Resources

Resources

Helen Bamber Foundation Group’s response to the Immigration White Paper and hostile rhetoric from the UK government 

On 12th May, the government published its Immigration White Paper which contained a range of regressive measures, including those that would make it even harder for people living and working here to secure permanent settlement. In addition to recent changes to eligibility for citizenship, the government’s approach will further harm those trying to build a life in the UK. This includes the survivors we support who have experienced the worst humanity has to offer and now simply want safety and security.
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Asylum Aid’s statement on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill

This new Bill builds on some of the much-needed reforms to the asylum system that the government has made since taking office, including tackling the backlog of asylum cases. It repeals the Safety of Rwanda Act, as the Government committed to do in response to Asylum Aid’s legal challenge.  It also revokes a significant amount of the Illegal Migration Act that aimed to strip those fleeing war, persecution and human rights abuses of their right to seek safety this country. However, Parliament should go further and repeal the whole IMA.

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Press release: Asylum Aid is going to court challenge the Home Office’s Immigration Rule changes which make it significantly harder for stateless people to reunite with their families

Asylum Aid is challenging the Home Office’s changes in Immigration Rules which, with effect from 31 January 2024, make it significantly harder for stateless people to reunite with their families. These changes mean that stateless people’s partners and children now must meet more stringent financial and evidential requirements for leave to enter or remain in the UK than before.
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Statement on the UK’s suspension of asylum decisions for Syrians 

Asylum Aid is extremely concerned that the UK government has decided to suspend decision making in Syrian asylum cases. The government is in no position to assume the safety of individuals in such a volatile and developing situation. Asylum Aid has supported survivors who were tortured by sectarian militias and who would have feared both Bashar al-Assad and sectarian militias, such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

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Press release: Home Office to apologise and compensate Asylum Aid’s client for four years delay

Asylum Aid’s client (referred to as EG), a 52-year-old man from Cote D’Ivoire seeking protection in the UK, will receive an apology and compensation from the Home Office for waiting four years and two months for a decision on his asylum claim. The client’s win comes on the back of Asylum Aid’s fight against one of the biggest problems in the UK asylum system – delays in decision making on asylum claims.
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Asylum Aid’s statement on the increase in legal aid funding

We are delighted that the government has announced an increase in legal aid rates for immigration, which were last revised three decades ago. The UK’s immigration and asylum systems are extremely complex and challenging to go through. Free legal advice is fundamental for people seeking protection to navigate those systems. But since 1996, there’s been no increase in funding. Those supporting people seeking protection have been calling for an increase in legal aid rates for years so that legal aid is sustainable, and providers can afford to continue this vital work. We welcome the government’s decision to act.
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Understanding Criminalisation - Why Some Young People Seeking Asylum Come into Contact with the Criminal Justice System

This research found that young people seeking asylum in the UK are often very particularly vulnerable due to their life experiences before, during, and after migration. Systems of accommodation and support in the UK, provided by local authorities and the Home Office, increase this vulnerability. Behaviours that arise from this increased vulnerability (such as offending behaviours) are surveilled and disciplined through contact with the police.
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Remote immigration and asylum advice: what we know and what we need to know

The current state of immigration and asylum advice is dire – 63% of the population in England and Wales do not have access to an immigration and asylum legal aid provider. Even those that do live near one of the remaining providers face significant barriers in accessing legally aided advice, due to saturated provider capacity precipitated by years of unsustainable legal aid fees, heavy administrative burdens and burnt-out practitioners. The provision of immigration and asylum advice in England and Wales is ‘not even adequate for first-time adult asylum applications, with a deficit of at least 6,000 for asylum applications and appeals’. 
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