Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain (DVILR) of the Immigration Rules breaches Article 14 of the ECHR – EIN Blog

Posted January 4th, 2023 in domestic violence, families, human rights, immigration, judicial review, news by sally

‘In these judicial review proceedings, Lieven J held that Appendix FM, specifically the Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain (DVILR) of the Immigration Rules, and the differential treatment between victims of spousal abandonment inside and outside the UK is not justified and therefore breaches of Article 14 of the ECHR and the Human Rights Act 1998. The fact that the rules protected victims of spousal abandonment if they were present in the UK when they were abandoned, but not if they were outside the UK having been tricked or coerced by their abusive spouse, severely impacted the article 8 rights of the latter victims and could not be justified by the SSHD. AM, the claimant was a national of Pakistan born in 1991. In 2017 she married IM, a British citizen, and she arrived in the UK in December 2017 on a spouse visa valid until August 2020. In December 2018 she gave birth to a daughter. She was subjected to very severe financial, physical, emotional and sexual domestic abuse and, sitting in the Family Division of the High Court, Theis J made findings of very serious domestic abuse against the father. The violence inflicted by IM on AM had resulted in severe and long-lasting physical harm including the removal of one of her ovaries and also a diagnosis of achalasia type 2, which resulted in a weight loss of over 30 kilos.’

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EIN Blog, 3rd January 2023

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Divisional Court upholds Government’s Rwanda policy – an extended look – UK Human Rights Blog

‘On 14th April of this year, the then-Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a new ‘Migration and Economic Development Partnership’ between the UK Government and the Government of Rwanda to enable the removal of certain persons to who enter the UK to claim asylum (particularly those who arrive in small boats crossing the English Channel) to Rwanda, where – if their claims succeeded – they would be resettled.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 20th December 2022

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Rwanda Policy Ruled Lawful But ‘Awful’ – Each Other

‘The High Court has ruled that the government’s ‘awful‘ Rwanda policy is lawful. This follows an intervention from the European Court of Human Rights, which in a last-minute ruling stopped any flights under the scheme until the UK’s domestic courts could determine if it was legal. While the policy was ruled legal, eight individual cases will be determined separately and another hearing could be launched in 2023 if an appeal is made.’

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Each Other, 20th December 2022

Source: eachother.org.uk

High court rules Rwanda plan is lawful – Free Movement

Posted December 20th, 2022 in asylum, deportation, government departments, immigration, judicial review, news, Rwanda by sally

‘The High Court has concluded in the case of AAA and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 3230 (Admin) that the UK government’s Rwanda plan is lawful. The individual decisions in the case were inadequate and will need to be re-made, but that is no obstacle to the plan proceeding.’

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Free Movement, 19th December 2022

Source: freemovement.org.uk

Accommodating asylum seekers: legal issues arising from the use of hotel accommodation – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Home Office’s policy of placing asylum seekers in hotels and hostels has given rise to a number of legal issues for local authorities. Dean Underwood and Jack Barber detail the areas of concern.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 16th December 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Braverman acting unlawfully over asylum seeker support, high court finds – The Guardian

Posted December 19th, 2022 in asylum, benefits, government departments, immigration, news, refugees by tracey

‘The home secretary is acting unlawfully in failing to ensure the rate of support for more than 50,000 asylum seekers is adequate by not implementing an increase of almost £5 a week recommended by officials, the high court has found.’

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The Guardian, 17th December 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Naturalisation applications by EU citizens and their family – EIN Blog

Posted December 16th, 2022 in brexit, citizenship, EC law, families, immigration, news by tracey

‘For those who have obtained settlement (indefinite leave to remain) in the UK, the next stage is often to naturalise as a British citizen. Many of those who seek to naturalise are nationals of EU countries, or their family members, who began their residence in the UK prior to Brexit and obtained residence rights on that basis. Issues and uncertainties can arise during a naturalisation application which are specific to EU and EEA citizens, and below we take a look at the most common of these.’

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EIN Blog, 13th December 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Current ‘unreasonable delays’ in the Home Office decision making process – EIN Blog

Posted December 1st, 2022 in delay, government departments, immigration, news, visas by sally

‘Immigration practitioners today will be worryingly frustrated, alongside their clients, with the ever-increasing delays for average visa processing times made in-country or out-country by the Home Office.’

