In the May 2025 Immigration White Paper, the government announced sweeping changes to settlement rules that would place over one million people into decades of insecurity. As of August 2026, six months have passed since the closing of the public consultation into these changes, and people who may be affected…
The new 24-week timeframe for certain immigration and asylum appeals in the First-tier Tribunal From yesterday, 12 August 2026, a new 24-week timeframe will apply to certain immigration and asylum appeals in the First-tier Tribunal. Which appeals are affected? The change includes appeals where someone is receiving asylum accommodation under section 95 or section 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.…
Now is the time to put pressure on the government to scrap these plans for good. Ever since the government announced plans to introduce so-called “earned settlement”, we’ve been pushing back. And we’re not alone. These plans will put hundreds of thousands of our neighbours and colleagues onto 10, 15 and 20-year routes to…
Blog written by Murshed, a member of Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group If I were to tell the full story, I should begin by saying that this event was not something that came together overnight. For months, we had been talking about the problems within the hotel accommodation system and…
Last week, the government published the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026. The proposals in the Bill have been presented as tough new measures on immigration. But instead of offering genuine solutions, they will only separate more families, make it harder for survivors of exploitation to access protection, and place additional burdens on people trying…
THIS POSITION HAS NOW CLOSED, THANK YOU. Help Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) overcome immigration injustice by becoming a Trustee/Director. We are the leading immigration legal advice centre in the North West and our advice and representation changes lives. Do you want to help people find their place and…
On 25 June 2026, team GMIAU are taking part in the Manchester Legal Walk to raise funds for the Access to Justice Foundation – the only funder solely dedicated to increasing the availability of free legal support, advice and representation across the UK. Over the years the Access to Justice…
Are you a solicitor working in immigration and asylum law? Do you want to use your skills to defend people’s rights, challenge injustice and support communities affected by immigration control? You could be our new Immigration Solicitor/IAA Level 2/3 and IAAS Senior Caseworker. We are looking to recruit a qualified…
The government is consulting on measures to overhaul Home Office and local authority support for people seeking asylum and care leavers, and to use physical force against children in immigration enforcement. We think the proposed changes will cause great harm to people and places in our local areas in the North West and will have a significant impact on our local authorities. Our…
The Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group has today released their vision of how people should be housed while waiting for an asylum decision. The group is made up of people with experience of living in asylum hotels and other forms of asylum accommodation who have come together to speak out…
Together with Migrant Destitution Fund (MDF), we have produced an information sheet about local authority support for destitute families in GM. We don’t believe that anyone should be forced into destitution because of their immigration status – especially children. This information sheet is therefore aimed at families themselves, and services…
The full consultation is available here: Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns. It closes on the 4th June 2026. (Please note the deadline has been extended from the 28th May). The key changes being proposed are: GMIAU’s view: We must resist these changes in their entirety. They represent an unprecedented attack on…
2nd April 2026 People in the asylum and immigration system, and the organisations supporting them, have been faced with a barrage of policy and legal changes in recent weeks. It can be hard to keep track of what’s happened, to advise the people we’re working with, and to know where to direct our limited resources. This information sheet…
Last week, alongside many other brilliant organisations, campaign groups, and community leaders, we travelled from Manchester to London to take part in the Mass Lobby against the government’s proposed ‘earned settlement’ plans. A coach of 50 people travelled from Greater Manchester, joining over 500 individuals from around the country – all…
2nd March 2026 Today, the Home Secretary has announced that from now on, refugees who apply for and are granted asylum in the UK will be given 2.5 years’ temporary refugee status. While there are still many unanswered questions, the Home Secretary’s statement gives some clarity to the policy which…
This morning, February 25th, we were horrified to hear the news that last night (24th February) Manchester Central Mosque was targeted by an attempted attack. Two men had entered the mosque carrying weapons including an axe and a knife during Ramadan prayers. Thankfully, they were stopped and no one was hurt.…
What is a SEF? The SEF stands for the statement of evidence form. It is part of the process of a child’s asylum claim. The statement of evidence has a list of standard questions including on the child’s circumstances, journey to the UK, nationality and reasons for claiming asylum. The SEF is completed with an immigration adviser…
Children’s experiences: Children in care and care leavers have shared their views on how they want to be supported by social workers and the local authority to regularise their status and apply for British citizenship if they can. Children have asked local authorities to recongnise the importance of: Our work…
This short film was made by the Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group and Stand & Be Counted Theatre. The group, which is supported by GMIAU, is made up of people with experience of living in asylum hotels. ‘We are a group of people who have come to the UK to…
January 2026 The government is currently consulting on their plans for “earned settlement”, a major overhaul of the rules governing when people can apply for indefinite leave to remain (a term used interchangeably with “settlement”). This briefing is to support local authorities to respond to the consultation, highlighting the likely…
January 2026 Introduction The government are consulting on their planned changes to settlement in the UK, known as “earned settlement”. These are changes that will make it much harder for people to receive indefinite leave to remain in the UK, and we are very worried about the impact on people…
We’re incredibly proud to share our Impact Report 2025, which captures the last year of work at GMIAU. This report shares what we’ve achieved through our free, specialist immigration legal advice and representation, and includes the voices of people who have used our services, sharing the difference this support has…
Members of the Greater Manchester Asylum Hotels Group have come together to share how recent government changes to the asylum system are affecting them, and how these plans make them feel as people who came to the UK seeking safety. In October 2025, in response to protests and widespread misunderstanding…
Recently, we were thrilled to be awarded ‘Best New Pro Bono Activity’ at the LawWorks awards 2025 and ‘Frontline Agency of the Year’ at the Greater Manchester Pro Bono Awards 2025 for our eVisa pro bono project. We were also ‘Highly Commended’ in LawWorks’ Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership category…
Please note applications for this role have now closed. Are you a solicitor working in immigration and asylum law? Do you want to use your skills to defend people’s rights, challenge injustice and support communities affected by immigration control? You could be our new Immigration Solicitor/IAA Level 3 and IAAS…
