Bristol Refugee Rights (BRR) responded to the increasing number of asylum seekers receiving negative decisions without legal representation or adequate advice.
Bristol Refugee Rights (BRR) responded to the increasing number of asylum seekers receiving negative decisions without legal representation or adequate advice. They developed sessions Utilising the Right to Remain Toolkit to assist individuals in lodging in-time appeals, with the aim of finding legal representation for the next appeal stage.
Prior to this initiative, a crisis in legal aid left many asylum seekers without access to lawyers, making it challenging to challenge negative decisions. Even those with legal representation often found themselves abandoned at the appeal stage due to funding limitations. BRR reached out to local legal aid providers, some of whom agreed to take on appeals in specific cases, while others couldn’t take on any appeals. A few were willing to provide advice if clients could lodge appeals themselves. BRR staff and casework volunteers explored the Right to Remain toolkit to empower individuals to understand and lodge their appeals.
The EAR partnership contributed to BRR’s advice team development, alongside asylum guides and complex needs casework. This strengthened their expertise, confidence, and capacity to create these sessions.
One challenge was providing detailed yet generic information while avoiding giving regulated immigration advice. BRR addressed this by Utilising their most well-trained advice volunteers and staff, who understand the boundaries. Language barriers were another issue, mitigated by encouraging attendees to bring a trusted friend with decent English literacy to the sessions for mutual understanding and support.
Organisations should reach out to local lawyers and build relationships with legal aid firms, particularly law Centres if available locally. Collaborative co-working models with legal firms can enhance their capacity to handle complex cases cost-effectively. Using well-trained and experienced staff for sessions is crucial, with clear boundaries to avoid providing unauthorised legal advice.