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EIN Blog, 30th November 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Child asylum seekers detained as adults after UK Home Office ‘alters birth dates’ – The Guardian

‘The Home Office is routinely changing the dates of birth of unaccompanied child asylum seekers to classify them as adults, according to experts who say the practice is now happening on a “horrifying scale”.’

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The Guardian, 27th November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Painful lessons about the duty of candour (more on the unlawful seizure of migrants’ mobiles) – UK Human Rights Blog

‘In this first Judgment, the Court analysed powers granted by the Immigration Acts 1971 and 2016 and rejected the Defendant’s erroneous interpretation of the relevant statutory provisions. It then made consequential orders (also reported) including steps to publicise its ruling, given that over 400 phones, still held, could not be linked to any individual migrant.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 21st November 2022

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

The UK asylum backlog and increased use of immigration detention are negatively impacting children’s welfare – EIN Blog

‘Children and their parents make up a significant part of the population seeking asylum in the UK, but this receives limited attention in public discourse. Ilona Pinter draws on the UK government’s data, alongside additional research, to explore how children and families are being affected by the growing asylum backlog and the increasing use of immigration detention.’

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EIN Blog, 22nd November 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Council threatens Home Office with judicial review after third hotel used to house asylum seekers – Local Government Lawyer

‘Torbay Council has issued a second pre-proceedings letter for a judicial review of the Home Office’s plan to block-book a third hotel in the area in order to accommodate asylum seekers.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th November 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

UK citizenship appeal by Shamima Begum to begin – The Independent

‘Shamima Begum is set to begin her appeal over the removal of her UK citizenship.’

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The Independent, 21st November 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Refusals on ‘Not Conducive to the Public Good’ Grounds – EIN Blog

Posted November 18th, 2022 in burden of proof, government departments, immigration, news, public interest by tracey

‘Where an individual’s presence in the UK is non-conducive to the public good, Part 9 of the Immigration Rules sets out that this is a mandatory ground for refusal or cancellation under the suitability requirements. This applies to applications for entry clearance, permission to enter and permission to stay.
Presence in the UK being non-conducive to the public good can also constitute a reason to deprive an individual of their British citizenship. This is set out in further detail in our earlier post here. However, the deprivation of citizenship is provided for separately under section 40(4) of the British Nationality Act 1981.’

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EIN Blog, 14th November 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Frederick Cowell: The Three Eras of Opposition to the Human Rights Act – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Before it entered the statute books, before it even had been brought to Parliament, the Human Rights Act (HRA) was subject to opposition which was to only strengthen over time. The nature of that opposition has varied since the publication of White Paper Rights Brought Home in October 1997, but it has served as a vehicle, and site of contestation, for many constitutional debates and disagreements over the past quarter century. Opposition to the HRA is also a reflection of broader social change in British society in the twenty-first century and this understanding is key to any analysis of contemporary proposals for reform.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th November 2022

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Thousands of asylum seekers ‘in limbo’ waiting years for Home Office decision – The Independent

Posted November 14th, 2022 in asylum, delay, government departments, housing, immigration, news, refugees, statistics by tracey

‘Tens of thousands of migrants are waiting more than a year for a decision on their asylum claim, with hundreds waiting over five years, figures show.’

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The Independent, 14th November 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK’s treatment of asylum seekers must comply with international law, UN says – The Independent

‘The UK should make sure its “treatment of asylum seekers complies with international laws”, members of the United Nations Human Rights Council said.’

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The Independent, 10th November 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK rolling back efforts to tackle modern slavery, charity says – The Guardian

‘The UK has been accused of “rolling back” moves to tackle modern slavery before a UN review of its human rights record on Thursday.’

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The Guardian, 8th November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

The small boats storm and the unlawful seizure of mobile phones – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The storm raging around small boats arriving on the south coast has been brewing for some time. In early summer the focus was a policy to send arrivals to Rwanda. Intervention by the European Court of Human Rights effectively suspended flights while a domestic ruling on the policy’s legality is awaited. Meanwhile, in Dover a migrant processing centre has been firebombed, another is dangerously overcrowded, and the new Home Secretary raises tensions by speaking of an “invasion”.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 4th November 2022

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

How Immigration Detention Violates People’s Human Rights – Each Other

‘People held in immigration detention have human rights – just like the rest of us. Under international law and the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), people have a right to liberty, a family life, an adequate standard of living and other aspects.’

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Each Other, 4th November 2022

Source: eachother.org.uk