November 2025GMIAU and Praxis On Thursday, the government published a statement and a consultation on their planned changes to settlement in the UK (also known as indefinite leave to remain or ILR).In short, they plan to make settlement harder to achieve for most people who are in the UK on…
18th November 2025 In an unprecedented assault on refugee rights, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a new set of hostile policy changes, that will significantly undermine the security and wellbeing of people seeking safety in the UK. The changes are written in a government paper called “Restoring Order and Control“. This…
In recent months, we have seen an increase in protests and demonstrations outside asylum hotels, driven by misinformation and fear. These protests have created an atmosphere of tension. For people living in the hotels, it can feel intimidating and unsafe. Much of what is said about asylum hotels simply isn’t…
Last week marked my first week as CEO of GMIAU. I’m delighted to introduce myself to our friends and supporters and tell you a bit about myself. In my career, I’ve always focused on tackling social injustice. Before joining GMIAU I spent 8 years as CEO of Sefton Women’s and…
On the 2nd October, we as GMIAU staff were horrified and heartbroken to hear news of the deadly attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, the area where we have been based for 23 years. We know the effects of this antisemitic attack were felt not only in Manchester but across…
Everyone who is resident in our communities, whatever their background or immigration status, should have the right to a safe, stable place they can call home. However, across Greater Manchester, as in the rest of the UK, there is a worsening homelessness crisis. Among those facing homelessness in our communities…
Yesterday we co-hosted the North West Migrants’ Rights Conference (Humanising the Rhetoric: Through Law, Communities, and Understanding) with Garden Court North Chambers. It was an incredible day of conversations, connection and reflection. We’re so grateful to everyone who came, contributed, spoke, and shared their work and experiences – it was…
From 30th September, we are changing how we give legal advice. The only way to get legal advice from GMIAU will be to fill in our confidential online form. Our telephone advice line will no longer be operating after Monday 29th September. Legal advice form Our form to request legal…
3rd September 2025 Updated February 2026 In an unprecedented attack on the rights of refugees, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced on Monday that applications for refugee family reunion would be suspended until a new system was put in place. What will the new system look like? We are expecting…
Recently the Government has announced changes to both the ‘move on period’ and to Aspen cards, both of which will directly impact people living in asylum accommodation. The changes came with no warning and without consultation. Here, we explain what we know about the changes, and what we think about…
Why is this important? It’s estimated that there are 215,000 undocumented children living in the UK. At least 1 in 10 children in care in England are not British. Many of those children may have grown up in the UK, and may not even know that they are not British.…
We are pleased to invite you to the North West Migrants’ Rights Conference, co-hosted by GMIAU and Garden Court North Chambers on 30th September 2025. This full-day conference titled: ‘Humanising the rhetoric: through law, communities and understanding‘ will bring together legal professionals, academics, community organisers, advocates, and individuals with lived…
What is the Treaty and When Does It Come Into Effect? The UK and France announced a new treaty in July 2025 aimed at reducing dangerous small boat crossings across the Channel. The treaty officially came into effect on 6 August 2025 and is now part of UK law. Under…
A message to people living in asylum hotels in Greater Manchester We are voluntary and community organisations based in Greater Manchester. We are writing to say that you are WELCOME here in our communities. We understand that you may not have chosen to come to Greater Manchester, but we hope…
Guide for young people In 2020, young people in the All4One youth group, supported by GMIAU, worked together to create a Guide to Age Assessments. This guide was written by young people, for young people, based on their lived experience of having their ages assessed. Through supporting each other as…
This week a new report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) found appalling failings in the Home Office’s age assessment process. At the same time, the Home Office announced they would attempt to start using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assess children’s ages. At GMIAU we recently…
July 2025 The Home Office has announced they will resume decision-making for people from Syria with protection claims. Decision making on Syrian cases has been paused for over 7 months, since December 2024. During this time people from Syria have been stuck in limbo and uncertainty. The pause included people…
Dear Yvette Cooper, We are a group of young people from the All4One group. We all arrived as unaccompanied children to seek safety in the UK. We were all sent to adult asylum accommodation after having our ages disbelieved by the Home Office. We want to talk to you about…
Over recent years, thousands of children have been wrongly treated as adults by the Home Office. These children are in the UK on their own seeking asylum. Following decisions made by UK border officials that they are “significantly over 18” they have been sent alone to adult asylum accommodation, usually…
A new report from JUSTICE reveals that Windrush survivors are receiving far less compensation than they are entitled to under the Windrush Compensation Scheme. The key reason? A lack of access to free legal advice. The scheme was created to compensate for the government’s failure to recognise the lawful residence…
“They don’t help, they don’t listen, they’ve got their own answers. They don’t come to understand you” Summary At GMIAU, we support children who have had their ages assessed by the Home Office’s National Age Assessment Board (NAAB). Their experiences have rarely been heard. We spoke to children and found…
May 2025 Please note: GMIAU will never ask you to provide passwords. GMIAU may ask you for financial information as part of a legal aid assessment or fee waiver assessment. We will do this during the referral process or at a relevant appointment. If you have any doubts, you can…
This paper has a focus on ‘legal migration’ which covers people who come to the UK to work, study, and for some other reasons. This paper should not be confused with the ‘Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill’ that is currently passing through Parliament, which focuses on people to who…
35 organisations working in Greater Manchester have signed an open letter calling for action on the Government’s citizenship ban. The letter is being sent to all MPs in Greater Manchester and the lead Council members of all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs. What is the citizenship ban? On 10th February 2025,…
Greater Manchester Law Centre have created a guide to support people who are facing homelessness or are navigating rehousing upon being granted refugee status. The Guide has also been translated into Arabic and Tigrinya, which are available to download at the end. Your rights to Re-housing and Homelessness This factsheet…
My Retirement I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I’ve made the decision to retire at the end of the year, and my job is now being advertised. GMIAU is an incredible organisation that supports and campaigns on behalf of, and with, people whose lives are restricted by the immigration…
