Home Office policy on age assessment ‘unlawful’

The Home Office’s policy of judging the age of unaccompanied  children seeking asylum based on their appearance has been ruled unlawful by the High Court.

The judgment comes following a case involving a 16 year old unaccompanied Sudanese boy who immigration officials had wrongly judged to be an adult when he arrived in the UK and claimed asylum in 2014.

At the moment, the Home Office allows officials to treat someone claiming to be a child as an adult if they believe they appear to be ‘significantly over the age of 18’.

The Refugee Council has long called for this policy to be changed as it puts children’s safety at risk when immigration officials get it wrong as children are left without the specialist support and protection they need. Continue reading “Home Office policy on age assessment ‘unlawful’”

Unlocking Immigration Detention: Swansea

People are being taken from our communities.  It’s time to stand up and say no.

Detention is one of the most harmful aspects of the UK’s asylum and immigration system.   Over 30,000 people are detained without time-limit every year, in conditions tantamount to high-security prison settings.  Tens of thousands more people live with the threat of detention constantly hanging over them.  The harm of detention doesn’t end with release – the people we work with describe the long-term physical, mental, and social damage done by this inhumane and unjust policy. Continue reading “Unlocking Immigration Detention: Swansea”

MPs raise concerns on treatment of refugees and asylum seekers

Write to your MP about this …

A group of MPs has made a series of recommendations calling on the Government to improve the support and protection it gives to asylum seekers and refugees.

In its latest commentary on the quarterly immigration statistics, the Home Affairs Select Committee make a number of criticisms of the way the Government is currently treating asylum seekers and refugees. Among these criticisms is a call for the Home Office to rethink the way they treat unaccompanied asylum seeking children when they reach 18, with the Committee saying children should not be sent back to dangerous countries. Continue reading “MPs raise concerns on treatment of refugees and asylum seekers”

How to improve support and services for destitute migrants

Many migrants find themselves destitute in the UK with no means of supporting themselves, nowhere to sleep and no means to return home. Many have a case for staying in the UK but may struggle to prove it.

This report looks at:

  • who destitute migrants are and why they are destitute;
  • the services and support that is available;
  • how that support could be improved;
  • how best to provide accommodation and other forms of support; and
  • areas where there may be legal question marks, providing reassurance through legal opinion.

This Solutions summary offers practical steps to address the issues facing destitute migrants and overcome obstacles to providing accommodation, services and support. It includes learning from existing projects, and legal advice.

Heather Petch, John Perry and Sue Lukes

Posted on 20th Jul 2015