CRISIS PAYMENTS, FOOD, WINTER NIGHT SHELTER, SURVIVAL PACKS AND WARM CHILDRENS CLOTHING FOR DESTITUTE (OR POTENTIALLY DESTITUTE) ASYLUM SEEKERS & THEIR DEPENDENTS IN GLASGOW OVER CHRISTMAS PERIOD
QARN members are all Quakers, some are members and others are attenders.
We have wide experience that we bring to the Network, and have identified the following as examples of what we as individuals and with our Meetings have been involved in:
Executive Summary
1.The UK Border Agency is responsible for deciding, in accordance with the law, whether foreign national prisoners should be deported from the UK. Where deportation is being considered, it also decides whether a person should be detained at the end of their prison sentence or released into the community with a requirement to report to the Agency if deportation has not occurred prior to the end of the prison sentence. This inspection assessed the effectiveness and efficiency of the Agency in managing foreign national prisoners. Continue reading “A thematic inspection of how the UK Border Agency manages foreign national prisoners”
Dear MP,
Transparency of UK BA decision-making regarding detention
I am writing, as your constituent, to deplore UK BA’s use of detention in the immigration system of this country. It is, in my view an infringement of the individual’s rights as a human, and ultimately a threat to all our liberties. It is wrong to lock people up with neither a suspicion nor a conviction of a crime, without time limit. Continue reading “Sample letter: Transparency of UK BA decision-making regarding detention”
Executive Summary
1. The UK Border Agency is responsible for considering asylum applications. In order to do so effectively the Case Owner must fully take into account relevant information from the applicant’s substantive interview and any evidence submitted on their behalf. This is then reviewed in conjunction with available country of origin information, relevant case law and the credibility of the applicant’s statements before a decision can be made on whether the applicant qualifies for protection. Continue reading “The use of country of origin information in deciding asylum applications: A thematic inspection”
The Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency is inviting stakeholders’ views on development of his inspection plan for 2012-13.
Views should be sent to: chiefinspectorUKBA@icinspector.gsi.gov.uk or to the postal address: Attn: Inspection Plan Consultation, Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency, 5th Floor, Globe House, 89 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1PN by30 November 2011.
Still Human Members are encouraged to propose the asylum support system for review, including: Continue reading “Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency is inviting stakeholders’ views”
The purpose of this letter is to inform you about the Government’s intention to introduce appeal fee charges for some asylum and immigration appeals on 19 December 2011. The Fees Order which prescribes the fee to be paid has now been approved in both Houses of Parliament.
Fees will be payable by the majority of individuals who wish to bring an appeal against a Home Office decision in the Immigration and Asylum Chambers in the First-tier Tribunal to refuse them either: Continue reading “Introducing fee charges for appeals in the Immigration and Asylum Chambers of the First-tier Tribunal”
Xenophobia in UK Politics
The debates about lost cases, strong borders and foreign criminals seem to overlook that immigrants are human. We had considered writing more about xenophobia in current mainstream immigration politics. Someone else has done it for us, though.
Writing for the Institute for Race Relations yesterday, John Grayson maps the shift to the right taken by our political parties. He argues that ideas that once belonged to the BNP have been used by the Conservatives and the Labour party in an attempt to win votes. Continue reading “NCADC information”
Quakers are involved in many ways to address concerns relating to the asylum process, and in a variety of different ways to welcome and bring some relief to those people who are subjected to these processes.
Extract from our Survey of Friends’ asylum and refugee work in Britain Yearly Meeting in 2007
In June 2007, the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network decided to conduct a survey of Quaker Meetings to try to build a picture of the work done by Friends in support of asylum-seekers and refugees. All PMs were sent a copy of a questionnaire and, as well as this, many meetings were sent e-mails. The letter pages of The Friend were also used to encourage responses.
The members of the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network are aware that the activities listed below are likely to be an under-estimate of the level of Quaker activity in this area.
The main type of activities are listed below along with the number of times they were mentioned in the reports:
Befriending 20
Conversation and social activities (including holidays) 13
Asylum seekers supported by meeting 7
Provision of mid-, long-term or emergency accommodation 7
Fundraising and financial support 24
Collecting items 9
Meeting House used 8
Teaching English 6
Visiting detention centres (including airports) 10
Accompanying asylum seekers to court 2
Political activity 13
Awareness-raising amongst Friends 2
Regular public witness 1
Ecumenical & interfaith activities 13
Trustee / board member in asylum-related charity 5
Action in other pressure groups and charities 27
Employment (including legal) 9
Work related to asylum-seekers’/refugees’ health (physical and mental) 8
Publicity (photography project) 1
Local campaigning 1
Some examples of Quaker activity:
Some meetings in rural areas provide short breaks and holidays for asylum-seekers. One meeting hosts an annual summer party on the beach.
Meetings which are based near detention centres (including airports) make regular visits to support the detainees.
Several Friends have a great deal of individual professional expertise. One Friend has written 35 expert opinions on asylum cases, and others have been active in setting up and running advice centres.
One meeting has maintained a fortnightly vigil in support of asylum-seekers outside the local cathedral since November 2006, with some support from other churches.
Several meetings have befriended individual asylum-seekers, used the meeting house for accommodation, and accompanied them when they need to sign on or attend court.
Several Friends are committee members or trustees of organisations which support asylum-seekers and refugees.
Several Friends offer short-term or long-term accommodation to asylum-seekers in their homes.
One meeting has supported a Friend who has invested in two houses in their city to be used for accommodation for asylum-seekers. Meeting has helped by providing furniture and equipment and paying utilities bills.
Two meetings are involved in “City of Sanctuary” projects.
One meeting provides a library for the local Refugee Centre and Peace House.
We received supportive comments from some Meetings which do not have asylum-seekers in their geographical area. We would like to suggest to those Meetings that they can perform a valuable service by keeping themselves informed of developments and writing to their MPs and other decision-makers.
It is the intention of the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network to produce a directory of the main Quaker activities throughout our Yearly Meeting. This is an ongoing project and will be undertaken in consultation with Local Meetings. Those meetings or individuals who are willing to have their details included in such a directory should reply to our e-mail address info@qarn.org.uk.
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