Our History
The Crossborder Forum began in late 2020 as an initiative to bring together civil society actors from both sides of the UK-France border to discuss potential civil society responses to the expected changes in UK immigration law, namely the further closure of the already minimal safe migration routes, and the harsh crackdown on Channel boat crossings.
From our first meeting in December 2020 about a draft visa proposal to allow people enter the UK safely to seek asylum from northern France, it became clear that there is an urgent need for sustained, cross-border collaboration on migration and border violence.
In Spring 2021, Belgian organisations joined the Forum as part of a proactive effort to expand its membership and ensure the participation of key actors operating in the UK, France, and Belgium.
From December 2020 until September 2021, Refugee Rights Europe led the coordination and fundraising for the Forum. Since October 2022, the Crossborder Forum has had a full-time Coordinator and independent budget.
Our Aims
To provide a space for civil society organisations concerned with the UK-France-Belgium border, for exchanging information and expertise of ongoing cross-border migration and asylum issues.
Photo credit: Maël Galisson
To construct a shared analysis of cross-border policies and their impact, building on work already done by actors in the respective countries.
To facilitate cross-border collaboration on advocacy and policy work relating to bilateral issues between UK-France and UK-Belgium, and reinforce existing projects by combining forces (e.g. juxtaposed border controls, post-Brexit bilateral agreements, funding accords, safer routes for people who wish to seek asylum in the UK, etc).
To meaningfully engage with and enable the participation of people with lived experience of cross-border issues (lived experience of the shared border and immigration systems) in the Forum.