On 9th April 2025, the fees for some visa applications went up. The fee for Limited Leave to Remain went from £1,258 to £1,321 (an increase of £63) and the fee for Indefinite Leave to Remain went from £2,885 to £3,029 (an increase of £144). Details of all fees can…
GMIAU is researching how our website could better meet the needs of everyone who uses it. We’re reaching out to ask for your help by filling out a survey to understand your thoughts on our website. Your honest feedback, both positive and negative, would be much appreciated. As the only…
Please note applications for this role have now closed. Are you highly organised, detail-oriented, and genuinely committed to supporting others? Do you want to work in a dynamic, impactful team where your skills can directly contribute to making a real difference? You could be our new Legal Team Assistant. Job title:…
Update – June 2026In April 2026 the Home Office updated the good character guidance. The new version makes it clearer that irregular journeys to the UK will normally be disregarded in citizenship applications for people who were not in control of their journeys. This includes people who are victims of…
Linklaters and GMIAU have created a video to guide you through the process of setting up an eVisa. You can watch the video here: Helpful links For GMIAU’s translated eVisa guide and details of our weekly support sessions click here. To create a UKVI account click here. For a list…
This is an information sheet about the Home Office’s Streamlined Asylum Process (SAP) for children. The SAP means that some unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are eligible for their asylum claim to be processed with a Preliminary Information Meeting (PIM) rather than a full substantive interview. This information is for adults supporting…
From 31 December 2024 the Home Office is changing the way people prove their immigration status. Biometric residence permits are being replaced by a digital system, known as an eVisa. To access the eVisa you need to set up an online account with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). GMIAU are…
As our name suggests, we were formed in Greater Manchester: a city-region of 3 million people, represented by 10 local councils in 10 boroughs, 27 Members of Parliament (MPs), a combined authority (GMCA) and a metro Mayor. Over the last few years, when opportunities with central government have been limited,…
December 2024 This information sheet is for local authorities and anyone working either with unaccompanied children seeking asylum or in Home Office asylum accommodation. It details the problems we are seeing for children who are age disputed and the processes that should be followed. Context When unaccompanied children arrive in…
July 2025: The pause on the processing of Syrian asylum claims has now been lifted. Please see our update here. December 2024 On 8th December 2024, people around the world heard the news of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. At the time of writing, it is unclear what…
November 2024 Who is this information for? This information is for local authorities in the North West of England, who are supporting separated children and young people seeking asylum in the UK. It is possible that children and care leavers seeking asylum could be asked to “report” at an immigration…
December 2024 Who is this information for? This information is to support social workers and local authorities in the North West who are working with children and care leavers with insecure immigration status. This information is specifically about children in the asylum system. However, triple planning that takes into account…
December 2024 Who is this information for? This information about human rights assessments is for local authorities in the North West of England, who are supporting separated children and young people seeking asylum in the UK and care leavers. It covers what a human rights assessment is, when they should…
Click here to download our new briefing. In April 2024, the Conservative government’s Rwanda policy became law through the Safety of Rwanda Act (2024). Despite the UK Supreme Court having found the policy unlawful, the then government ramped up attempts to remove people to Rwanda rather than considering their asylum…
Please note applications for this role have now closed. Are you a skilled communicator? Do you want to use your skills to create change, in a team committed to ending immigration injustice and building power in communities? You could be our new Communications Officer. Job title: Communications OfficerReporting to: Policy…
We are GMIAU’s action group of people on the 10-year route to settlement. The 10-year route is an immigration pathway that requires us to renew our temporary leave to remain in the UK frequently, every 2.5 years, and pay high visa fees, until we have built up 10 years and…
People applying for leave to remain, or waiting for a decision on their application, can now request digital proof of their immigration status. What is 3C leave? 3C leave refers to section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971. It ensures that while someone is waiting for a Home Office decision,…
August 2024 As organisations working in Greater Manchester, after more than a week of shocking far-right violence, we want to state our support for and solidarity with communities who are under attack. People seeking asylum, Muslims, and Black and brown people are being targeted in their homes, businesses, workplaces and…
August 2024 This is a resource for professionals working with children in the asylum system who are interested in volunteering. It is important to understand the distinction between volunteering, which is permitted for children in the asylum system, and unpaid work or exploitation. Current legislation: Under current legislation people seeking…
Today, we’re celebrating. The Home Office has agreed to grant Nelson Shardey permanent stay in the UK. This comes after GMIAU represented him in a legal challenge, and Nelson and his family spoke out against his unjust treatment. The Home Office has now backed down, meaning the family don’t have…
This vacancy is now closed. We are looking for a dedicated and empathetic team assistant to provide essential administrative support and manage booking systems. This role is the heart of our work, serving as the first welcoming face of GMIAU. It is fundamental in creating a safe and supportive environment…
Through the Greater Manchester Strategy, our politicians have committed to make Greater Manchester a place “where everyone can live a good life, growing up, getting on and growing old in a greener, fairer more prosperous city region”. But at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) we know that all too…
Supporting people on the 10-year route to settlement in the North West: A briefing for local authorities Today we have published a joint briefing with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). It aims to provide local authorities with practical information, to ensure that all those who call the North…
Briefing for Local Authorities on the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and its implications for unaccompanied children May 2024 Key message:The Illegal Migration Act 2023 (IMA) is set to greatly change the protections offered to children and adults arriving in the UK to seek asylum. Not all parts of the IMA…
We have released a new report and policy briefing with the Boaz Trust about destitution in Greater Manchester. The report finds that people in the city-region are forced into destitution for years, sometimes decades, as a result of their immigration status. One woman interviewed spent 16 years in immigration limbo. …
Blog by Will Wheeler This blog post discusses an article by GMIAU’s Policy Officer Will Wheeler. The article, based on ethnographic research Will conducted in a previous role at the University of Manchester, discusses trauma and suicide in the asylum system. The first part of the blog explains the article’s…
12/07/24 Update The new Labour government have said that they will not be continuing with the Rwanda plan. The Prime Minister said the Rwanda policy was “dead and buried”. What this means is that:– It is very unlikely that anyone will be removed to Rwanda, now or in the future.– It is very…
