Afghan refugees made to move school take UK to court – BBC News

‘A group of Afghan families brought to London after the Taliban took power are taking the government to court because a subsequent move north meant their children had to leave a local school during their GCSE studies.’

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BBC News, 22nd January 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.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

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

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

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

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

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

Is Rishi Sunak Prepared to Break International Refugee Law? – Each Other

Posted November 1st, 2022 in asylum, human rights, news, refugees, Rwanda, treaties by sally

‘During his summer leadership bid against Liz Truss, prime minister Rishi Sunak said he wanted to give Parliament powers to cap the number of refugees Britain accepts each year. His proposal was part of a ten-point plan on immigration, which also included tightening the definition of who can qualify for asylum and doing “whatever it takes” to pursue the government’s plan to offshore asylum seekers to Rwanda.’

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Each Other, 31st October 2022

Source: eachother.org.uk

Rwanda deportation: Asylum seeker ‘treated like animal’ in UK launches legal challenge against electronic tag – The Independent

‘An asylum seeker electronically tagged by the government after being selected for removal to Rwanda is launching a legal challenge.’

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The Independent, 13th October 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Watchdog disputes Braverman’s claim modern slavery laws being ‘gamed’ – The Guardian

‘The head of Britain’s labour abuse watchdog says her organisation has not seen anyone “gaming” the modern slavery system for immigration purposes. The comments directly contradict the home secretary, Suella Braverman, who said last week that trafficking claims from “people gaming the system” were “derailing the UK’s policy on illegal migration”.’

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The Guardian, 9th October 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Needs, not wishes – Housing Needs Assessments and Personal Housing Plans – Nearly Legal

Posted September 5th, 2022 in asylum, homelessness, housing, immigration, judicial review, local government, news, refugees by tracey

‘ZK, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Havering (2022) EWHC 1854 (Admin). This was a judicial review of what was claimed to be Havering’s failure to provide a lawful housing needs assessment and personal housing plan for Mr ZK, under section 189A Housing Act 1996.’

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Nearly Legal, 4th September 2022

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

UK’s ‘quick-fix’ asylum policies criticised in damning MPs’ report – The Guardian

‘Headline grabbing policies such as sending asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their claims processed are failing to halt Channel crossings, which could double by the end of this year, according to a parliamentary report. The home affairs select committee has published a damning and wide ranging report into the failures of Home Office asylum policies, including stopping refugees from crossing the Channel in small boats.’

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The Guardian, 18th July 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Row over UK child visas as Ukrainian violinist’s three-month wait continues – The Guardian

Posted July 11th, 2022 in asylum, children, government departments, immigration, news, refugees, Russia, Ukraine, visas, war by tracey

‘A talented 17-year-old violinist living on the frontline in south-east Ukraine has been left waiting three months for a British visa, revealing serious flaws in government promises to help unaccompanied children.’

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The Guardian, 10th July 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office ‘undermining immigration watchdog’s legitimacy’ by failing to implement recommendations – The Independent

Posted July 1st, 2022 in asylum, government departments, immigration, news, ombudsmen, refugees by tracey

‘The Home Office risks undermining the immigration watchdog’s legitimacy by failing to implement its recommendations, an official has said.’

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The Independent, 30th June 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

GPS tagging of migrants appears to contradict Home Office guidance – The Guardian

‘The Home Office appears to have contradicted its own guidance on GPS tagging, which prioritised “very high harm offenders”, after it announced the devices would be used on asylum seekers arriving in the UK.’

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The Guardian, 19th June 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prime Minister must stop attacks on legal professionals, say Bar Council and Law Society – The Bar Council

‘Following the Prime Minister’s comments suggesting lawyers representing migrants were “abetting the work of criminal gangs”, the Bar Council and Law Society of England and Wales have issued [a] joint statement.’

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The Bar Council, 14th June 2022

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk