(NCVO) Keep Volunteering Voluntary: Get Involved

Volunteering is a fantastic way to be part of, and give back to, your community. It builds connection and belonging because people give their time freely. The government’s new asylum proposals would change this by using volunteering as a way to measure the “contribution” of those seeking settlement, offering earlier status to people who volunteer extensively.

At NCVO, we are clear: volunteering should always be a free, positive choice – not a condition for immigration status. Linking settlement to volunteering is coercive, risks harming social cohesion, and would bring significant administrative burdens to organisations already under pressure.

What we'll be doing

We are coordinating and convening the sector’s response to ensure this proposal is withdrawn. We will:

• Listen – creating opportunities for the sector’s views to be heard and reflected in our consultation response.
• Advocate – engaging openly and transparently with government officials and decision makers.
• Support – enabling organisations to contribute with minimal resource impact at a time when charities are already stretched.

• MP and peer engagement to secure parliamentary questions and explore debate options
• Preparing a public letter from the sector to the Home Secretary

Here's some ways you can get involved:

Share your views on the Government's consultation

We want to hear from you if your organisation has volunteers or voluntary workers and/or works with asylum seekers, refugees or migrants.

We are gathering insight from across the sector to shape our consultation response and our engagement with officials.

Complete this short form to tell us what you think of the proposals and how they could impact your organisation.

Fill in this form by 9am on Thursday 22nd January 2026. We’ll use this evidence to inform a strong, representative sector response to the consultation, to be submitted by 12 February.

Join our 'Special volunteering network meeting: Keep volunteering voluntary'

• Tuesday 13th January 2pm - 3.30 pm

Have your say on the government's consultation on making volunteering a tool in its immigration proposals.

This special event is exclusively for members to share and learn, and feed directly into NCVO’s response.

Watch this space - the campaign starts here, but there's more to come after the Christmas period.