The team deal in immigration law with applications for visa applications but also with asylum, focusing on unaccompanied minors seeking refugee status.
The statistics alone are staggering; some 2,872 unaccompanied children sought asylum last year. The top 5 origin countries by first instance grants of asylum in 2018 were Libya, Iran, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Syria. Other significant countries of origin include Sudan, Nigeria, Vietnam and Libya and Albania.
The UK is actually no soft touch when it comes to asylum decisions; around two thirds are refused. Facts and figures are, however, no substitute for the human stories of refugees and hearing from someone who deals with Immigration on a daily basis was very enlightening, not to mention humbling.
The reasons for fleeing the country of origin vary but the common goal is for a safer life. For many their families have paid agents to take them to the UK but this does not necessarily mean a safe journey. For most that journey to the UK has been dangerous and traumatic. It has taken months and sometime years. Rape, trafficking, slavery, torture, abuse, malnutrition, terrible journeys across the desert, by sea are all common themes. Ashlee, Head of Immigration, read out a couple of extracts from some statements given by children as young as 12 which were heartbreaking and put some perspective on some of the ‘headlines’ we so often read.
If you require further information on the above, please contact us by calling 01206 700113 or email [email protected].