Welcome to the weekly Free Motion publication!
There was huge information on Friday as we heard that the Lord Chancellor has conceded the judicial review difficult inaction on authorized help charges for immigration and asylum work. Usefully, we’ve got a reasonably clear timetable for when motion wants to be taken. The federal government has been supplied with ample proof as to the necessity for a considerable improve, so now we wait to see what the preliminary supply will probably be in November.
In different information, it was additionally Labour convention final week. Each the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary talked about immigration and asylum of their speeches, however there was nothing actually new or thrilling mentioned.
I went to a report launch final week for Micro Rainbow’s new report “Held Back: Poverty of LGBTQI Refugees in the UK“. One of the recommendations in the report is for the “move on” interval (the period of time a newly recognised refugee has earlier than their asylum help is stopped) to be prolonged from 28 days to 56 days. I’ve written about this a good quantity beforehand, notably throughout final 12 months’s chaos when the interval was reduced, inflicting widespread homelessness. The Native Authorities Affiliation has additionally recently called for the period to be extended to 56 days. This can be a advice that has had an enormous quantity of help for a protracted time period, and it could be good to lastly see some motion.
On Free Motion final week, we lined the publication of the Dwelling Workplace commissioned report “The Historical Roots of the Windrush Scandal” in addition to the First-tier Tribunal (GRC) decision that ordered it to be disclosed after the Dwelling Workplace refused a freedom of knowledge request.
We printed this extraordinarily helpful guide on travelling to the UK with standing beneath the EU Settlement Scheme which additionally explains the scenario for these with pending purposes in addition to those that haven’t but made a late utility. We additionally flagged up a without notice change to the flexibility to have a misplaced or stolen biometric residence allow changed.
There have been additionally a few case write ups, together with this one the place an individual who was unlawfully detained at Brook House was awarded over £200,000 in damages. In one other resolution, the Higher Tribunal has given steerage on deportation of EU nationals for post-Brexit conduct.
For every little thing else on the weblog and elsewhere, learn on.
Cheers, Sonia
What we’re studying
Can we solve the small boats crisis? – immigration barrister Colin Yeo and Ros Taylor discuss – The Bunker podcast, 24 September
Five principles for a new British Citizenship Act – Colin’s Substack, 26 September
‘We wake up with anxiety’: victims of far-right riots on lingering fear and an uncertain future – The Guardian, 27 September
Civil legal aid: raise fees by 20% to ‘stabilise vital public service’ – Regulation Society Gazette, 26 September
What I found on the secretive tropical island they don’t want you to see – BBC Information, 29 September
‘Successive governments feel sense of shame…and don’t want to engage with Windrush’, says immigration lawyer – Channel 4, 26 September
‘Unsustainable fees’ and ‘burnt out’ lawyers: remote advice no solution for legal aid deserts – The Justice Hole, 27 September
Home Office rapped after sick mother dies during visa wait – The Nationwide, 23 September