Introduction

Birmingham is proud to be a City of Sanctuary.

Since 1999, Birmingham has been involved in:

• national dispersal, accommodation and support of asylum seekers
• resettling refugees and migrants, who have gone on to make Birmingham their long-term home

In 2015, we became recognised as a City of Sanctuary and made new commitments to national refugee resettlement schemes.

Today, our work as a City of Sanctuary happens by:

• commissioning services and projects to support people whose arrival and settlement we are responsible for, for example, people arriving through Homes for Ukraine, refugee resettlement schemes, and asylum dispersal
• investing in partnerships and resources whose reach extends beyond the main beneficiaries we are responsible for to improve outcomes for a much wider group of sanctuary seekers making Birmingham their home, for example, the Migrant Advice Portal, the Birmingham ESOL Hub, and the Birmingham Migration Forum
• working to improve our understanding of sanctuary seekers' needs, migration issues and making sure our corporate missions apply equally to all citizens, which we achieve through our City of Sanctuary strategy and action plan from 2026 to 2031

In February 2026, a new City of Sanctuary strategy and action plan for Birmingham was approved, taking us through to 2031.

Page last updated: 4 March 2026