We asked our researchers to pick one of their publications from 2025 and share why it stands out for them. Here's what they replied!1) Let's start with the introduction to a Special Issue on "#RefugeeSponsorship & Complementary Pathways" edited by our refugee sponsorship research team (Jenny Phillimore, Marisol Reyes, Gabriella D'Avino, Natasha Nicholls). It's the... Continue Reading →
A new report has revealed major gaps in UK public understanding of irregular migration, which is shaped by political media narratives rather than facts. A new report published today (11 December), by researchers at the University of Birmingham, reveals widespread misconceptions among the UK public about irregular migration, which includes all unauthorised methods of entering... Continue Reading →
Guest blog by Isaac Brewer, postgraduate student at LSE studying International Migration and Public Policy, exploring the shifting role of migrant social networks in addressing labour shortages in post-Brexit Britain Immigrant social networks (particularly of EU-origin) have long helped employers in low-paying labour markets to fill vacancies. Since the post-Brexit immigration system was introduced in... Continue Reading →
Written by Nando Sigona (University of Birmingham) and Ilse van Liempt (Utrecht University), The irregularisation of migration and migrants’ irregular condition: an assemblage perspective draws on research across six European countries — Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom — carried out as part of the I-CLAIM project, to propose a new way of thinking... Continue Reading →
After fourteen years of Conservative governments defined by the infamous hostile environment launched by Home Secretary Theresa May, a new Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, seems eager to build her political profile by weaponising the migration issue once again. The search for a new catchphrase may still be on, but the underlying message feels all too... Continue Reading →
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 →
Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham In her address to the Labour party conference, the new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, confirmed plans to overhaul the rules for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). These include increasing the time someone must live in the UK to be eligible for ILR from five years to ten. ILR is the... Continue Reading →
July 2025 marked a significant month for the Institute for Research into International Migration & Superdiversity (IRiS) in Brazil, as Dr Angelo Martins Junior represented the University of Birmingham in a series of academic, diplomatic, and community-focused activities across the country. His engagements spanned the Amazon, São Paulo, Campinas, and Brasília, deepening IRIS’ international collaborations... Continue Reading →
In a new analysis piece for OpenDemocracy, Nando Sigona and Stefano Piemontese draws on the I-CLAIM research in the UK with food delivery riders to examine how the cosying up of Home Office and platform employers is impacting on food delivery workers. https://nandosigona.info/2025/08/08/the-home-office-is-everyone-delivery-riders-caught-between-algorithms-and-immigration-raids/?page_id=5535
Reports document the lived experiences of migrant workers experiencing legal vulnerability in the UK’s food delivery and domestic work sectors A team of researchers at the University of Birmingham, led by Professor Nando Sigona, has released two new reports exposing how migrant workers experience exploitation and legal vulnerability in the UK’s food delivery and domestic... Continue Reading →
Conversations with Iris: Podcast on migration, diversity and displacement
The Age of Superdiversity 