Kent council threatens Priti Patel with legal action over unaccompanied child migrants – The Independent

Posted June 7th, 2021 in asylum, children, government departments, immigration, local government, news by tracey

‘Kent County Council is threatening the home secretary with legal action as it warns its services for unaccompanied child migrants are at breaking point for the second time in less than a year.’

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The Independent, 6th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Napier Barracks: Housing migrants at barracks unlawful, court rules – BBC News

‘The Home Office’s decision to house cross-channel migrants in a “squalid” barracks in Folkestone was unlawful, the High Court has ruled.’

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BBC News, 3rd June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Baby and mother win right to access Healthy Start food scheme – The Guardian

‘A one-year-old baby and her mother have won a high court challenge granting her the right to access a healthy food and vitamins scheme from which she was previously barred. Thousands of babies and toddlers similarly denied access to the scheme will now be able to benefit from it.’

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The Guardian, 3rd June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Refugee women and children ‘at risk of being abandoned’ in Home Office policy shift – The Guardian

Posted June 1st, 2021 in children, immigration, news, refugees, women by sally

‘Thousands of women and child refugees will be abandoned if the government’s New Plan for Immigration goes ahead, according to research.’

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The Guardian, 1st June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush compensation: £30m offered to victims so far, Home Office says – BBC News

‘Nearly £30m has been offered in compensation to victims of the Windrush scandal, it has been confirmed, amid criticism over slow payments.’

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BBC News, 27th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Girl, 10, refused EU settled status in UK despite all family members being accepted – The Independent

Posted May 28th, 2021 in brexit, children, EC law, families, government departments, immigration, news, visas by tracey

‘A 10-year-old girl has been refused EU settled status despite the fact that all of her immediate family members have been granted it.’

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The Independent, 28th May 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

EU citizens win right to access personal data held by Home Office – The Guardian

Posted May 28th, 2021 in appeals, data protection, EC law, government departments, immigration, news by tracey

‘EU citizens have won the right to get full access to records about them held by the Home Office or any other body after a legal battle by campaigners. Three judges at the court of appeal unanimously overturned an earlier high court decision that their case had no legal merit and ruled the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) unlawfully denied them access to their data through an “immigration exemption” clause.’

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The Guardian, 26th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Plans for New Women’s Detention Centre in Durham are Challenged – EIN Blog

Posted May 25th, 2021 in detention, equality, immigration, news, women by sally

‘It has recently been announced that there are plans for the construction of a brand-new women’s immigration detention centre at Hassockfield in Medomsley, County Durham. It is expected that the centre would detain around 80 women, and is the Home Office’s first new centre since 2014.’

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EIN Blog, 24th May 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Dozens of vulnerable asylum seekers wrongly placed in Napier Barracks despite watchdog warnings – The Independent

‘Dozens of asylum seekers have been wrongly placed in Napier Barracks after the Home Office failed to recognise their vulnerabilities, prompting concerns that ministers have ignored warnings from watchdogs.’

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The Independent, 23rd May 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Patel unveils digital visa to help ‘count people entering and leaving UK’ – The Guardian

Posted May 24th, 2021 in asylum, deportation, government departments, immigration, news, visas by tracey

‘Priti Patel has unveiled a US-style digital visa system that she claimed would help the government to count numbers of people entering and leaving the UK accurately for the first time.’

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The Guardian, 23rd May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Tens of thousands of EU citizens in UK to lose legal status next month due to Brexit ‘cliff edge’ – The Independent

Posted May 21st, 2021 in brexit, citizenship, deportation, government departments, immigration, news by tracey

‘Tens of thousands of EU citizens in the UK could lose their legal status next month because of an “arbitrary” deadline that will leave vulnerable people in an “intolerable situation”, MPs and peers have warned.’

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The Independent, 20th May 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Windrush victims not compensated quickly enough, report finds – The Guardian

‘The Home Office has failed to compensate victims of the Windrush scandal quickly enough, a critical National Audit Office (NAO) investigation into the compensation scheme has found.’

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The Guardian, 21st May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office’s rush to deport asylum seekers before Brexit was ‘inhumane’, watchdog finds – The Independent

‘The Home Office’s rush to deport asylum seekers last year ahead of Brexit amounted to “inhumane treatment,” a watchdog has found. In its annual report for 2020, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for the Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) raised concerns around the impact of the government ramping up efforts to remove people arriving on small boats from the UK in the later months of 2020.’

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The Independent, 20th May 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Anger over proposed ‘good faith’ rule for immigration lawyers – Legal Futures

Posted May 20th, 2021 in asylum, immigration, legal profession, legal representation, news by tracey

‘Government plans to impose a “good faith” requirement on immigration lawyers have been strongly attacked by the Law Society, Bar Council and Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA).’

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Legal Futures, 20th May 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Modern slavery survivors at higher risk of being re-trafficked due to barriers accessing legal advice, finds report – The Independent

‘Modern slavery survivors in England face “significant barriers” to accessing legal advice, leaving them at higher risk of being re-trafficked, according to new research.’

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The Independent, 19th May 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office ordered to move torture victim out of ‘prison-like’ hotel – The Guardian

‘A judge in the high court has ordered the Home Office to move a torture and trafficking victim out of a “prison-like” hotel surrounded by an 8ft wall.’

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The Guardian, 18th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Case Preview: R (Majera) (formerly SM (Rwanda)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – UKSC Blog

‘On 10 May 2021, the Supreme Court heard the appeal in R (Majera) (formerly SM (Rwanda)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (“SSHD”). The question on appeal is whether a defective order granting immigration bail has legal effect.’

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UKSC Blog, 18th May 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Extortionist visa application fees caused “colossal interference” with Windrush victim’s right to family life – EIN Blog

Posted May 18th, 2021 in families, fees, human rights, immigration, news, visas by sally

‘Mrs Lynda Mahabir came to the UK as a baby aged two months in 1969. She lived in the UK until 1977 but was forcibly removed by her father to Trinidad in 1977. The Home Office’s failure to document her lawful immigration status meant that she was unable to return to the UK for 41 years, when she was finally granted leave to remain pursuant to the Windrush scheme in 2018. However, the Home Office demanded £22,909 in application fees from her husband and five children (including two minors) and refused to consider their entry visa applications under the Windrush scheme. But the family did not have the £22,909 to pay the Home Office. Sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge, Mr Tim Smith held that the SSHD committed “a colossal interference” in Mrs Mahabir’s right to family life because she either had to forego the remedies the executive had put in place with the express intention of remedying the injustice suffered by her and others like her, or else she had to break up the family. Notably, she broke up the family, hoping that it was only temporary, but in the process she suffered the “colossal interference” with her right to family life identified by Lord Wilson in R (Quila) v SSHD [2012] 1 AC 621. The court noted that by 2018 heartbreaking accounts of the Windrush scandal were reported in the media. The plight of Windrush victims was well known indeed, and these events marked a racist epoch in British history.’

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EIN Blog, 17th May 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Torture victims kept in solitary by Home Office for up to a year – The Guardian

‘The Home Office has pursued a policy of psychological brutality by locking up scores of torture survivors in solitary confinement for indefinite periods, according to fresh testimony from immigration detainees.’

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The Guardian, 15th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK Immigration Rough Sleeper Rule – Family Law

‘The UK government has recently introduced a controversial new set of rules that aim to make rough sleeping grounds for refusal or cancellation of a migrant’s permission to remain within the UK.’

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Family Law, 11th May 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk