Given the Labour government’s tough stance on migration, the commitment is a welcome intent. However, a Cardiff-based charity questions whether it is backed by actual delivery.
Oasis is at its liveliest during the lunch hour. The halls ring with the clanging of pots and pans, along with the laughter of volunteers scurrying in and out of the kitchen with trays of food. In the main hall where everyone gathers to eat, all kinds of chatter fill the air. Somewhere, a mother calls after her son to come back to the table. Someone else recounts last night’s football match.
Oasis is an independent charity helping refugees and asylum seekers in Cardiff since 2008. Norman Gettings, who’s been with the organisation for more than 5 years, is often at his busiest during lunch hour, helping volunteers serve food to people. On any given day, Oasis welcomes around 150 people into the building.
It has been a few weeks since the UK government publicised its move to deny citizenship to refugees arriving in the UK after making a dangerous journey. “We were quite encouraged when Labour came into power and immediately cancelled the Rwanda scheme,” Norman says. “We had a good feeling about that for a little while. That encouragement has been overshadowed a little bit in the last couple of weeks.”
In February, the Home Office issued new guidance stating that individuals who unlawfully enter the UK—by boat, concealed in a vehicle, or through other irregular means—may not receive citizenship, regardless of how much time has passed.
This is despite the UK being a signatory to international treaties that state asylum seekers and refugees should not be penalised for illegal entry.
Here in Wales, the government has promised “unwavering ambition” to making Wales the first ‘Nation of Sanctuary’, a project meant to help refugees and asylum seekers get guidance, services, and knowledge about their rights and obligations, along with the resources needed to integrate into Welsh life.
“We’re committed to harnessing the opportunities migration brings to help our economy and communities thrive,” Jane Hutt, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, told the Senedd in February.
Many have welcomed the promise, particularly in a political climate that’s become increasingly hostile to migrants. Still, the project has not provided much support to organisations helping refugees and asylum seekers, especially in Cardiff, which is home to the largest population of asylum seekers in Wales.
“Wales is the only ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ in the world,” says Norman. “We see the intent as being useful and welcome, and it sends a certain signal to people in the asylum process that they are welcome in Wales. Beyond that, we could question what the actual delivery is within that.”
Charities are often the last resort for asylum seekers and refugees seeking shelter, food, or casework support.
“Let’s talk about adult asylum seekers because that’s by and large the largest group that comes to Cardiff,” says Norman. “In terms of what they need, it could be anything from hygiene products or English lessons or just integration services.”
The services that Oasis and organisations like them provide are mainly reliant on their own resources. “We don’t get any direct support from either the UK Government or the Welsh Government. We raise all our own funds…We provide services that maybe should come out of the ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ project but don’t.”
The ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ project has the potential to uplift asylum seekers and refugees in many ways. “We’ve seen various pilot schemes about free transport, which would help fantastically with people’s situation,” says Norman.
“Without free transport, there is a group of people in the asylum process who find themselves isolated, and that hinders integration, and integration is what we like to aim for. We have people living in areas that don’t have a halal butcher or a mosque. If they need to travel to Cardiff to meet those needs, that can be quite expensive for them on a very limited income.”
When Oasis’s concern about the ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ project was shared with the Welsh Government, they indicated a commitment to making things easier for charity organisations through projects and funding.
“Our progress to becoming a ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ will continue through funding allocated in our 2025-26 budget,” the government says. “We are expanding the work of the refugee move-on project and the Wales sanctuary service, led by third sector organisations on our behalf.
“We were also able to donate £1m to ensure the establishment of the ongoing Community Foundation Wales Nation of Sanctuary Croeso Fund, an endowment fund which supports organisations supporting sanctuary seekers in Wales.”
Government support for refugees and asylum seekers has become more important than ever, especially when it comes to their safety. After the anti-migrant riots that spread across much of the UK in 2024, charity organisations were suddenly at the frontline of receiving threats against the people they help.
“We felt very wary of the number of threats that we received, the signals that were being sent by various groups about immigrants, about Muslims, about asylum seekers, about refugees, and it did limit our activities for a little while,” says Norman.
“The threats we received were mainly on social media, but given what was happening elsewhere in the country, we couldn’t afford to take them lightly. Since then, we’ve instituted a few practices around security and around lockdown procedures in the event of an attack or a threat of an attack that we didn’t have before.
“We find ourselves in a very different situation than before the riots.”
The Welsh Government acknowledged the issues organisations like Oasis have been facing when it comes to internet hate crime, saying “clear online misinformation” is a big reason for it.
“Abuse has intensified, and some community members are fearful. We continue to work with the Police, Victim Support and other relevant stakeholders, including Ofcom, the regulator of social media platforms to help ensure safe and welcoming communities for everyone.”
“We encourage sanctuary seekers to report incidents of hate crime, either to the police or via our Wales Hate Support Centre. The Wales Hate Support Centre provides a free and independent support and advocacy service for victims of hate crime in Wales. Victims should call 0300 30 31 982.”