Asylum Seekers Are Being Prevented From Lodging Cases By The UKBA

Asylum seekers are being prevented from lodging claims for permission to stay in the UK unless their lawyers threaten legal action, according to the Law Society.

In a strongly worded criticism of shortcomings at the Asylum Screening Unit in Croydon, south London, The Law Society, the body which represents solicitors complains of "degrading treatment", telephones constantly engaged or rarely answered and individuals who arrive in person being sent away.

The letter, sent to the head of the ASU and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), highlights concerns voiced by other groups about facilities in Croydon – the only place in the whole of the UK where asylum claims can be made.

Mark Paulson, head of the Law Society's family and social justice section, said that the only certain means of securing an appointment was for solicitors to send in "Judicial Review pre-action protocol" letters on behalf of clients announcing they were instigating judicial review proceedings.

In our experience, the process of applying for asylum has been made so complex that even legal representatives are struggling to get appointments for clients. In a recent case one of our client's telephoned the Asylum Screening Unit for an appointment which took 23 days to obtain and once he obtained his appointment he received a telephone call from an unidentifed Immigration Officer, who refused to give his credentials, name or rank and who then proceeded to interview our client over the...