Immigration lawyers

[dave u]

Long shot, but does anyone on here know anyone who specialises in immigration law?

 

My wife's friend has been here seven years after coming over from the Congo as a student. She stayed and has been working voluntarily for a local church and helping refugees (she isn't a refugee herself) but now they're deporting her. She's never claimed a penny in benefits as she stays with people from the church and helps out in the office. The church has been trying to help her with the Home Office but they're saying she needs to go back. She's terrified of going back there (don't know why, she doesn't talk about it). 

 

Just need some advice on whether there's anything she can do to fight it.

[Remmie]

Hate to state the (expensive) obvious but lawyering up would be highly recommendable, even we went through 2 shysters before sorting out my wife's visa. Best of luck, maybe she needs a go fund me or something from the church?

[Bjornebye]

Best of luck to her. Sending her back would be seriously inhumane, even by their own advice. 

 

Democratic Republic of the Congo travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

 

[VladimirIlyich]

Fuckin tory bastards.

Get a solicitor and start the legal ball rolling as this will at least cause some delay to begin with. An anonymous letter to the local media too,maybe?

[Remmie]

Reading between the lines perhaps her student visa lapsed?

[Kepler-186]

As well as work with homeless people Crisis are working with refugee/asylum seekers and deal with the Home Office. I know you said she’s neither of these statuses but I’m sure they can offer some advice, and maybe a recommended a decent immigration lawyer.

 

https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-help/merseyside/

 

The Unitarian Church on Ullet Road does outreach work with Asylum Link and would also be in a position to offer some advice.

 

https://ulletroadchurch.uk/event/asylum-link-celebration

 

Hope this is some help. 

[dave u]

1 minute ago, Remmie said:

Reading between the lines perhaps her student visa lapsed?

 

Yeah I assume so. She's here illegally and has to go and check in with the home office in Liverpool every couple of weeks or something. She's worried every time she goes there that they'll just take her away and stick her on a plane.

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

If she’s afraid to go back, it really needs to be established why? If it’s because of a fear of state persecution, she needs to lodge an asylum claim as she may qualify as a refugee. 
 

Although the fact she’s been here illegally for a while and would only be lodging a claim now, not when she arrived in the country or when her leave to remain expired, could go against her as it could be viewed as her only now lodging a claim to delay/frustrate her removal/deportation from the country. She’d have to provide an explanation for this to counter such an argument from the Home Office. 

[Section_31]

1 hour ago, dave u said:

Long shot, but does anyone on here know anyone who specialises in immigration law?

 

My wife's friend has been here seven years after coming over from the Congo as a student. She stayed and has been working voluntarily for a local church and helping refugees (she isn't a refugee herself) but now they're deporting her. She's never claimed a penny in benefits as she stays with people from the church and helps out in the office. The church has been trying to help her with the Home Office but they're saying she needs to go back. She's terrified of going back there (don't know why, she doesn't talk about it). 

 

Just need some advice on whether there's anything she can do to fight it.

 

Few things to suggest mate. 

 

Definitely worth contacting her local MP regardless of whatever else happens, they're usually able to help slow down or at least postpone the process while you get your ducks in a row. Contact details should be on the website. Local councillors for her ward too should also be contacted, contact details will be on liverpool council website. 

 

Liverpool Uni do a law clinic for stuff like this, they're trainees I imagine but will be supervised and I imagine deal with a lot of this stuff.

 

https://www.lawworks.org.uk/legal-advice/individuals/university-liverpool-law-clinic-asylum-and-immigration-service

 

Citizens Advice can also help:

 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/immigration/get-help/get-immigration-advice/

 

There's also a Congolese association of Merseyside who might know some people who can help out. (looking at the website I think I know one of the women who runs it, used to work with her and she's brilliant) 

 

https://www.congomerseyside.org.uk/

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

If she does decide to claim asylum, this is a useful toolkit which explains the whole process and tells you how to get the ball rolling. It’s also worth noting that any removal action is postponed while somebody has a live asylum claim. It may be worth her while lodging a claim asap (you don’t really need legal advice at the start of the process and lodging a claim will likely give her access to a legal aid funded lawyer) particularly as she’s implied having a fear of returning to the DRC. If, after accessing legal advice, it’s ascertained that she probably won’t qualify for refugee status, she can always formally withdraw her asylum claim. But, lodging the claim in the first place would buy her a bit of time and enable her to access some free of charge legal advice.

 

https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/claimasylum/

[dave u]

Appreciate all this, nice one.

[Champ]

https://www.gov.uk/indefinite-leave-to-remain