Please note that we are no longer looking for new trustees – 08/05/2024 Help Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) overcome immigration injustice by becoming a board member. We are the leading immigration legal advice centre in the North West and our advice and representation changes lives. Do you want…
Updated June 2025 The Home Office is now using a digital system – eVisas – for people to prove their immigration status. Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards – a plastic card with your name, photograph and immigration status on it – are no longer being issued. Instead you will need…
We have received reports that the Home Office have been calling individuals to offer ‘voluntary departure’ to Rwanda and offering money. If you or someone you know has received a call, we recommend:
The Greater Manchester Housing Justice Network If you share our concerns about the myriad housing injustices faced by people of all backgrounds in our communities, and are fed up of the politics of division that divides us against each other, sign our statement here. Housing injustice in asylum hotels Across Greater…
Today the Immigration Health Surcharge increases from £624 per year to £1,035 per year. It’s more than a fivefold increase since 2015, when the surcharge was introduced at £200 per year. For us in GMIAU’s Action Group, on the 10-year route to settlement, this will mean that applying for 2.5…
January 2024 Click here to download this briefing as a Word document Summary Significant numbers of new refugees in Greater Manchester (GM) are being forced into precarious housing or street homelessness because the Home Office is intentionally evicting them from asylum accommodation, a situation the Deputy Mayor for Greater Manchester…
***Applications for this role are now closed.*** We’re looking for a Finance and Legal Assistant to work in our Manchester office. Please read all of the documents in the application pack below and return the application form and equal opportunities monitoring form by post to Applications, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid…
Over the course of this year the government have announced plans to “streamline” certain asylum cases. This means processing the case without an interview, meaning a decision is made faster than usual. The reason is because the government have made a commitment to make faster decisions and clear the backlog…
To say 2023 has been “challenging” doesn’t really cover it. When we’ve got a government that sacrifices people to distract from its own incompetence, the impact on us as individuals, our families and our communities is disastrous. That’s the truth of it – and we’ve spent the year standing alongside…
Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit and Greater Manchester Law Centre have put this guide together to help people in asylum accommodation who are receiving either a grant of refugee status, which includes full entitlement to work, housing, welfare benefits and healthcare, or a refusal of their claim for asylum. This…
In October we saw a significant win for the Windrush Legal Initiative, led by Nicola Burgess, our solicitor at GMIAU. Thanks to legal proceedings she brought on behalf of our client, Joel*, the Home Office have amended the rules of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, after we argued that their previous…
In March 2023, GMIAU, IPPR and Praxis launched a report on the impact of the 10- year route to settlement. From that report, we know there are thousands of people in the North West on the 10-year route – they all have the legal right to be in the UK…
To Penny Mordaunt and Robert Jenrick Back in May, we wrote to the Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick asking why we were seeing no extra help for people from Sudan to come to the UK. We wanted to share how we were feeling, our worries for our families. Thank you to…
Along with many, we watched in horror over recent weeks and months as the government pushed through a new law that will extinguish the right to seek safety in the UK for everyone other than a small number who are mostly from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. Like others we…
“I’ve got many friends here, and everyone I talk to says they have no solicitor. It’s the biggest problem my friends are facing as well. It affects me. I feel like my heart is broken for them. I’ve heard a lot about how they struggle with the waiting. They told…
This blog series features the voices of those who are housed in hotels in the North West while waiting for their asylum claim to be processed. Previous blogs explored the emergence and context of the hotels policy; food and living conditions in hotels; and the lack of privacy, arbitrary and…
We are writing this as some of the 170,000 people living in the UK, who are on the ten year route to settlement. We have legal status in the UK either because we have family here or because we’ve spent a very long time in this country. To keep our…
This blog series features the voices of those who are housed in hotels in the North West while waiting for their asylum claim to be processed. Previous blogs explored the emergence and context of the hotels policy; food and living conditions in hotels; and the lack of privacy, arbitrary and…
Edit: On the 27th July we received a response to this letter from the Home Office. Click here to download their response as a PDF. To Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick We are writing to express our grave concern at your ‘hotel optimisation’ plans, which will increase still further the…
This blog series features the voices of those who are housed in hotels in the North West while waiting for their asylum claim to be processed. Previous blogs explored the emergence and context of the hotels policy, and food and living conditions in hotels. In this blog, we hear about…
This blog series features the voices of those who are housed in hotels in the North West while waiting for their asylum claim to be processed. The last blog explored the emergence and context of the hotels policy. This blog focuses on food and living conditions in hotels. In future…
“I thought that as soon as I arrived they’d welcome me and give me nationality and that’s it. I had no idea about this process.” This is what we might hope for children arriving alone in the UK after fleeing war or persecution. Welcome, safety, security. But in reality, children…
This blog series will feature the voices of those who are housed in hotels in the North West while waiting for their asylum claim to be processed. Asylum hotels are increasingly in the headlines, as the government uses complaints about ‘Hotel Britain’ to justify its increasingly hostile plans around asylum.…
Across the country, tens of thousands of people seeking asylum are being housed by the Home Office in hotels for months or years on end while they are waiting for their asylum claim to be processed. Hotels vary in quality, location and access to services. In all of them, people…
Context On 13 December 2022 the Prime Minister announced in parliament that the Home Office’s asylum legacy backlog would be cleared by the end of 2023. All the asylum claims in the legacy backlog were made in the UK before 28 June 2022 when certain provisions in the Nationality and…
To the Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, We are 5 unaccompanied young people from Sudan seeking asylum in Manchester. We want to tell you about how we’re feeling seeing what is happening in Sudan. We miss our families in Sudan and we’re very worried about them. We have no idea where…
Yesterday Manchester showed up in St Peter’s Square in the rain (of course) to say it loud and say it clear, refugees are welcome here! On the day this government’s Illegal Migration Bill was being pulled apart in the House of Lords – by the Archbishop of Canterbury who called…
