By Colin Yeo  Asylum lawyers like me tend to focus on just one clause of the Refugee Convention: the definition of a refugee. This is the gateway to formal recognition as a refugee and is therefore of vital importance to any person seeking asylum. From this definition, set out at Article 1A(2) of the convention, all the other rights of a refugee flow. But what are those other rights? This briefing focuses on the rights which are explicitly conferred on refugees by the Refugee Convention itself, at Articles 2 to 34. It is important to make clear that refugees are humans and they also therefore benefit from human rights protections in other international… Ministry of Justice launches consultation on legal aid in asylum appeals By Jo Wilding  Many in the immigration and legal aid sectors are heartily sick of “engaging” with government departments and responding to various consultations, but I want to encourage everyone to respond to this one. The Ministry of Justice is consulting on future legal aid fees for the next contract tender, in light of new tribunal procedures and the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. There is a lot missing that should be in there, so responders might want to suggest some additional changes as well as giving feedback. The deadline is 11:59 pm on 8 August 2022. What are the proposals? New appeals fixed fee In part, this consultation follows on from the… Briefing: the real state of the UK asylum system By Colin Yeo  The United Kingdom’s asylum system has been described by the current Home Secretary as “broken”. There is some truth in that statement. In many ways, the asylum system is now in a parlous state. What the Home Secretary does not say is that it was she who broke it. In this briefing we will take a look at the whole of the process, from the numbers claiming asylum to the decision-making process, the cost of the system, the volume and quality of decisions, the outcomes of appeals, the use of detention and the number of removals. The information is drawn mainly from the quarterly immigration statistics and transparency data for… What we’re reading this week By Phoebe Warren  A compilation of top content on UK immigration law and policy, updated weekly. Passport Office told to ask people for £100 to fast-track applications, leaked memo reveals – iNews (£), 19 JuneMigrant care workers came to help the UK. Now they’re trapped in debt bondage – Observer, 18 June Migrants: Some due for removal from the UK could be electronically tagged – BBC News, 18 June Updated heat maps and graphs showing the number of applications, visa grants and arrivals under the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme now available at andyhewett.com/ukraine – @AndyHewettNGO on Twitter, 18 June All migrant victims of domestic abuse and violence must be protected, says Lords committee… Revealed: dozens of vulnerable asylum seekers have died in Home Office housing since 2020 Nine in 10 people refused asylum in 2020 free to remain in UK Windrush Day 2022: More legal support available for 93% of Windrush victims not yet compensated Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unite Home Office head Matthew Rycroft tells select committee he’s unsure of whether people being deported to Rwanda had access to interpreters – @mrcolinparker on Twitter, 22 June Rwanda policy could create ‘more dangerous’ routes to UK, Home Office admits – Independent, 60% of students secured a job through work visa schemes – PIE News, New adviser toolkit on worker/self-employed status for EEA nationals – EU Rights and Brexit Hub, |
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