people were removed from the UK or left voluntarily after the Home Office initiated their removal. Of these, 5,238 were asylum applicants, or their dependents. See http://www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/deportations-removals-and-voluntary-departures-from-the-uk/
How Immigration Policies are Enforced Today
Officials have the right to detain anyone suspected of committing an immigration offence, as well as people in the asylum system. Locally, this may include people who have strayed across the border without the correct visa, or asylum applicants who live in the community. Others are detained if it is felt that their asylum application has little hope of success, or if the person has exhausted all appeal remedies.
Read more
Larne House Short-term Holding Centre
People picked up in N Ireland used to be detained within the prison system locally but are now sent to Larne House Short-term Residential Holding Unit, Larne, Co. Antrim. These immigration detainees can be held at Larne for a maximum of seven days prior to the majority being removed directly from the UK. A few are moved to Immigration Removal Centres in GB, or released – in some cases to apply for asylum.
Read more
Immigration Detention in the Past in NI
Unlike the rest of the UK, immigration detainees used to be detained within the Northern Ireland prison system and this gave cause for concern. Read more