Join us next week in Manchester to show that our city welcomes refugees. GMIAU is demonstrating to show our solidarity with people seeking safety and our opposition to the government’s attack on their rights. We hope as many people as possible will join us. The government’s “Illegal Migration Bill”, which…
The Migrant Destitution Fund (MDF) supports people across Greater Manchester with monthly cash grants of £80 when they find themselves destitute due to their immigration status. Since 2020 they have given out over 2,500 grants totalling £215k to people who have no right to work and no recourse to public…
The Windrush Legal Initiative received some good news recently: Chantelle, who lawyers have been supporting with her claim for compensation, learned that she’d been successful and would receive substantial compensation. It’s a milestone for us: the first full decision the Windrush Legal Initiative has seen. Today, April 17th, also marks…
Write to your MP to tell them that Greater Manchester welcomes refugees and stands against the cruel new Refugee Ban Bill. The government is currently in the process of destroying the asylum system as we know it, with their “Illegal Migration Bill” (dubbed the Refugee Ban Bill). Pushing it…
GMIAU is conducting pre-litigation research into the Home Office delays experienced by unaccompanied children seeking asylum. We’re asking professionals who work in our sector to help us by completing a survey about what these children are experiencing, in order to get a fuller sense of what is happening around the…
Today Suella Braverman announced the government’s latest plans in their assault on the right to seek safety in the UK. Rather than address any of the glaring issues in its failing asylum system – huge delays, dangerous and inappropriate accommodation, and abdication of responsibilities to children – the government once…
What has been announced? On 23 February 2023 the Home Office announced new streamlining plans to cut its asylum backlog of ‘legacy’ claims – 92,000 people who asked for protection in the UK before 28 June 2022, when certain provisions in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 came into force.…
We have a strong tradition in the North West of looking out for each other and for the importance of fair play. This shows itself in us taking care of our neighbours and people in our communities when times are hard, when tragedy strikes and when other people try and…
Two weeks ago GMIAU’s Community Organiser Fatou and her fellow action group member MaryAnne attended a conference in London facilitated by Migrant Voice: ‘A better deal for migrants: Campaigning for a fairer visa and settlement process’. It was an opportunity to meet lots of people in person – some of…
On Saturday February 18th, the Guardian reported that children missing from Home Office-run hotels in the south of England have been found being criminally exploited on our doorstep in north Manchester, as well as in other locations around the country. The responsibility for harm done to these children lies with…
Childcare provision is a hugely important service, essential in giving parents freedom and choice as to working and supporting their families. It’s also a hot topic at the moment – with Conservative MPs pushing the government to reconsider ditching Liz Truss’ proposed childcare changes and the Treasury reportedly considering expanding…
By Fatou Jinadu, GMIAU’s Community Organiser My name is Fatou and I am the Community Organiser at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit. I started this role in February 2022. This blog is about our experience setting up an action group for people in the North West with lived experience of…
Last month, on the 15th of December, an important High Court judgement made in Manchester found that the Home Secretary had been in breach of her statutory duties for several months by failing to increase asylum support to the legal level required for people to avoid destitution. This is an unusual…
Despite EU citizens in the UK being told by Boris Johnson “”you will get the absolute certainty of the rights to live and remain” here after Brexit, and by Sajid Javid that the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) will make it “simple and straightforward [….] for EU citizens and their families…
This is a short briefing from GMIAU and Migrants Organise for immigration solicitors, caseworkers and support workers. Its purpose is to flag that the government’s guidance for reporting conditions was updated earlier this year (May 2022) and that if you are working with people who are reporting in person, you…
Read our new report published today. Afran is 17 years old. He is Kurdish, and arrived in the UK this year after a month-long journey from Iran. Having crossed the Channel in a small boat, arriving in Dover wet, freezing and sick, he hoped to be treated with compassion. Any…
It’s understood that the former Home Secretary, Priti Patel, had in her office a whiteboard setting out the priorities of the department, with Windrush very close to the bottom. And her time in charge of the Home Office made it abundantly clear that her primary concerns, rather than providing any…
We’re hiring an Team Assistant. This post will be based in our Manchester office, providing administrative support to our team. If you have direct experience of immigration or asylum, we particularly want you to apply. We’re committed to support you to develop in this role and if you want to…
We’re hiring an Immigration Solicitor or Senior Caseworker to strengthen our team. This post will be based in Manchester (with some remote working) providing legal immigration advice and representation to people across North West England. You will conduct immigration and asylum casework within a team of advisers and representatives and…
Research by the National Children’s Bureau into our work with young people leaving care and their local authorities, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, was published today. We wanted to ensure the local authority identified children and young people whose immigration status was insecure, and supported them to access advice…
GMIAU has been awarded funding by the Strategic Legal Fund (SLF) to research the delays in the asylum system, with a particular focus on young people. This builds on our earlier work highlighting the impact of delays on children and young people – in our March 2021 report which showed a deterioration in the…
This is an account by someone we are supporting at GMIAU to apply for compensation through the Windrush Legal Initiative. I live in Essex. I came here in 1961 from India. My father was a civil engineer, he came here to work on the railways. The liner was supposed…
Four years on, and with Windrush survivors still experiencing barriers to compensation, more legal support is available. On 22 June, to mark the annual Windrush Day, we are raising awareness of the free legal support available to help more than 11,000 survivors of the Windrush scandal. The programme aims to…
In August 2021, the Greater Manchester Patients Not Passports coalition called for signatures to an open letter to the NHS Trusts in Greater Manchester, alongside the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. It called for support in ensuring that everyone has access to healthcare, regardless of…
Today we are publishing a new report – ‘”Living in constant fear”: The impact of reporting conditions on children, young people and families in Greater Manchester.’ Click here to download our report. Part of the Hostile Environment, reporting is a system of immigration control imposed on people, requiring them to…
On 3 April 2019, the Windrush Compensation Scheme (“WCS”) was launched. Since this time the end date has been lifted, the level of awards increased from a derisory level, preliminary payments have been made available and the application forms have been frequently adapted, yet the WCS remains unfit for purpose.…
Last week, GMIAU Policy Officer Rivka gave evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee as part of their inquiry, Equality and the UK Asylum Process. The evidence session focused on access to services for vulnerable people in the asylum process: financial support, accommodation, healthcare, children’s services and education. Here’s a…
In April 2021 JCWI, in partnership with eight leading law firms (Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Charles Russell Speechlys, Debevoise & Plimpton, Dechert, Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Taylor Wessing and White & Case) set up the Windrush Legal Initiative to provide advice and support for people to apply to the Windrush…
The government have announced today that they will introduce “offshore processing” of asylum claims by detaining people seeking asylum in Rwanda while they wait to have their claims decided. GMIAU wholeheartedly opposes these plans. The idea of “offshoring” the asylum process is dehumanising, degrading and an abdication of moral responsibility towards…
GMIAU is looking for two volunteers to assist us with our Refugee Family Reunion Project. More information about the Project can be found here. Volunteers will help to prepare family reunion applications and gather evidence in support of applications. The successful candidates will need to commit to one day or…
Those of us who have been following the progress of the Nationality and Borders Bill – also known as the #AntiRefugeeBill – were disappointed, if not surprised, to learn that it had been passed by the House of Commons last week. MPs voted down amendments by the House of Lords…
Fatou Jinadu is GMIAU’s new Community Organiser. Thanks to funding from the Justice Together Initiative, as part of work in collaboration with IPPR and Praxis, Fatou joined us in February. Previously, she has worked at Visit From the Stork CIC and as a community radio host. We caught up with…
As bombs fall on Ukraine and millions have been forced to flee their homes, the UK government have once again been called upon to step up and support people in need of refuge. Once again, they have failed. A spate of confusing, badly-organised visa schemes have been rushed through in…
Suzie, our Trainee Solicitor at GMIAU, has been reflecting on her first year working with us. She’s been at GMIAU since January 2021, supported by global law firm Skadden through the Justice First Skadden Trainee (JUST) Programme, which is administered by The Legal Education Foundation Justice First Fellowship scheme. We…
Below we have collated the information currently available about routes to safety in the UK for people fleeing Ukraine. The UK government response has been inadequate and unclear. We will update this page with new information when it is published. Last updated 30.03.22 Ukrainians need a visa to enter the…
As a crisis unfolds in Ukraine, the UK government’s response to people fleeing their homes is once again under scrutiny. They’re under pressure – the limited changes they have made to visa rules for people from Ukraine have been called “woefully inadequate” and “shameful”. At the same time, groups –…
Rupert Everett was a victim of the Windrush scandal. He had been living and working in the UK for over 50 years, since the age of 19. But his life was thrown into turmoil in 2015 when he was told by the Home Office that he would be removed from…
The Nationality and Borders Bill continues to move through Parliament. Since the announcement nearly a year ago of the “New Plan for Immigration”, which would become the Bill, we have written about the many issues that it will cause for the people we support in the North West. Recently we…
Today, we’re part of a coalition of campaign groups – Greater Manchester Patients Not Passports – who have delivered an open letter calling for an end to migrant charging in the NHS. The letter is addressed to local NHS Trusts, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and Andy Burnham,…
25 child and migrant rights organisations have written to key people involved in the safeguarding of children on their own in the UK seeking asylum. Collectively we are extremely concerned that without urgent action, delays in the asylum process are leaving children at significant risk of dying by suicide, self-harm and exploitation. This has been reported…
Last week in Parliament, the Nationality and Borders Bill passed through the House of Commons. The Anti-Refugee Bill is a cruel and punitive set of laws that breaches international law, means that people can be stripped of citizenship without being informed, that people seeking asylum could be housed in offshore…
Do you want to build relationships with people who have personal experience of immigration and asylum support people to organise and campaign about immigration injustices work within a committed team who will support you all the way You could be our new Community Organiser! Job Title Community Organiser Reports to…
In October, we were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Philip Jones. His is a huge loss to the community of LGBTQ+ people in Manchester seeking asylum. Through running the First Wednesday group as well as spending countless hours informally supporting individuals, his presence was a lifeline for…
We’re recruiting an Operations Director! This is an exciting opportunity to increase GMIAU’s management capacity so that we can maximise our impact in support of people living in north west England who are affected by the immigration system. The post-holder will be responsible for strengthening our internal processes, developing income…
Last week was a powerful reminder that, in the words of Jo Cox, “we are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us”. Little Amal arrived in the North West to an overwhelming welcome. A 3.5 metre tall puppet of a nine year-old girl,…
We’re hiring an Immigration Solicitor or Senior Caseworker to strengthen our team. This post will be based in Manchester (with some remote working) providing legal immigration advice and representation to people across North West England. This person will conduct immigration and asylum casework within a team of advisers and representatives.…
As the Taliban advanced on Kabul, we received increasing numbers of calls from people in communities across the North West. They were desperate for help for family members still in Afghanistan. Over the last five years we’ve worked with hundreds of people from Afghanistan. 75 were children on their own…
The government’s new Nationality and Borders Bill will criminalise the RNLI and Afghan women fleeing the Taliban. We need to throw it out. Here’s how. It is impossible to forget the scenes at Kabul airport this summer. Desperate husbands, wives, parents, daughters, sons, trying to save loved ones and flee…
Overnight on 1 July 2021, tens of thousands of people lost their right to be in the UK lawfully. Today we’ve published our new report exploring what’s happened in the weeks since the 30th June EU Settlement Scheme deadline and who in the North West has been left behind. The…
Who we are GMIAU are proud to be joining the campaign Greater Manchester Patients Not Passports (GMPNP) to end the Hostile Environment within the NHS. We have formed a coalition with local organisations Medact Manchester and Greater Manchester Keep Our NHS Public (GMKONP) to fight for equal access to healthcare, which has even more relevance during the current…
“Experiencing hair loss in addition to irritation and pain with her skin”; “developing a lack of trust”; “feeling worried the majority of the time”; “feeling forgotten”. These are the words of social workers, talking about the children they care for and how they are emotionally and physically falling apart because…
Back in March, our chief Executive Denise spoke to the Legal Education Foundation about her experiences of the pandemic and lockdowns. She said, “The last year has shown that the core of the organisation works. It isn’t about a building. It is based on communication.” Together, GMIAU staff took 3,097…
In 2019, the government launched the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) for European/EEA nationals living in the UK to safeguard their rights after Brexit immigration changes. It’s supposed to ensure that anyone who was in the UK before 31 December 2020 can secure their immigration status. The Prime Minister pledged to…
In our 2021 report, published last week, we looked at the impact of the Covid-19 on our work – its impact on us as an organisation and on the people we support throughout the North West. Looking at the period from March 2020-March 2021, we found that the pandemic and…
Today we’re publishing our 2021 Report: Covid-19 and the Hostile Environment in the North West of England. In the 12 months from March 2020, Covid-19 collided with the Government’s Hostile Environment policies to leave people across the North West facing poverty, domestic abuse, anxiety and immigration uncertainty. You can download…
A Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report published today reveals the appalling treatment of a member of the Windrush generation who was represented by GMIAU. Rupert Everett came to the UK aged 19, in the early 1960s. He lived and worked as an HGV driver for many years, had children…
This position is now closed. GMIAU is hiring a Project Worker! The main purpose of the post is to assist people who are in need as part of our project ‘Connecting People, Preventing Crisis’. Specifically, this includes people who are homeless and destitute, children and young people, people who have…
The past year and the Covid-19 pandemic has shone new light on the collective need to keep our communities safe. We’ve seen measures, like the Everyone In campaign, protect more people from destitution and homelessness than was thought politically possible. This is because it was understood that homelessness is a…
A wholesale attack on the right to seek safety in the UK Today we’ve submitted our evidence to the consultation on Priti Patel’s New Plan for Immigration. Based on over thirty years’ experience providing free immigration advice in the North West, we believe the ideas in the plan are rehashed,…
Written by GMIAU volunteer Challoner Zon When the Home Secretary describes impassioned anti-racism protests as “dreadful”, and a government commissioned race report belittles Black Lives Matter protesters as “idealistic”, we should all be worried. This is not a new perspective from the current government; it represents an escalation, another step…
Today, we published our new report, “Wasted childhoods: the impact of COVID-19 asylum delays on children in the North West of England”. We showed that children have been waiting well over a year to get a decision on their asylum claim. They came to the UK looking for safety, often…
Today we’ve published a new report, “Wasted childhoods: the impact of COVID-19 asylum delays on children in the North West of England”. You can download it here. Don’t have time to read the full report? Scroll down for our key findings and recommendations. It’s also been reported in the Guardian…
Today, March 23rd 2021, is the one year anniversary of the first UK lockdown. At the time, we packed up and left the office, thinking it would just be for a few weeks. And in the following months we began to reflect on what we could learn from this year…
In this post, we’re sharing information about the 2021 UK Census. People who are already vulnerable, like those with insecure immigration status, may be less likely to complete the census. But this means that not only are those people at risk of being fined – they’re at risk of being…
Denise McDowell, GMIAU’s Director, was interviewed as part of a blog series by the Legal Education Foundation. She spoke about the overwhelming early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when it became clear that we were facing “something bigger and different from anything we had experienced before”. Since then, flexibility from…
In this guest blog by Charlotte at The Booth Centre and Independent Homeless Partnership Coordinator Niall, they explain the Manchester Homeless Partnership. A joint approach between Manchester City Council, charities, businesses and volunteers is making sure people have a place to sleep. Severe cold weather can be a life-or-death situation…
A year ago today, Manchester City Council signed a pledge to its children and young people affected by Brexit immigration changes. The pledge set out three practical commitments so that Manchester’s “looked after children and care leavers will not become part of the next Windrush generation.” A year later, as we…
The NHS is vaccinating millions of people against Covid-19. But people with insecure immigration status, or no status at all, may incorrectly think that they can’t go to a doctor. You are entitled to register with a GP and receive the vaccine, regardless of your immigration status. You do…
In autumn 2018, we started talking to local authorities across the North West about how they support children in care and care leavers with insecure immigration status. Funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (alongside Bristol Refugee Rights, The Children’s Society and PAFRAS in Leeds, and South London Refugee Association) we…
We recently supported a young woman who is in the UK alone with two children. She’s supported by the local council, and until recently was living in a small hotel room with her children. Maria, GMIAU’s social worker, informed her that even though she has no recourse to public funds…
Year 9 students at the Co-op Academy Manchester have been exploring ideas of protest by writing about the refugee crisis in their English class. Inspired by Unicef’s story of Hiba, a Syrian refugee, they’ve written persuasive pieces arguing that the UK should welcome refugees. At GMIAU we loved reading these…
With the help of 123 wonderful donors, we met our £5,000 Crowdfunder target. Thank you!
The least children can ask is that they are believed and treated as children, not accused of lying about their age.
The least children can ask is that they are believed and treated as children, not accused of lying about their age.
This year lots of us have used reading as a distraction from the world around us. For much of 2020 it’s been the only way to escape – to have adventures, leave our houses and meet new people. Over the summer we wrote about the books people at GMIAU have…
This is part of our blog series about the journey taken and the barriers faced by children and young people who arrive alone in the UK to seek asylum. To help us continue our work with those young people, please support our Crowdfunder campaign. Our youth is formative. It’s the…
Today, leaders from Greater Manchester Combined Authority have issued an open statement expressing “profound concern” about the possibility of people seeking asylum being evicted from their accommodation. You can read their full statement here. In it, they say “…the reality for many is homelessness and destitution. The timing of this…
This is part of our blog series about the journey taken and the barriers faced by children and young people who arrive alone in the UK to seek asylum. To help us continue our work with those young people, please support our Crowdfunder campaign. Every child deserves to play safely…
The image exists in everyone’s mind – the rickety boats; the churning water; life-jacketed people; hopeful eyes searching for safety. Young people we support make this perilous journey across the channel on their own. But what is waiting for them once they reach land?
We’ve launched a campaign with support from Crowdfunder, based around our work with children and young people. We’d love it if you could support us. Young people seeking asylum in Greater Manchester need our help more than ever. We’re currently supporting around 200 children – that’s a quarter of our…
This month, Anwar Ditta featured on the Tell A Friend podcast, interviewed by Bryan Knight. It was a chance to hear an incredibly important story. Along with the Viraj Mendis Defence Campaign and others, Anwar’s campaign to be reunited with her children – who were born in Pakistan, while Anwar had been born in the UK – created the backdrop and momentum behind the setting up of GMIAU.
