Asylum JusticeAsylum Justice is a response to the growing challenge of dealing fairly with asylum seekers in the UK. Publicly funded legal services for asylum applicants have been severely curtailed as the Government has narrowed the scope of Legal Aid. Even in cases where an asylum seeker is still eligible for Legal Aid it has become increasingly difficult to access legal support as solicitors’ firms pull out of this area of practice because it is uneconomic. Consequently, many asylum seekers are left without legal representation or advice. Asylum Justice will support asylum seekers where they cannot obtain Legal Aid funded support by using qualified volunteers (i.e. solicitors, barristers, Immigration Advisers or corresponding trainees) to fill this gap. Surgeries will be run over an extended weekend period, offering the volunteers the options of working Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays or Mondays. During the week, the office would operate on a more limited basis, offering support to those volunteers appearing as representatives before the Asylum & Immigration Tribunal. Asylum Justice is a joint venture between Launchpad and Roger Warren-Evans, a retired barrister, commentator and social entrepreneur. The model is currently being developed in action in South Wales (Swansea, Cardiff, Newport) with the assistance of the Welsh Refugee Council and the Swansea Bay Asylum Support Group, with a view to National roll out. Although currently the volunteers are covering all costs, our early experience is that demand is immense and the supply of volunteers very encouraging. |
do more |