Torture victims face two-year delays in UK asylum claims – The Guardian

Posted February 5th, 2016 in asylum, delay, news, torture by sally

‘Torture victims who claim asylum in Britain are facing delays of more than two years before their cases are resolved, according to a report by the official immigration and borders watchdog.’

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The Guardian, 4th February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bisexual asylum seeker wins Home Office fight to remain in UK – The Guardian

Posted January 25th, 2016 in appeals, asylum, homosexuality, news, sexual orientation discrimination by sally

‘A bisexual asylum seeker who said he feared he would be killed if he was deported to his native Jamaica has been granted the right to remain in the UK after a three-and-a-half-year legal battle with the Home Office.’

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The Guardian, 23rd January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Case against Channel Tunnel walker to go ahead – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2016 in asylum, news, prosecutions, railways by sally

‘Prosecutors are to press ahead with their case against a Sudanese man granted asylum in Britain after walking through the Channel Tunnel from France.’

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BBC News, 21st January 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Refusal and revocation of British citizenship for dishonest conduct – Free Movement

Posted January 20th, 2016 in asylum, citizenship, deceit, fraud, immigration, news, statistics by sally

‘In another reminder that British citizenship can be refused on the basis of past dishonest conduct we have the case of R (on the application of Rushiti & Anor) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWHC 3931 (Admin). This one dates back a few months but I’m afraid I only just found it in my drafts folder. It involves two linked cases, both of which are further examples of Albanians entering the UK and pretending to be Kosovar, eventually obtaining immigration status then applying for British citizenship.’

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Free Movement, 18th January 2016

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Almost half of asylum seekers unhappy with their lawyers, report finds – Legal Futures

Posted January 19th, 2016 in asylum, complaints, immigration, law firms, legal representation, news, reports, solicitors by sally

‘Almost half of asylum seekers are not satisfied with the service provided by their lawyers, a report for the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has found.’

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Legal Futures, 18th January 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court of Appeal: immigration age assessments and Merton – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Two recent Court of Appeal cases, heard together, have considered the legality of the immigration detention of those who are, or possibly are, minors. Such cases involve local authority age assessments, which are to be carried out according to the guidance set out in Merton [2003] EWHC 1689 (Admin).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 6th January 2016

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Home Office loses track of more than 10,000 asylum seekers – The Guardian

Posted December 18th, 2015 in asylum, enforcement, government departments, immigration, news by sally

‘The Home Office has lost touch with more than 10,000 asylum seekers in Britain and efforts to trace them are considered “a drain on resources”, the official immigration watchdog has revealed.’

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The Guardian, 17th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Family of hate preacher linked to ‘Jihadi John’ win right to UK citizenship – Daily Telegraph

‘Hani al-Sibai has been on a terror sanctions list since 2005 and resisted deportation to his native Egypt for almost 20 years – but the High Court has ruled his family should be given UK citizenship.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th December 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

When to call it a day… – Nearly Legal

Posted December 2nd, 2015 in asylum, health, housing, immigration, judicial review, news, pre-action conduct by sally

‘The risks of a client deciding to go it alone at the last stage of judicial review proceedings.’

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Nearly Legal, 30th November 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

New Country Guidance case on Afghan Sikhs – Free Movement

‘At long last the long awaited new Country Guidance case on Sikhs from Afghanistan is out. The case is TG and others (Afghan Sikhs persecuted) (CG) [2015] UKUT 595 (IAC).’

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Free Movement, 9th November 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Home Office accused of breaking rules on cuffing asylum seekers – The Guardian

Posted November 10th, 2015 in asylum, detention, health, news, restraint, women by sally

‘The Home Office has been accused of breaching its guidelines on handcuffing asylum seekers, which were updated after an elderly man with dementia died while shackled in a detention centre near Heathrow.’

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The Guardian, 9th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Activist Abdurraouf Eshati admits £18.6m arms plot role – BBC News

Posted October 27th, 2015 in asylum, documents, firearms, guilty pleas, news, terrorism by sally

‘A Libyan activist has admitted his part in an international network plotting an £18.6m deal to bring arms to the war-torn country.’

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BBC News, 26th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK appeal court backs ‘deport first, appeal later’ policy for foreign prisoners – The Guardian

‘The Home Office won a key legal challenge on Tuesday over the “deport first, appeal later” policy, which removes the right of foreign prisoners to appeal against deportation from within the UK.’

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The Guardian, 13th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Conservatives’ asylum policy on Syria criticised as ‘too low, too slow, too narrow’ – The Guardian

Posted October 12th, 2015 in asylum, human rights, immigration, legal profession, news, political parties, refugees by sally

‘The government’s offer to take in 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years is far “too low, too slow and too narrow”, according to a statement published by 300 senior lawyers, former law lords and retired judges.’

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The Guardian, 12th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Detained asylum seeker entitled to damages, court rules – BBC News

Posted October 9th, 2015 in asylum, damages, detention, news, torture by sally

‘An asylum seeker who says she fled from torture in Sudan is entitled to damages from the government after she was held unlawfully, the High Court has ruled.’

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BBC News, 8th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Home Office to compensate pregnant asylum seeker for unlawful detention – The Guardian

Posted October 6th, 2015 in asylum, compensation, detention, news, pregnancy by sally

‘The Home Office has offered a formal apology and will pay compensation to a pregnant asylum seeker who was unlawfully arrested and detained at Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre.’

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The Guardian, 6th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Woman who fled sexual abuse deported to Jamaica ‘because Home Office fax machine broken’ – The Independent

‘A woman who fled sexual abuse in Jamaica was deported back to the country because the Home Office’s fax machine was broken, lawyers have claimed.’

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The Independent, 4th October 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UN torture investigator says UK plan to scrap Human Rights Act is ‘dangerous’ – The Guardian

‘The UN special rapporteur on torture has accused David Cameron of a “cold-hearted ” approach to the migration crisis, warning that plans to scrap the Human Rights Act risk subverting international obligations designed to protect people fleeing persecution.’

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The Guardian, 3rd October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Deport first, appeal later–the effects explained – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Deport first, appeal later is part of the current strategy to cut net migration. As set out in the Immigration Bill 2015-16, the rule has been extended to all immigration appeals and judicial reviews, including where a so-called family life is involved, apart from asylum claims.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 30th September 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Report: “Serious irreversible harm” test case heard in Court of Appeal

Posted September 28th, 2015 in appeals, asylum, bills, consultations, deportation, human rights, immigration, news, public interest by sally

‘This week, Lord Justices Elias, Richards and McCombe sat in the Court of Appeal and heard the first test cases against Section 94B of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. Section 94B, introduced by the Immigration Act 2014 and which came into force on 28th July 2014, provides the Home Office the power to certify human rights claims made by people liable to deportation, so they are not entitled to an appeal within the UK. Instead they are expected to bring their appeal from the country in which the Home Office propose deportation. This logic has been catchily titled “deport first, appeal later” and the Conservatives pledged in their manifesto to roll it out for all immigration appeals. Indeed, the Immigration Bill 2015, published last week on 17th September, does just that.’

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Free Movement, 25th September 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk