Resource

2024 was a year of exciting change and consolidation for Asylum Aid. As the final year of working towards the 2022-2024 strategic objectives, we successfully delivered on our commitment to increase our own capacity to provide our much-needed expert legal representation to survivors, taking on 93 new clients across the year. We worked in partnership to increase capacity across legal deserts, partnering with legal advice providers from Devon to Manchester through our innovative model of training and remote supervision. We grew our statelessness project and our casework, enabling us to reach many more survivors.

The first half of the year was dominated by the continuing fight against the previous government’s plans to send people seeking protection thousands of miles away to Rwanda. Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling at the end of 2023 that Rwanda would not be safe, the government persisted with its plan. It pushed through draconian legislation in the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024, which undermined the Rule of Law and tried to insulate the government from the scrutiny of the courts. Asylum Aid worked hard, together with our partners and clients, to challenge this horrendous policy through Parliament and in the courts. We were delighted when the new government scrapped the plan within days of being elected and finally, in response to our litigation, committed to repealing the legislation. However, serious harm had already been done to our clients, who experienced high levels of distress and anxiety when faced with the threat of removal to Rwanda. Many had spent months or years in limbo. The impact of years of hostile rhetoric towards our clients was seen in the horrific racist violence across multiple UK cities during the summer.

All of this made the work we do at Asylum Aid even more significant and urgent. We were delighted to grow our services in October thanks to our wonderful new office in central London. We moved into the new Trauma Centre together with our sister charity, the Helen Bamber Foundation. The building’s trauma-informed design, equipped with calming consultation rooms, areas for clients to decompress after difficult meetings, and plenty of space for our team to work and meet, has been welcomed by staff, volunteers, clients and partners. We are excited to use this space to increase our collaborations and partnerships with colleagues across the sector.

None of this would be possible without our fantastic and talented team – whose expertise was recognised at the end of 2024 with a rare Peer Review rating of 1 (excellent) from the Legal Aid Agency – our volunteers, funders, partners and supporters. We are excited to be starting work under a new strategic framework, which is an evolution of the objectives we set for the past three years. We remain committed to work hard to achieve our vision and will continue to work collaboratively, to be courageous and act with integrity, to share our expertise and learn from others, and to promote equity.

Click on the arrow below to read our Annual Report for 2024.