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The truth about Asylum

The facts about asylum Britain's asylum system is very tough The UK asylum system is strictly controlled and complex.  It is very difficult to get asylum.  The decision-making process is extremely tough and  many people’s claims are rejected. Initial Home Office decision-making remains poor . In 201 6 , the courts overturned Home Office decisions in  41 % of asylum appeals.  ( Home Office asylum statistics February 2017 ) There are particular problems with decisions on women’s claims. Women who turn to the courts for help when their asylum claims are refused are more likely to have their protection needs recognised by the courts. Women tell us that it is in part because the asylum system can feel very hostile and  it is difficult for them to give full details of the violence they have experienced. In  2016, 13,230 asylum seekers had been locked up in detention centres.  Shamefully, around  half of all asylum seekers find themselves ...
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Protecting Refugees in the United Kingdom

Protecting Refugees In the UK, UNHCR provides guidance on refugee and asylum law and policy to the UK government, legal practitioners, non-governmental organisations and many others. Where appropriate UNHCR takes up cases and raises issues of concern with our counterparts in the UK government. We intervene in court proceedings, which are precedent-setting for the international protection of refugees. We also provide training on a range of issues to those working with asylum-seekers and refugees. Legal Interventions in Precedent-Setting Cases UNHCR is able to intervene in select asylum cases, and we are always interested to hear from legal representatives about forthcoming cases raising matters of particular concern that are precedent-setting on significant issues of asylum and refugee law. Interventions by UNHCR may take the form of letters of advice or opinion for use at any stage of the asylum process. In exceptional circumstances, UNHCR may make direct contact ...
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The Human Rights Act and Refugees in the UK

The Human Rights Act 1998 came into full effect in the UK on 2 October 2000. It means that, for the first time, most of the rights in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) are directly enforceable in the UK. All public authorities (which include government departments, the police, prison and immigration services, local authorities and other bodies performing public functions) will have to ensure that their decisions comply with ECHR rights; and if they do not, they can be challenged in any UK court or tribunal. New laws will have to be examined to see whether they comply with ECHR rights. These are not, of course, new rights: the UK has been a signatory to the ECHR for nearly 50 years. But until now those rights could only be claimed directly in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The fact that every UK court will be able to examine decisions in the light of human-rights compliance has made every public authority re-examine its decision-making processes and it...
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