The King's Migration Research Group invites you to join their 1st Annual Conference on migration policy entitled "The Future of Migration in the Era of Brexit", a day-long event hosted at Strand Campus, King's College London.

Join us on the 2nd of March to listen and engage in thrilling discussions on the potential of migration policy in the current political climate in the U.K., with a series of experienced panelists from a diverse range of personal and professional backgrounds.

The first Migration Research Conference will discuss how the United Kingdom’s existing immigration policy affects non-EU migrants, examining accessibility to political asylum, conditions with UK detention centers, and the efficacy of deporting migrants to deter further attempts to enter the UK "illegally", with the goal of contributing to a more informed public debate on refugee policy and immigration reform.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

9:30 - 10:00 Welcome/Reception

10:00 - 11.45 Session 1: Asylum Process
Questions: "What does the United Kingdom’s current asylum policy look like in terms of accessibility for non-EU migrants? Should economic migrants receive the same legal recognition as non-EU political refugees or those fleeing conflict-affected areas?
Moderated discussion between panelists to be followed by Q+A with the audience.
Speakers for Session 1:
- Carol Bohmer - Teaching Fellow, Department of War Studies, King’s College London
- More speakers to be announced soon.

11:45 - 13:00 Lunch Break

13:00 - 14.45 Session 2: Humanitarian Practices
Questions: What does a compassionate UK migration policy look like? How would you assess its capacity to deter further attempts to enter the United Kingdom through non-legal routes?
Moderated discussion between panelists to be followed by Q+A with the audience.
Speakers for Session 2:
- Matilde Rosina - PhD Student, Department of European and International Studies, King’s College London
- Saskia Papadakis - Lesbians & Gays Support the Migrants

14:45 - 15:00 Break

15:00 - 16.25 Session 3: Mental Health & Integration
Questions: What resources are available to migrants seeking mental health services? What barriers, if any, do they face in accessing mental health services? Are there any mental health challenges affecting migrants that are currently overlooked?
Moderated discussion between panelists to be followed by Q+A with the audience.
Speakers for Session 3:
- Salma Zulfiqar - Artist and Activist
- Thomas Martin - Assistant Lecturer, King’s College London


16:25 - 16:30 Concluding Remarks

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The King's MRG Conference will also feature a fundraiser coordinated with KCL's Student Action for Refugees (STAR).

Tickets are currently being sold at £3 per ticket - proceeds will go towards selected charitable organisations working with refugees in the U.K. and Northern France.

This conference is open to researchers, students, academics, organisations and anyone who is interested in migration policy and the future developments of migration after Brexit. People from any academic background are welcome to attend.

Speakers including:

- Dr. Carol Bohmer. Dr Bohmer is a Teaching Fellow in the Department of War Studies at kcl, where she teaches a module on Migration, Conflict and Policy. She has worked extensively in the area of law and society, examining the wat legal and social institutions interact. Her research focuses on migration, political asylum, gender discrimination, law and public policy. Her books include "Rejecting Refugees: Asylum in the US and the UK in the 21st Century" (2007, with Amy Shuman) and "The Wages of Seeking Help: Sexual Exploitation by Professionals" (2000). Dr. Bohmer has taught in the US and Europe, and for the last decade was Visiting Associate Professor at Darthmouth College, USA, where she is now Visiting Scholar in the Department of Government.

- Saskia Papadakis and Sebastian Aguirre, two representatives from the group Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants (LGSM). LGSM is a queer activist group standing in solidarity with all migrants and refugees. The group challenges prevailing narratives around migration, using the strength of the queer community in London and elsewhere in the UK.

- Salma Zulfiqar. Salma Zulfiqar is an International Artist and Activist working on migration. Her current creative projects, such as ARTconnects & The Migration Blanket, focus on empowering refugee and migrant women by promoting integration, working towards preventing hate crimes and extremism. Her artwork has been exhibited in London, Birmingham, Paris, Greece & Dubai and she has been celebrated as one of Birmingham's most inspirational women in the book One Upon A Time in Birmingham - Women Who Dared to Dream.
Salma has also worked all over the world with the United Nations raising awareness of humanitarian issues in conflict and developing countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Somalia, Chad and Kenya.

- Matilde Rosina. Dr. Rosina is a PhD candidate in the Department of European and International Studies at King’s College London. Her research focuses on the concept of deterrence in the context of international migration, and in particular on the criminalisation of irregular migration. She has been awarded the Roberto Einaudi Scholarship by the Luigi Einaudi Foundation, and the Henri Rieben Scholarship by the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe. Matilde is also an adjunct faculty member at Fordham University, where she teaches international political economy. Previously, she worked at the European Commission and in the business intelligence sector, focusing, respectively, on trafficking in human beings and the defence industry.

- More speakers to be announced soon.