Providing over 25 years of service in Sutton
Message to all our students, clients, volunteers and friends from Europe and around the world.   

We affirm that all our members will always stand for inclusiveness, equality, diversity and respect.
We are proud to work and live alongside you and you will always be welcome here.
RMNS is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults who may be at risk.
We seek to establish a safe, caring environment where there is informed vigilance as to the dangers of abuse.
Click here to see our safeguarding policies.

What we offer

RMNS offers friendship, advice, counselling and English language classes to refugees, asylum seekers and newly settled migrants.  In normal times RMNS operates a Drop-In Centre every Wednesday from 10.00to 12.00 at Trinity Church Hall, Hill Road, Sutton.

News

​Unfortunately, we are not able to re-open the Drop-in on 12th January as planned. With coronavirus at its current level we have concluded that English teaching for the first half of this term should be on-line using Zoom. Teachers will try to contact students before 12th January.  We hope to return to face to face teaching at Trinity Hall on Wednesday 23rd February subject to conditions at that time.
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Refugees from Afghanistan
​The Trustees of Refugee and Migrant Network Sutton has asked Sutton Council whether it has committed, or intends to commit, to accepting refugees currently fleeing Afghanistan.
 
​Cllr Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council, has confirmed with the Home Office that Sutton will be happy to welcome Afghan refugee families to our borough. The Council is in contact with all the housing associations and private sector landlords. They are asking for longer term security of funding than the government is offering and many councils across the country and across London are lobbying the Home Office to offer more than the 12 months guaranteed housing support at present being offered. 
 
If any RMNS members or contacts have suitable accommodation (minimum three-bedroom properties but ideally four or five bedroom), please ask them to contact Ruth Dombey who will put them in touch with the relevant housing officers. It is important to understand that this is a long term commitment so these families who have suffered so much can settle in our borough and receive the support they need to overcome the trauma they have gone through and start their new lives.
 

EU Settlement Scheme

​The deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme has now passed and European citizens living in the UK will need to start using your new digital status to prove your right to work, rent and access services in London and the UK.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has updated the European Londoners Hub with the latest information about your rights and entitlements—available in the top 6 European languages.
 
Click here to FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS

RMNS is here to help. If you have missed the deadline and you need help with your late application, you can contact us on 07725 549411. Please leave a message with your name and telephone number and we will get back to you. You can also email us on office@rmns.org.uk.

Annual General Meeting

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Our Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday 20th October 2021 and our invited speaker for the meeting was former immigration judge Pat Munro.  Pat has been a friend of RMNS for many years and regularly reviews our immigration files.  Click below to hear her address.
​Click here to see our Annual Report for 2021.  Our Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31st March 2021 can be accessed by clicking here.

Nationality and Borders Bill

​​On 6th July, the government published its Nationality and Borders Bill. We, and other organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers, are concerned that the measures it contains would not only fail to protect those in need of safety but also treat them as criminals.

As RMNS our main concern is that the Bill, if agreed as currently drafted, puts into law the concept that an asylum seeker’s route of arrival into the UK will determine how they will be treated. The Bill introduces a two-tier system for assessing asylum applications. If anyone fleeing persecution reaches the UK in any way other than a government-sponsored scheme or by some irregular route, they will be treated very differently compared to those who come through official routes. 
Even if an individual’s asylum case is accepted as valid, their means of arrival into the UK will still determine their treatment – if they arrived by an irregular route they will be granted only temporary rights (temporary protection status) and these will be limited.

We need you to write to your MP and ask them to speak out against this anti-refugee Bill. If you'd like more detail on the Bill you can read the Refugee Council blog.

Full details about the Bill can be found at The Nationality and Borders Bill: factsheet - GOV.UK