Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 10 May 2024

Immigration News Weekly Roundup – 10 May 2024

The United Kingdom’s contentious plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda has taken a distressing turn this week, as raids on the accommodations of those seeking refuge have begun.

Reports have emerged of an individual disappearing after attending a mandatory reporting session, while others are said to be fleeing Home Office-provided housing out of fear. Refugee charities have expressed grave concerns that the threat of detention may deter asylum seekers from engaging with the system, potentially leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and unable to access essential services such as healthcare or police protection.

In a troubling development, asylum seekers detained under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s deportation policy are being given a brightly coloured promotional leaflet entitled “I’m being relocated to Rwanda. What does it mean to me?” The document’s appropriateness has been called into question, given the gravity of the situation facing those targeted by the policy.

Legal challenges to the Home Office’s Safety of Rwanda policy (Version 1), published on 29 April 2024, are mounting. Asylum Aid has argued that the policy conflicts with section 4 of the Safety of Rwanda Act, as it instructs caseworkers to presume Rwanda is generally safe and disregard compelling evidence related to an individual’s circumstances that may suggest otherwise. The policy also prohibits consideration of claims that Rwanda may send the person to an unsafe state. Asylum Aid has issued a pre-action protocol letter demanding amendments to the policy, threatening judicial review if their concerns are not addressed.

Despite the controversy, the Home Secretary maintains that strong action to tackle both legal and illegal migration is delivering results. New monthly visa statistics reveal a 24% drop in applications across key routes affected by recent reforms in the first three months of 2024, compared to the same period last year. As the first flights to Rwanda draw closer and the initial cohort of migrants to be removed are detained, the debate over the UK’s asylum policies looks set to continue.

Recent changes to the Long Residence rules and the higher income threshold for Partner and Spouse visas have been fully enforced since their implementation in April 2024. The fast-changing immigration landscape presents challenges for both applicants and legal professionals navigating the complex system.

To help practitioners stay informed and equipped to handle these cases effectively, please join our live session Winning Private & Family Life Cases & The Minimum Income Threshold. The course, led by Mark Symes and Adam Pipe, will cover a range of topics, including a recap of Article 8 basics and understanding the legal tests, strategies for representing complex cases involving unmarried partners, non-traditional families, and elderly dependent relatives, overcoming challenges set by higher income thresholds and more! For more information or to register, visit our link here

As immigration rules continue to change at a rapid pace, advisors must not only keep up with the latest developments but also ensure strict adherence to the compliance standards set by their regulators. Failure to do so can result in severe consequences, such as the closure of law firms and disciplinary proceedings against individual advisors.

To help the immigration fraternity navigate these challenges and avoid potential pitfalls, HJT Training has announced a new course titled Compliance for Immigration Law Firms.

The course, led by expert Usman Sheikh, will provide a thorough review of key issues, including quality of service, supervision, and complaints handling. Participants will also receive a checklist designed to help ensure the delivery of high standards of service and serve as a helpful reminder for compulsory compliance requirements. For more information or to register, visit our link here

For more information on our other live sessions, visit here

For enquiries, contact us enquiries@hjt-training.co.uk or call 075441 64692.

For the full list of updates on media news, reports and Home Office Policy and other document updates, click here  

IMMIGRATION NEWS

Hundreds of potentially trafficked children ‘abandoned by Home Office’ – The Guardian

Hundreds of children identified as potential victims of trafficking are being abandoned by the Home Office and left vulnerable to exploitation, new data reveals.

Released following a freedom of information (FoI) request, figures show that in 2022, 1,871 children identified as possible victims of trafficking or modern slavery dropped off the UK government system conceived to support them once they turned 18.

For full report click here

‘Nightmares about Rwanda’: Iranian asylum seeker facing deportation from UK– The Guardian

Roozbeh, 34, is a civil engineer from Iran. He fled his country fearing for his life after the government found out he had converted from Islam to Christianity. He arrived in the UK in December 2022, has received a notice of intent to be sent to Rwanda and fears that he could be arrested and detained at any moment.

“When I crossed the border from Iran into Turkey I stepped into the unknown. I had never left my country before, and I knew the journey was going to be very dangerous. I was put into lorry after and did not know what countries I passed through.

For full report click here

Home Office faces fallout from Rwanda roundup as asylum seekers hide or flee – The Guardian

The Home Office is dealing with growing fallout from the high-profile roundups of asylum seekers it wants to send to Rwanda, as some have gone into hiding while others have fled across the border to Ireland.

Officials began rounding up asylum seekers to detain them for the Rwanda scheme a week ago, with at least one now on hunger strike and another threatening suicide.

For full report click here

Rwanda admits it can’t guarantee how many asylum seekers it will take in from UK – The Guardian

Rwanda has admitted it cannot guarantee how many people it will take from the UK under Rishi Sunak’s deportation scheme.

The east African country did not give assurances that the estimated 52,000 asylum seekers in the UK who are eligible to be sent to Kigali would be accepted, instead saying it would be “thousands”.

For full report click here

‘I will kill myself on arrival’: Syrian asylum seeker fears Rwanda will not be safe – The Guardian

A Syrian asylum seeker who is locked up in a detention centre awaiting deportation to Rwanda says he will kill himself on arrival because he does not believe it will be a safe country for him.

Khaled, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, spoke exclusively to the Guardian from his cell in Colnbrook immigration removal centre. He arrived here in June 2022, and has a history of suffering torture and imprisonment. He said that he and the other asylum seekers “of many nationalities” he is detained with are not coping with being locked up because of the imprisonment and persecution many have previously experienced.

