Access to justice (immigration & asylum)

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ProjectsMay 10th, 2023

Access to justice (immigration & asylum)

Accessing legal advice and representation for immigration and asylum applications is a major challenge in many parts of the UK. Wales has been described as an ‘advice desert’. There is a lack of solicitors, advisors and representatives offering immigration legal services, limited funding, and many barriers to access for people in different parts of Wales. Changes in recent years mean that most immigration cases do not qualify for Legal Aid. On top of this, the number of immigration and asylum solicitors operating in Wales has dropped significantly and some solicitors warn that practising in this area of law is not sustainable.

Aims

The primary aim of the project is to address structural barriers to the provision of immigration advice in Wales. The project aims to improve access for people with all immigration statuses, including those with insecure status or who are undocumented. This may involve proposals to increase the availability of advice, to overcome barriers to access, to improve the quality or complexity of advice and representation offered, or to highlight policy issues which impact on provision and take-up. Our focus is on free advice and representation. This may be delivered by not-for-profit organisations, Legal Aid-funded solicitors, or other legal professionals working free of charge, or delivering free-to-access funded advice.

While we work towards this overall goal, we will take opportunities to make the case for change in related areas. We will explore the impact and limitations of existing devolved actions, highlight where devolved powers can be used to improve the experiences of migrants and refugees, and link into other Bevan Foundation work where relevant. We are also interested where possible in amplifying the Welsh voice in UK national policy discussions on key relevant issues.

What we are doing

working with people who use and need immigration and asylum legal services, taking a rights-based approach and supporting migrants and refugees to develop recommendations for change.
engaging with providers of immigration and asylum legal services, grass roots community organisations, and others, to develop a persuasive case for change.
producing practical and deliverable recommendations.
supporting migrants and refugees to speak directly to decision-makers.