Jim & Helena

When people come to the UK in search of sanctuary, they hope to live in a society where they face less exclusion and more stability. However, even those who manage to secure the legal right to stay here often have to spend years in and out of the asylum system before getting a positive outcome that allows them to integrate and heal. This was the case for one family who first arrived in the U.K. in 2015. They had their initial asylum claim and two subsequent claims rejected, finally succeeding only with their fourth attempt, after Asylum Justice took on their case. Seven years had passed since they first claimed asylum, which meant they waited ...

Maria

Sometimes a case is referred to us which hasn’t received the attention or care it deserves. Maria’s case was one of these. Maria had the impression that she wasn’t being listened to – neither during her Home Office interview nor by the solicitor representing her. “The previous lawyer did not even give me a chance to talk. He just wrote down what he thought and decided for me. I was never given a platform where I could express my feelings. He said to my face early on: ‘This case won’t win.’ He judged me and never took the time to listen to my story.” Maria’s story is filled with a lot of pain and distress, which made ...

Abdullah

“I never thought that during my lifetime I would have to leave my home. We were a wealthy family with a farm and many livestock animals, but then the war came to our area, and everything was burnt to the ground. My father was detained as he was accused of giving food and clothing to the rebels. He was tortured and passed away shortly afterwards.”Abdullah came to the UK in 2014 and was granted leave in the same year. He came alone to the UK, leaving his wife in Sudan because the journey was too dangerous. As soon as he was granted leave, he worked hard to learn English, to integrate, and to learn the way of life in Wales. At the same time, he ...

Mirela

Asylum seekers who have exhausted all appeal rights sometimes have fresh grounds or compelling new evidence with which they can make further submissions to the Home Office in support of their previous asylum claim. Some simply never had their claim fully considered the first time around due to poor quality legal representation or an appeal not being lodged in time. Many of these clients will be completely destitute, having spent years in enforced poverty and homelessness in the UK due to their lack of legal status. For most, returning home is not an option due to continued fears for their safety.  Mirela* was referred to Asylum Justice by ...

Julia

Journeys to the UK can be difficult due to the lack of safe and legal routes. Many people make a heart-breaking decision to send one member of their family ahead and to later apply for family reunion. This is a decision which Julia*, a single mum, had to take when she was at immediate risk and had to flee her home country, leaving her children to be looked after by another family member. “I had to leave my country as I was under direct threat, and I came to the UK alone as that is all we could afford. Separating myself from my children was terrible. I was really depressed, and we were all so worried about how long it might be until we see each ...

Carlos and Magdalena

Carlos and Magdalena* came from a country where gangs territorially control many neighbourhoods, making daily life dangerous and unpredictable. When the threat to their family became too great, from one day to the next they packed what they could and fled to the UK, where they claimed asylum and were dispersed to Wales. “When we first got here, I remember when we were in the street one day and we heard the backfire of a car, and we ran into a nearby shop. It just sent us back to life in our home country when if you heard this sound, you would drop to the floor to avoid the bullets. Here we don’t have to worry about this anymore – we ...

‘I Hate It Here’ – Our Experience At Penally Barracks

Last week, Asylum Justice visited Penally refugee camp in Tenby, West Wales, which currently houses between 150-250 asylum seekers. The camp is an old disused army barracks in Penally, West Wales, where the conditions and management have been labelled as shambolic, inhumane and dire. The camp has been the subject of intense scrutiny, including media coverage and local protests, and the far right has also tried to make the Penally camp a focus for racist mobilisations at the gates, designed to harass and intimidate the asylum seekers housed inside. And Penally isn’t the only military barracks currently being used to house asylum seekers; the ...

Wendy

Wendy came alone to Wales just over a year ago. She threw herself into her local community and made many friends. Asylum Justice represented her at appeal earlier this year, and we’re overjoyed to say she has been granted refugee status. She shared with us a bit about what Asylum Justice did and what it meant to her: “Before I found Asylum Justice – my last lawyer had rejected my case. I was so sure about my case. Thank goodness, Asylum Justice was too. Asylum Justice took my case and they analysed it. I was amazed by how my lawyer really dedicated his time and effort to understand my case and to gather evidence from my home country....

Legal Director Recognised as Inspiring Woman Lawyer in the UK

We are proud to announce that our Legal Director, Ruth Brown, has been recognised as an ‘Inspiring Woman Lawyer’ in the UK, and a profile of her contribution to law will be added to a project website hosted by the Faculty of Law at Oxford University. The project aims to create an oral history of inspiring women lawyers which will be lodged in the Sound Archive of the British Library as a national resource. It aims to raise the profile of women and groups who are little known beyond their professional field. And to find out about the diverse life experiences of women lawyers, particularly from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) ...

Carolina: From Strength to Strength

We began representing Carolina* in approximately mid-2019, after her asylum claim had been refused by the Home Office. She was later dropped by her previous representatives, as it was their opinion that her case was not strong enough to merit legal aid. Carolina, unrepresented and with the likely and intimidating scenario of having to appear before a judge and the Home Office on her own, was urgently referred to ourselves by her friend. Taken on by one of our lawyers, it was a very complex case with two countries involved, and on face value appeared very difficult to win. When we first met Carolina, she was visibly stressed and anxious. She found it ...