For full report click here

‘They hear a bang at the door and it’s the Home Office’: threat of being ‘disappeared’ haunts asylum seekers amid Rwanda crackdown – The Guardian

At 2.37pm on Thursday, news that a man had “disappeared” rippled through London’s raid-resistance WhatsApp groups. The asylum seeker had walked into the Home Office immigration reporting centre in Hounslow, west London, for a routine appointment, as many people seeking refuge in Britain are required to do. His brother waited outside.

But the man did not come out. Ten minutes passed, then 20, then an hour, then three. The brother waiting outside went in, and came out with bad news: his sibling had been detained and told he faced being deported to Rwanda.

For full report click here

Detained asylum seekers given Home Office booklet saying Rwanda is ‘generally safe – The Guardian

Asylum seekers who have been detained under Rishi Sunak’s deportation policy are being handed a colourful promotional document entitled: “I’m being relocated to Rwanda. What does it mean to me?”

The news came as the government faced a second legal challenge over the prime minister’s £500m policy and it emerged that dozens of asylum seekers were being forcibly taken to detention centres.

For full report click here

Iranian man charged over small boat crossings – The Guardian

An Iranian man living in the UK has been charged for organising small boat crossings across the English Channel.

The 34-year-old was arrested by officers in Preston on Sunday and charged with two counts of facilitating illegal immigration.

For full report click here

Home Secretary delivering on promises to tackle immigration – UKVI News

The Home Secretary’s strong action to tackle both legal and illegal migration is working and delivering progress, as data reveals a dramatic drop in visa numbers, whilst the first flights to Rwanda draw closer as the first cohort of illegal migrants to be removed are detained.

New monthly visa statistics revealed that the Home Secretary’s comprehensive reforms to address unsustainable levels of legal migration are already starting to have a decisive impact. Visa applications across key routes affected by the changes fell by 24% in the first 3 months of 2024, compared with the same period last year.

For full report click here

Immigration sting solicitor’s appeal totally without merit, court rules – The Law Society Gazette

A former solicitor’s appeal against strike-off following his exposure in a journalistic sting was totally without merit, the High Court ruled today. In Sheikh Asif Salam v Solicitors Regulation Authority, Mr. Justice Calver found that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was correct to find that Cheshire sole practitioner Sheikh Asif Salam had been caught ‘red-handed’ offering to assist in falsifying evidence in an immigration case.

In his appeal last month, Salam claimed that he had been ‘play acting’ with the journalist and that the recordings had been tampered with. Strike-off was an unduly harsh punishment, he argued.

The judge concluded: ‘In all the circumstances this appeal, which was bound to fail and which I certify as being totally without merit, is dismissed.’

For full article, click here.  For tribunal decision, click here   

CASE LAW

ASY & Ors v Home Office [2024] EWCA Civ 373 

Four individuals residing in England with limited leave to remain and a no recourse to public funds condition, which excludes them from receiving nearly all public benefits despite being allowed to remain and work in the country, are the appellants and claimants in a legal action where the court has determined that they may be eligible for compensation, subject to their individual circumstances satisfying specified criteria, with the outcome contingent upon whether the Home Office appeals the ruling by the 30 May 2024 deadline, and if pursued, the Supreme Court’s decision to grant permission and the subsequent appeal judgment could take a year or more to be delivered.

To view the full decision, click here

INDEPENDENT REPORTS

World Migration Report 2024 Reveals Latest Global Trends and Challenges in Human Mobility 

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has released the World Migration Report 2024, which highlights significant changes in global migration trends, such as an unprecedented number of displaced individuals and a substantial rise in international remittances, with the latter increasing by over 650% from 2000 to 2022, reaching USD 831 billion from USD 128 billion, despite predictions of a considerable decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasising the continued role of international migration in driving human development and economic growth.

To download the report, click here

Asylum Aid’s Pre Action-Protocol Letter on Safety of Rwanda Policy  

Asylum Aid is challenging the legality of the Home Office’s Safety of Rwanda policy (Version 1), published on 29 April 2024, arguing that it conflicts with section 4 of the Safety of Rwanda Act. The policy instructs caseworkers to assume Rwanda is generally safe and disregard compelling evidence related to an individual’s circumstances that may suggest otherwise, as well as prohibiting consideration of claims that Rwanda may send the person to an unsafe state.

Asylum Aid has sent a pre-action protocol letter to the Home Office demanding amendments to the policy, failing which they will proceed with a judicial review application.

To view the full announcement from Asylum Aid, click  here

HOME OFFICE GUIDANCE AND DOCUMENTS POLICY UPDATES

Guidance: Pakistan Country Policy and Information notes has been updated on 8th May 2024. To view the updated Guidance, click here

Guidance: Apply for a British Overseas Territory or Commonwealth country visa has been updated on 8th May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: workers has been updated on 8th May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Guidance: Register of licensed sponsors: students has been updated on 8th May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Guidance: Calais leave: caseworker guidance has been updated on 8th May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Guidance: Prove your English language abilities with a secure English language test (SELT) has been updated on 7th May 2024. To view updated guidance click here

Caseworker Guidance: Powers and operational procedure has been updated on 7th May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Transparency data: Country returns guide has been updated on 7th May 2024. To view updated Transparency data, click here

Guidance: Azerbaijan tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 3rd May 2024.  To view updated Guidance click here

Caseworker Guidance: Asylum accommodation requests has been updated on 3rd May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Caseworker Guidance: Biometric information has been updated on 3rd May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Guidance: Permitting access to public funds has been updated on 3 May 2024. To view updated Guidance click here

Guidance: Immigration status checks: guidance for banks and building societies has been updated on 3rd May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Guidance: Ghana tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 3rd May 2024. To view updated Guidance, click here

Guidance: Georgia tuberculosis test clinics for a UK visa has been updated on 3rd May 2024. To view updated guidance click here

 

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