First migrants set for Rwanda to be given final notice – Home Office
‘The Home Office has begun issuing formal directions to the first group of people being relocated to Rwanda.’
Home Office, 1st June 2022
Source: www.gov.uk
Category: refugees
Externalisation of asylum in Europe: Unpacking the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Agreement – EIN Blog
‘The UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Agreement (APA) is the latest in a line of cooperative asylum arrangements that seek to shift asylum responsibility from destination states in the Global North to countries in the developing world. Such arrangements are generally for the purpose of deterring and deflecting protection seekers and, as such, the APA should be understood as a form of externalisation, an umbrella concept for the efforts of certain states to externalise certain basic functions (in this case asylum processing and protection) in the areas of border control and asylum.’
EIN Blog, 31st May 2022
Source: www.ein.org.uk
Reconsidering Asylum: Is it for those who need protection? – EIN Blog
‘In a recent workshop, funded by the Society of Legal Scholars, several legal practitioners, NGOs, policy experts and legal scholars in the field of asylum and nationality studies came together to analyse the asylum related provisions of the new Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (“the Act”). Whilst in Bill form, the UNHCR found the provisions “would penalise most refugees seeking asylum in the country via damaging and unjustified penalties, creating an asylum model that undermines established international refugee protection rules and practices”.’
EIN Blog, 26th May 2022
Source: www.ein.org.uk
Rwanda plan challenged over alleged failure to identify risks for LGBTQ+ refugees – The Guardian
‘Priti Patel’s plan to send refugees on a one-way ticket to Rwanda is being legally challenged over the government’s alleged failure to identify risks facing vulnerable groups such as LGBTQ+ people.’
The Guardian, 24th May 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
Priti Patel blames lawyers as she admits Rwanda plan will ‘take time’ – The Guardian
‘Priti Patel has admitted that it will take time to establish the government’s high-profile plan to send people who arrive in the UK without authorisation to Rwanda, amid growing suspicion that it will not solve the migration crisis in the Channel.’
The Guardian, 10th May 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
Priti Patel’s Rwanda plan for UK asylum seekers faces its first legal challenge – The Guardian
‘The first legal action has been launched against Priti Patel’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as the UN’s refugee agency raised concerns that the UK is “inviting” other European countries to adopt the same divisive immigration policy.’
The Guardian, 7th May 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
Borders Act to overhaul asylum system becomes law – Home Office
‘The Nationality and Borders Act passed today (Thursday 28 April 2022) will deliver the biggest overhaul of our asylum system in decades.’
Home Office, 28th April 2022
Source: www.gov.uk
UK’s visa schemes ‘creating and heightening’ trafficking and exploitation risks – The Independent
‘The UK’s visa schemes for Ukrainian refugees are “lacking in clarity, resourcing and accountability” and are heightening the risk of trafficking and exploitation, according to a report.’
The Independent, 29th April 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Outsourcing asylum seekers: the case of Rwanda and the UK – EIN Blog
‘UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on April 14 2022 that Britain would relocate some asylum seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda. The plan was condemned by the opposition as well as human rights groups such as Amnesty International. The UK has settled on Rwanda after earlier reports that it had been considering Albania and Ghana. In the light of the latest developments, Cristiano d’Orsi, an expert on the law and asylum seekers, provides insights into why Rwanda.’
EIN Blog, 14th April 2022
Source: www.ein.org.uk
Stop matching lone female Ukraine refugees with single men, UK told – The Guardian
‘UN agency intervenes in wake of claims predatory men using Homes for Ukraine scheme to target vulnerable.’
The Guardian, 13th April 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
Nationality and Borders Bill – Mills & Reeve
‘The Nationality and Borders Bill sets out the Government’s provisions to overhaul the UK’s asylum system. The Bill has been highly controversial from the outset and was quickly labelled by campaigners as the “Anti-Refugee Bill”. The UN Refugee Agency (“UNHCR”) has also highlighted significant concerns regarding many of the Bill’s provisions.’
Mills & Reeve, 30th March 2022
Source: www.mills-reeve.com
UK’s draft refugee and police laws are ‘human rights vandalism’, says Amnesty – The Guardian
‘The government’s attack on fundamental rights and protections enshrined in UK law is an “act of human rights vandalism” that would curtail the ability of people to hold the state to account, Amnesty International has claimed.’
The Guardian, 29th March 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
Transport operators face £2,000 fines for bringing Ukrainians without visas to UK – The Independent
‘Transport operators face fines of up to £2,000 per person if they bring Ukrainian refugees without the right visas to the UK, The Independent can reveal as hundreds reach Calais.’
The Independent, 7th March 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Will The UK Welcome People Fleeing Putin’s War In Ukraine? – Each Other
‘As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, questions rage, alongside the war, about how the UK should protect Ukrainians seeking refuge.’
Each Other, 1st March 2022
Source: eachother.org.uk
Lords reject clause in bill criminalising refugees who arrive by irregular route – The Guardian
‘Boris Johnson’s nationality and borders bill has suffered four defeats in the House of Lords, including the removal of a crucial plank of the government’s immigration strategy that would have criminalised refugees who arrive in the UK through an irregular route.’
The Guardian, 28th February 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
Vicky Kapogianni: Clause 45 of the Nationality and Borders Bill: A Quasi-Open Window of Access to Justice – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘Access to justice is a fundamental right in the common law and an essential part of the rule of law. In R v Lord Chancellor Ex Parte Witham, Laws J stated that the common law affords special weight to the right of access to the courts as a constitutional right. Such a constitutional right derives chiefly from two sources, the common law per se and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). One of the major issues, however, for asylum seekers is the fact that the guarantees afforded under Article 6 ECHR, do not apply to asylum decisions. Its wider protection is constrained to the determination of “civil rights and obligations” and the right to asylum is not considered a “civil right” within the context of Article 6 (1) ECHR. Therefore, asylum seekers whose applications for refugee status or humanitarian protection have been unsuccessful, including refugees whose leave to enter or remain has been revoked, are subject to removal under section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 24th February 2022
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Age assessment and the Kent Intake Unit social worker guidance – Local Government Lawyer
‘The High Court has ruled that the Home Office acted unlawfully in detaining unaccompanied young people for age assessments at a port in Kent. Shu Shin Luh and Antonia Benfield explain why.’
Local Government Lawyer, 28th January 2022
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
New rules could prevent thousands of refugees from joining close family in UK – The Guardian
‘More than 17,000 refugees, mainly women and children, could be prevented from reuniting with close family members in the UK due to new rules the Home Office plans to introduce, according to analysis by the Refugee Council.’
The Guardian, 24th January 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
Migrants win High Court unlawful age assessment challenge – BBC News
‘Two migrants have won a High Court battle after complaining about how their ages were assessed when they arrived in the UK.’
BBC News, 20th January 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Home Office age assessment policy for asylum seekers is unlawful, High Court rules – The Independent
‘The Home Office’s process for age assessing young asylum seekers when they arrive in the UK has been ruled unlawful by the High Court.’
The Independent, 19th January 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
