Festive Greetings from all at MRN (and something about our plans for 2012...)

Our team here at MRN would like to say how much we have appreciated working with you all over the course of the last 12 months. As a network our capacity to do this work depends on all the feedback we get from you. The exchanges on our blogs, Facebook postings and tweets, as well as the conversations we have at the numerous workshops and conferences we’ve been involved in during the past 12 months, have all added to the message MRN strives to get out into the wider public discussion – that migration is a positive feature of the life of modern day Britain and support for the rights of migrants needs to be made a central part of the immigration policies which we ought to be pursuing.

We have a very full programme of activity lined up for 2012. We expect to be fully involved in campaigns to:

• Retain the migrant domestic workers visa
• Oppose further restrictions on family reunification rights
• Maintain access to employment opportunities in the UK for migrant workers
• Support integration policies based on the principle of equality for all.

We will be continuing our work with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration and using this to build a stronger dialogue with Parliamentarians on the policies needed to support the rights of migrants.

Some of the initiatives we will be taking forward in 2012 include:

• A discussion forum on austerity, poverty, and the position of migrants
• A series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Commonwealth Immigrants Act (1962)
• Activity to encourage greater stakeholder (employers, trade unions and local government) involvement in the immigration policy conversation
• A stronger focus on women and migration
• Work on the theme of migration in Europe – what role will it play in restoring growth across the region?

MRN’s mission is to draw on the work and experiences of all organisations and individuals supporting migrants in the UK to make the case for a progressive approach to migration policy. We hope that you will see a place for yourself in the themes for 2012 we have sketched out above and will want to contribute to this programme. If we have missed anything out you think is important, we would equally like to hear from you!

So, until the New Year comes round we wish you all a hearty, cheerful time over the festive season, and very best wishes for 2012.