Fiona Costello
LightNews LightNews
banner
fionacostello.bsky.social
Fiona Costello
@fionacostello.bsky.social
3.9K followers 1.4K following 40 posts
☘️ Migration/ EU / Brexit researcher @ University Cambridge. Visiting Lecturer ARU, EU law and Eng Legal Systems. Fellow @ St Edmund's College, Cambridge
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
fionacostello.bsky.social
Fiona Costello @fionacostello.bsky.social · Nov 13
Sharing our book (with @cbarnard.bsky.social & Sarah Fraser Butlin) 👇 published in April this year. Discusses the experiences of low paid EU workers in the UK, pre & post Brexit and legal problems they face. Set in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. 50% discount code in post below too! (2)
Reposted by Fiona Costello
ukandeu.bsky.social
"Home Office data suggests that recent immigrants are more likely to be working than British nationals and make higher wages than them."

✍️ Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out,

ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...
Lower migration is bad news for the UK economy - UK in a changing Europe
Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out, and that the recent collapse in immigration will harm the UK's economic p...
ukandeu.ac.uk
November 6, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
anandmenon.bsky.social
Jesus Christ. We go mad about one bloke we wrongly released, yet hear next to nothing about this horror? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
More than 50 child asylum seekers still missing after disappearing from Kent care
Council data obtained by the Guardian shows 345 children have gone missing in recent years, many probably taken by traffickers
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
eulegalstudies.bsky.social
There is still time to join us next week - please register on our website - open to all. @cambridgelaw.bsky.social www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk/press/events...
October 29, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
ukandeu.bsky.social
📉 "Any political benefit the government may gain from this fall in immigration could be jeopardised by the economic damage that it causes."

🖊️ @jamesbowes01.bsky.social analyses the fall in net migration to the UK and the potential political and economic consequences

ukandeu.ac.uk/the-coming-c...
The coming collapse in immigration to the United Kingdom - UK in a changing Europe
James Bowes analyses the fall in net migration to the UK as a result of government policies and explores some of the political and economic consequences.
ukandeu.ac.uk
October 29, 2025 at 1:23 PM
fionacostello.bsky.social
New blog 👇👇
October 23, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
eulegalstudies.bsky.social
A new @ukandeu.bsky.social blog on asylum by our Director Prof @cbarnard.bsky.social, Dres @fionacostello.bsky.social and @aliahmadi.bsky.social @cambridgelaw.bsky.social

ukandeu.ac.uk/can-refugees...
Homeward bound: Can refugees visit their home country? - UK in a changing Europe
Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello and Ali Ahmadi explain whether individuals granted refugee status in the UK can travel back to their home country
ukandeu.ac.uk
October 21, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
ukandeu.bsky.social
"UK rules discourage or prohibit refugees from travelling back to the country they have fled, with specifics varying by status and scheme."

✍️ @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social & Ali Ahmadi explain whether refugees can visit their home countries

ukandeu.ac.uk/can-refugees...
Homeward bound: Can refugees visit their home country? - UK in a changing Europe
Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello and Ali Ahmadi explain whether individuals granted refugee status in the UK can travel back to their home country
ukandeu.ac.uk
October 20, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
cep-uaces.bsky.social
Hi Bluesky. We’re Contemporary European Politics (CEP) a journal by Wiley & UACES, publishing cutting-edge research on the politics, governance & societies of Europe.

Follow us for new articles, special issues, & insights shaping Europe’s future.

#EuropeanPolitics #AcademicResearch #UACES #Wiley
October 15, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
uaces.bsky.social
UACES Virtual Conference Day is TOMORROW.
After an amazing week in Liverpool, we're continuing the research conversations online. Join us for flexible sessions across 14 panels covering everything from EU security to digital policy.
Liverpool attendees: check ConfTool for access links.
#UACES2025
September 11, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
cambridgelaw.bsky.social
🥳 Many congratulations to @cbarnard.bsky.social, @fionacostello.bsky.social and @sarahfraserbutlin.bsky.social - their book 'Low-Paid EU Migrant Workers: The House, The Street, The Town' won the @uaces.bsky.social Best Book Prize at the annual conference last week.

More: bit.ly/4nrPb8e
'Low-Paid EU Migrant Workers: The House, The Street, The Town' Wins UACES Best Book Prize
September 9, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
ox.ac.uk
NEW: An Oxford report warns that misleading media coverage is shaping public debate on immigration and human rights.

The study finds the ECHR is frequently misreported in deportation cases, fueling misconceptions that erode trust in the legal system.

🧵 [1/8]
Silhouettes of three people in front of a weathered British flag, with the headline: Misrepresentations around human rights and immigration fuelling calls to quit ECHR, Oxford report finds
September 4, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
uaces.bsky.social
The winners of this year’s UACES Best Book Award goes to @fionacostello.bsky.social, @cbarnard.bsky.social and @sarahfraserbutlin.bsky.social for: Low Paid EU Migrant Workers: the House, the Street, the Town.

