Background to the Collection
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants was formed on 23 Sep 1967 in Southall by a group of 240 people representing a variety of immigrant groups in the UK. It was established against the backdrop of the 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act.
Activities involved case work at entry points into Britain, evidence gathering missions and petitioning government. Headquarters were moved to London following the passing of the 1968 Commonwealth Immigration Act which led to a significant increase in case work for the council. From the 1970s the council’s advisory role increased re political asylum seekers, overseas students, black communities in the UK and refugees. Other work has included supplying reports and briefing papers for government consultations, lobbying, demonstrations and producing publications.
What is in the collection?
Material in this collection (ref U DJC) covers the period 1938-1993. Records include case files, minutes, annual reports, conference papers, a constitution, correspondence, press cuttings, subject files and publications.
What areas of research would the collection support?
This collection would support research into various issues affecting immigrants to the UK in the second half of the 20th century. Specific subjects covered include the impact of immigration legislation, Cypriot students, political asylum, women and children, East African Asians, Migrants Action Group, No Pass Laws Here Group and prison cases.
The collection could also be used to study the operation of aid associations in the 20th century, immigration and the legal system, and as a case study of a lobbying group.
Are there any access issues?
Please note that some files may be closed under data protection legislation (see the page on accessing sensitive information). Where this is the case, indication is given in individual item descriptions on the online catalogue.
Is there any related material?
Related material can be found in the following collections:
- Liberty (ref U DCL) formerly the National Council of Civil Liberties
- Association of Chief Police Officers (ref U DPO)
- Papers of Patrick Wall MP (ref U DPW)
- Papers of Anne Kerr MP (ref U DPK)
- Papers of Eric Lubbock MP (ref U DML)
Please see our politics and campaigning page for further guidance on our political collections.
See the online catalogue description
U DJC