Our Impact - Refugee Council

Our Impact

Every year, we publish an impact report highlighting key areas of our work and how we improve the lives of refugees and people seeking asylum.

It has been a time of great challenge in the refugee and asylum sector, but also one of hope, achievement and commitment, made possible with our supporters.

After I heard about Refugee Council they helped me very much” —Ayse, Turkey

We continued to make great progress in delivering our strategy, which is our plan for how we will ensure our work helps improve the lives of refugees in the UK. We’re delighted to share highlights from the Impact Report 2022-23 with you now. You can download the full report here [PDF].  

15,851

people in need were reached by our services

28%

more people in need were helped by the Refugee Council this year, compared to 2021/22

6,260

refugees started to rebuild their lives in the UK

Progress towards our ambitions to 2025

Our progress towards this can be demonstrated through our work to call out the inhumane, costly and unworkable measures laid out in the Rwanda Plan. In the summer of 2023, the Rwanda Plan was found to be unlawful in the Court of Appeal, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in November 2023. In same month we launched a report called The Human Impact of the Illegal Migration Act and the Rwanda Plan highlighting that the plan will not act as deterrent to taking dangerous journeys and is already leading to refugees disappearing from contact with support organisation.

All refugees deserve to be treated with compassion and dignity. We will continue to advocate for the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK. Read Mariam’s story in the Impact Report, who was supported by our Integration Services in Hull to learn English and train as a beauty therapist.  

We issued a six-point action plan for the UK Government—offering immediate, practical solutions to ensure a fair and humane asylum system, and promising compassionate treatment for those seeking asylum in the UK—in response to the Illegal Migration Act, the government’s most hostile asylum legislation to date. Join our campaign to fight for refugees today.

There are now so many more people urgently in need of our help, so I’m doing what little I can. —Ms Syvia Schwarz, pledged a gift in her Will to the Refugee Council.

You too can make a difference when you’re gone by leaving a gift to us in your Will. The Impact Report [PDF] takes us up to th end of March 2023, but the support for refugees and people seeking safety didn’t stop there. We publish updates on breaking stories about people seeking asylum, the UK Government’s evolving response to immigration, and more in our blog. With you beside us, we continue to stand up for the rights of men, women and children impacted by an unfair and inhumane asylum system. Even in these challenging times, there are reasons to feel hopeful. Thank you for your support.  

£4.9 million

in donations was received

3,938

people donated to the Refugee Council for the first time

15,392

people joined our campaign for a fair and humane asylum system

Previous impact reports