We congratulate all three authors on this significant achievement.
September 2, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
migobs.bsky.social
Asylum applications in the UK hit a record high in 2024. Our updated briefing explores application numbers, grant rates, system costs, employment outcomes for people who came to the UK to seek asylum and much more. Check it out 👉 migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...
Asylum and refugee resettlement in the UK - Migration Observatory
This briefing sets out key facts and figures, as well as information gaps, relating to migration to the UK, specifically refugees and asylum seekers. It looks at overall numbers, characteristics of as...
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk
August 1, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
migobs.bsky.social
After 1 year in government, has Labour made progress towards its goals on migration? We look at 5 pledges:

- Net migration↘️
- Work visas↘️
- Small boat arrivals ↗️
- Asylum backlog ↘️ but appeals backlog ↗️
- Returns↗️

migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...
Labour’s pledges on migration, one year in: the data - Migration Observatory
This commentary examines the Labour government’s progress towards its goals on migration after a year in government.
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk
July 1, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
colinyeo.bsky.social
Our #refugeeweek content so far.... First up, a long read by me about the rights of refugees under the Refugee Convention. These are both weaker in many ways yet stronger in others than many realise. They represent a compromise between individual and state rights. freemovement.org.uk/what-rights-...
Briefing: What rights do refugees have under the Refugee Convention? - Free Movement
Asylum lawyers like me tend to focus on just one clause of the Refugee Convention: the definition of a refugee. This is the gateway to formal recognition as a
freemovement.org.uk
June 18, 2025 at 8:42 AM
fionacostello.bsky.social
On the train to London, giving me 1 hour and 20 minutes to start
@nicolakellywrites.bsky.social 's new book "Anywhere but here. How Britain's broken asylum system fails us all" 👇
June 5, 2025 at 7:23 AM
fionacostello.bsky.social
"Trying to fire a legal weapon devised to combat organised crime at the desperate mother and aunt of two young girls offers us a moment of rare moral clarity" 👇 Excellent analysis by @stevepeers.bsky.social on CJEU Kinsa judgement as well as its broader implications. 👇
stevepeers.bsky.social Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · Jun 4
The CJEU has ruled that Member States cannot prosecute asylum-seeking mothers who travelled on false documents with their children as people smugglers - in a judgment with broader implications for the criminalisation of immigration.

My analysis: eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/06/a-ca...
A candle in the dark: the CJEU rules against criminalising parents for smuggling their children
Professor Steve Peers , Royal Holloway University of London Photo credit : Bologna, taken by  Ввласенко , via Wikimedia Commons Introd...
eulawanalysis.blogspot.com
June 4, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
ukandeu.bsky.social
💥 ONE WEEK TO GO 💥

💻 Join our experts online at 1pm BST to unpack the implications, trade offs & public opinion around the UK government's migration policy

With @jdportes.bsky.social, Madeleine Sumption, @robfordmancs.bsky.social & @anandmenon.bsky.social

ukandeu.ac.uk/events/ukice...
ukandeu.ac.uk
June 3, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
migobs.bsky.social
In last month's white paper, the government said the standard route to settlement will change from five years to ten.

Our new commentary looks at how many people could be covered by the changes and their potential impact on migrants.

migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...
Changes to settlement: what do they mean? - Migration Observatory
This commentary examines the potential impacts of the recent Immigration White Paper.
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk
June 3, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
mellino.bsky.social
Our latest on the seasonal worker visa.

What jumped out at me when reading this government-commissioned report is that farm-owners will quite openly say that they prefer migrant workers to accrue huge levels of debt, because this pushes them to work harder so that they can pay it off.
June 3, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
colinyeo.bsky.social
Finally managed to write something new for my Substack. It’s on the government’s immigration white paper and its likely unintended consequences. open.substack.com/pub/wewanted...
Settlement and citizenship in Labour's white paper
The proposals will make it harder, not easier, for migrants to integrate, with negative consequences for productivity, growth and the public purse
open.substack.com
June 2, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
centralaspace.bsky.social
Under the Same Sky | Refugee Week 2025

The exhibition launches on 18 June, 7 - 9PM. For more information, take a look at the link below!

Funded by @bhamcitycouncil.bsky.social as part of the Community Rescue Fund

centrala-space.org.uk/exhibitions/...
May 29, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
stevepeers.bsky.social
UK government scraps plans for checks on EU fruit and veg
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Fruit and veg import checks scrapped ahead of UK-EU deal
In advance of a new SPS agreement with EU, fruit and veg imports will require no fees or border checks - saving businesses time and money
www.gov.uk
June 2, 2025 at 12:36 PM
fionacostello.bsky.social
New blog with @cbarnard.bsky.social on the ongoing issues with the EUSS, including how the paucity of (free) accredited help/advice is pushing many into the arms of advice sharks 👇 @ukandeu.bsky.social
ukandeu.ac.uk/brexit-eu-ci...
Brexit and EU citizens in the UK - UK in a changing Europe
Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello examine the issues that EU nationals navigating the EU Settlement Scheme face.
ukandeu.ac.uk
May 29, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Reposted by Fiona Costello
ukandeu.bsky.social
"The success in terms of numbers of applications to EUSS masks the reality that for more vulnerable EU citizens, there are still long-term risks in obtaining and maintaining EUSS status"

@cbarnard.bsky.social & @fionacostello.bsky.social on the EU Settlement Scheme

ukandeu.ac.uk/brexit-eu-ci...
Brexit and EU citizens in the UK - UK in a changing Europe
Catherine Barnard and Fiona Costello examine the issues that EU nationals navigating the EU Settlement Scheme face.
ukandeu.ac.uk
May 28, 2025 at 10:38 AM