We are delighted to announce our seminar series for this academic term. All seminars are free and open to the public. They will be held in Room 1150, Muirhead Tower, University of Birmingham. In the first seminar on 20 October, Nando Sigona examines the migration agenda of the Labour government in its first year in... Continue Reading →
Further and faster in the wrong direction: Response to Labour’s Immigration White Paper
David Stark and Lisa Goodson, IRIS, University of Birmingham A policy turning inwards At the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity (IRIS), we examine migration and superdiversity through empirical research grounded in lived experience. We do this from Birmingham, one of the UK’s most ethnically diverse cities and a place where migration is... Continue Reading →
One week to IRIS conference
Check out the latest version of the Conference programme, which includes 33 panels, 5 workshops, 4 semi-plenaries and two keynote talks by Nandita Sharma and Nasar Meer. The code of conduct for delegates is also online on our conference page. The book of abstracts is now online!
UKICE report on migration to the UK after Brexit
Immigration, while far less salient than it was in 2016, is becoming a key political and policy issue again, partly due to Farage's effort to shift the debate on a terrain more congenial to him. This report not only analyses what has changed in terms of both outcomes and public opinion but considers how a... Continue Reading →
Publication alert: The UK’s ‘Safe and Legal’ Humanitarian Routes: from Colonial Ties to Privatising Protection in The Political Quarterly
In this new article published in The Political Quarterly, the MIGZEN team examines the UK's ‘safe and legal (humanitarian) routes’ and their position in the post-Brexit migration regime. It considers also how these domestic provisions compare to those underwritten by international protections. The Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas)—HK BN(O)s—and Ukraine visa schemes are an area... Continue Reading →
New report reveals real life experiences of Hong Kongers and Ukrainians in the UK under government’s ‘safe and legal humanitarian routes’
New report titled "Humanitarian Visas in a Hostile Environment" offers first-hand insights into the experiences of individuals arriving in the UK through the Hong Kong BN(O) and Ukraine visa schemes and shows that ‘significant concerns persist’ around the restrictions faced by visa beneficiaries. Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Lancaster University, draw on qualitative... Continue Reading →
Encountering Migration: Worlds Within and Worlds Without. In conversation with Michael Jackson
In this conversation, Birmingham Fellow Dr Jennifer Allsopp and Professor Michael Jackson from the Harvard Divinity School discuss the inter-relational aspects of migration research and how literature has informed their fieldwork both in terms of method and interpretation, from Sebold to Dante. In a wide-ranging and deeply personal discussion, they cover topics including the nexus... Continue Reading →
Launch on NODE UK|Japan special issue
On 13 December at 10 am (GMT) we are launching the special issue of Comparative Migration Studies edited and authored by members of the NODE UK|Japan academic network. We will hear from editors and authors and celebrate the network with the launch of the new NODE portal. All articles are available open access on Comparative... Continue Reading →
The many voices of Iris: now a polyphonic podcast
After a year and almost thirty episodes of Conversations with Iris as zoomcast, Stefano Piemontese and Nando Sigona explain why it was time to launch also a podcast version. The podcast is available on Google, Apple Podcast, and Spotify. Before the pandemic, IRiS hosted monthly seminars on campus, inviting scholars, writers, and activists to present their work and discuss it with... Continue Reading →
Migration governance beyond the state: In conversation with Andrew Geddes
In the new episode (#26) of Conversations with Iris, Nando Sigona talks with professor Andrew Geddes, director of the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute, about his recent book 'Governing migration beyond the state' (Oxford University Press). The conversation explores the role of regional actors in migration governance and how responses to mobility... Continue Reading →

