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FAQs
for asylum seekers, refugees and legal representatives
How do I claim asylum in
the UK?
We wish to advise you that it is the responsibility of the UK Government
(the Home Office department) to handle and decide applications for
asylum in this country under the terms of the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. Applications
for asylum should therefore be submitted directly to the Home Office.
This would usually only be possible for a person who is already
in the UK.For
more information of how to do this, please refer to the UK Home Office website.
There are also various immigration rules under which persons can
apply to come to the UK. For advice on this matter we would direct
you to your local British Embassy. A list of British Embassies around
the world can be found here.
Can
UNHCR give me legal advice?
Unfortunately, due to limited resources and the nature of our role
in the UK, UNHCR cannot provide individual representation.
Legal
assistance and advice to asylum seekers is provided through private
solicitors or through specialised agencies: the Refugee Legal Centre and the Immigration Advisory Service - who can provide their services
free of charge under the Legal Aid scheme. Please find their addresses
below.
Refugee
Legal Centre
Nelson House
157 Commercial Road
London E1 2EB
Tel: 020-7780 3200
Web:www.refugee-legal-centre.org.uk
Immigration
Advisory Service
County
House
190
Great Dover Street
London
SE1 4YB
Tel: 020-7967 1200 / 020-7357 6917
Web: www.iasuk.org
For
information about other law firms in your area who are able to provide
asylum and immigration advice under the Legal Aid scheme, then please
call Community Legal Service Direct on 0845 345 4 345 or click here to view their website.
Please note that as of February 2005, approximately 120 UNHCR position papers and letters which are regularly requested from the London office will be accessible through the Electronic Immigration Network (EIN), which can be accessed here. Your legal representative should be able to go to this website in order to find any useful UNHCR positions that might be relevant to your case.
I’m
in detention, can UNHCR help me?
Unfortunately, UNHCR is very limited in the help that we can provide
to detainees. If you have fully exhausted your application for asylum
in the UK and are in detention awaiting removal to your country
of origin, we regret that UNHCR is unlikely to be able to assist
you at this stage.
If
you have been officially recognised as a refugee somewhere but are
facing removal to your country of origin, this may be refoulement
which is contrary to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status
of Refugees. If you are in this situation, please advise your legal
representative to contact us directly with the details of your case.
You
can apply for bail at any stage in the detention process and you
can make as many bail applications as you wish. For advice and guidance
on how to do this please contact Bail for Immigration Detainees
(BID) who run a telephone advice line and can also provide an information
pack so that you can represent yourself at bail application hearings.
You may wish to ask to see someone from your detention centre’s
visitors group - if there is one – who may be able to provide
you with appropriate advice and support.
Bail
for immigration detainees (BID)
28 Commercial Street
London
E1 6LS
Tel: 020 7247 3590
Fax: 020 7247 3550
Email: info@biduk.org
Web:www.biduk.org/
Refugee
Legal Centre also has a telephone advice line specifically
for detainees. Tel: 020 780 3220 or free phone Tel: 0800 592 398.
Immigration
Advisory Service also operates a free phone telephone
number for detainees. Free phone tel: 0800 435 427. If unable to
access 0800 numbers, dial 100 and ask operator for reverse charge
call to IAS office (020-7967 1200 / 020 7357 6917). Give your name
and detention centre and IAS will accept the call.
Can
UNHCR help me to resettle...
i) to the UK?
For more information on resettlement to the United Kingdom, please
refer to the UK Immigration and Nationality Directorate website:
You
may also wish to approach your local UNHCR branch office. However,
please note that resettlement is usually only available to those
who have been recognised as refugees, and is not an option for failed
asylum seekers.
ii)
to a third country from the UK?
There is no resettlement programme to a third country from the UK.
Although in other countries in the world UNHCR recognises and registers
refugees, we wish to advise you that it is the responsibility of
the UK authorities to handle and decide applications for asylum
made by persons in this country under the terms of
the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
Can UNHCR help me be reunited
with my family?
The normal procedure for family reunion in the UK allows recognised
refugees to reunite with their immediate (nuclear) family in the
UK. In other words, a recognised refugee is entitled to be reunited
in the UK with his or her spouse and dependent children less than
18 years of age immediately. Application for family reunion can
also be submitted where a recognised refugee wishes to be reunited
with their extended family (i.e. someone who is neither their spouse
nor their minor children); however, the applicant must show compassionate
grounds for extended family cases.
An
individual in the UK wishing to be reunited with family abroad must
send all documents regarding his/her status in the UK to their family.
Their family then apply for entry clearance/visa and settlement
at the British Embassy in the country where they are residing. The
individual in the UK can also make an application at the Home Office
in the UK to speed up the process. Finally, once the application
has been accepted, the British Red Cross administers reunification. UNHCR would not normally be involved
in the process.
For
more information on family reunion in the UK, please refer to the
UK Immigration and Nationality Directorate website
I
want to return to my home country. What should I do?
Asylum seekers and / or people with leave to remain in the UK wishing
to voluntarily return to their country of origin can apply to the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) voluntary assisted
returns and reintegration programme (VARRP) for help to return.
IOM also work with Afghans with settled status.
All
casework relating to voluntary repatriation is processed by IOM,
which is mandated to contact our Headquarters and our Offices abroad.
We therefore wish to suggest that you contact their office directly
indicating that you wish to return home.
International
Organization for Migration
26 Westminster Palace Gardens
Artillery Row
London
SW1P 1RL
Tel: 020 7233 0001
Fax: 020 7233 3001
Web:www.iomlondon.org
Information
and advice on voluntary return is also provided by Refugee Action
through the ‘Choices’ programme. Their details are as
follows:
Refugee
Action (Choices)
The Old Fire Station
150 Waterloo Road
Waterloo
London
SE1 8SB
Tel: 020 7654 7700
Fax: 020 7401 3699
Web: www.refugee-action.org.uk
Where
can I get non-legal assistance?
UNHCR recommends contacting the following organisations for advice
on accessing non-legal support and assistance in integrating into
the wider community. They are also able to provide information in
a number of languages.
Refugee
Council
3 Bondway
London
SW8 1SJ
Tel: 020 7820 3000
Fax: 020 7582 9929
Email: info@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Web:www.refugeecouncil.org.uk
Joint
Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
115 Old Street
London
EC1V 9RT
Tel: 020 7251 8706
Fax: 020 7251 8707
Email: info@jcwi.org.uk
Web: www.jcwi.org.uk
Asylum
Aid
28 Commercial Street
London
E1 6LS
Tel: 020 7247 8741
Fax: 020 7247 7789
Email: info@asylumaid.org.uk
Web: www.asylumaid.org.uk
Medical
Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture
96-98 Grafton Road
London
NW5 3JE
Tel: 020 7697 7777
Fax: 020 7813 0011
Web: www.torturecare.org.uk
For further links to numerous helpful organisations please see our links page on this website.
We hope this information is useful to you.
UNHCR London
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