John Clegg’s family asked that donations be made to GMIAU in his memory. We’d like to thank all the people who generously donated. John Clegg, who was one of the key people involved in the origins and foundation of the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, died on Saturday 7th November 2020.…
From the 27th of October 2020 the Immigration Health Surcharge will increase from £400 to £624 per year. This price hike is unjust in the face of an economically destabilising pandemic, but is perfectly in step with the Home Office’s increasingly iniquitous attitude towards migrant healthcare. Although the Immigration Health…
Today GMIAU publishes a new report into the changes made to the immigration system due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 has self-evidently presented huge challenges for people trying to navigate the immigration system, as well as for the Home Office and the courts in carrying out their functions, and for…
In March, the UK government announced a pause in the evictions of people who had had their asylum applications refused (and who do not have an outstanding appeal). Now, this measure has been lifted and the government has announced that evictions will begin again. People who have been refused asylum…
Written by Maike Bohn, Co-founder, the3million This week, the House of Lords is debating an amendment to the immigration bill that is hugely important to the future of millions of EU citizens: to give everyone who needs it a physical proof of their right to live and work in the UK.…
Do you want to help end the Hostile Environment? Build your policy, influencing and communications experience? Support children, young people and families to speak out about their experiences of immigration control? Then come work for us! We are looking for someone to join us as our Policy Officer to help deliver…
This week, in a report examining immigration enforcement, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee concluded that the Home Office “does not make decisions based on evidence, it instead risks making them on anecdote, assumption, and prejudice.” It’s the latest in a string of reports released in the last three months…
Laura Gibbons, GMIAU’s Public Law Solicitor, explains the process of creating the four Young People’s Guides To Age Assessments with the All4One Youth Group.
On the 9th of September, we’re having an online launch. We’ll be publishing our four new guides to the Age Assessment process You can find more details about those materials below, which will be available on our website from the launch date.
Roxanne Nanton is an Age Dispute Advisor at the Refugee Council. Here she talks about her work supporting young people who have their ages disputed and acting as Appropriate Adult in age assessments.
Arman* was age disputed upon arrival to the UK from Iran. He was helped by a solicitor and his age was accepted. He has been granted refugee status and has moved on to independent living after turning 18 years old.
In this guest blog, practitioners at The Children’s Society describe their experiences supporting young people through the age assessments process, and how our guide will be useful. Unaccompanied young people come to the UK seeking safety and an opportunity to continue their lives.
These are the words of Hiwa*, a young person GMIAU supported, who came to the UK from Iran. He was detained following his age being disputed. A solicitor helped to secure his release from detention, and Hiwa subsequently had his age accepted.
You can register with a GP and access the Covid-19 vaccine regardless of your immigration status. Click here to learn more. We cannot advise on Covid-related travel restrictions and PCR testing for travel. Our advice line operates on Mondays AND Fridays from 9:30am to 1pm, and on Wednesdays from 12:30pm…
Applications are now open for the Justice First Fellowship, where you can apply for a training contract with GMIAU, This is an exciting opportunity to make a difference as a solicitor practicing in immigration law. We are looking for someone to join our team of 12 immigration caseworkers and solicitors…
We like books. It’s one of the things we talked about before lockdown when we were catching up over the tea round (on our floor: lots of coffee, an Earl Grey and a builders brew with a splash of milk) or standing around the office photocopier while it spewed out…
In 2019, our 30th birthday gave us a chance to look over some materials from our early days, from the founding of GMIAU in 1989. As we approach our 31st birthday, the events of 2020 have shed new light on our history and our role, then and now. The Covid-19…
What do you dream of? Here are Hanna’s dreams. She wants to study finance and accounting. She’s thinking about which universities – maybe Scotland or Wales. Time to get to know another part of the UK. She’s got big dreams. Of travel. Of soaking up learning like a sponge. It’s exciting.…
This week’s blog is expertly written by someone we support at GMIAU. For more information about the #LiftTheBan campaign, and the campaign’s newly released report, go to https://www.refugee-action.org.uk/ I want to speak with you. But I can’t tell you my name. I live in Greater Manchester. I’m a mum.I’m a doctor. I’m seeking asylum.The…
GMIAU featured in the Independent this week, as part of their reporting on the injustices faced by families trying to get appointments at visa centres. This leaves people who are legally allowed to be here – refugees and others with leave to remain – without documentation to prove it, meaning…
The 2019-21 Domestic Abuse Bill is currently moving through the Houses of Parliament, and is now in the Report stage. Various groups – like Safety4Sisters, Southall Black Sisters, the Latin American Women’s Rights Service, and the Step Up Migrant Women coalition – have spoken out about the inadequacies of the…
Anna, 15, is originally from Latvia. She came to the UK when she was 8 and has been in the care of children’s services for the past 3 years. She lives with foster carers in Greater Manchester. Marie, her social worker, was aware that Brexit might affect Anna’s situation but…
30 June 2021. One year today. The last day for our friends, family members and neighbours affected by Brexit immigration changes to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. The opening of the EU Settlement Scheme in March 2019 seems a world away. The bus stop posters with cups of tea,…
We wrote recently about lockdown providing “opportunities to make gains against the Hostile Environment that seemed wildly optimistic at the start of 2020” especially for last month’s low skilled migrants, re-branded as the essential keyworkers they always were. There are so many differences in our individual experiences of the last…
What is NRPF? Hundreds of people in Greater Manchester are living with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) conditions on their immigration status. It sounds like a technicality, added to a visa as an afterthought. In practice it is a brutal, racist, misogynistic and immoral part of the Hostile Environment.…
This week the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill – which will end EU free movement in the UK – faces scrutiny in the House of Commons as a group of selected MPs go through it line by line. For the government the Bill is all about exerting…
January feels like another world. Social distancing, shielding, self-isolation: words that weren’t part of our vocabulary as we began 2020, preoccupied with the brutality of the Hostile Environment and the government’s Brexit immigration plans. Instead, like everyone else, through February and March we scrambled to keep up with the impact…
COVID-19 has brought into sharp relief the truth that we are all in this together; no one is safe until we are all safe. There must be no going back to the divisive policies of austerity and the hostile environment after COVID-19. During the pandemic, essential measures to contain the…
GMIAU social media volunteer Max Goddard wrote this blog post, reflecting on the role of key workers in the Covid-19 crisis. When COVID-19 plunged our country into darkness, it was our key workers who stood tall with torches, ready to lead us to light. We do not know how long…
I grew up in a small village in Sudan. My dad had been taken from home to fight for the opposition when I was about 10. I never saw him again. I lived at home with my mum, brothers and sisters until I was arrested and detained because the police…
When I was about 14 I was brought to the UK by a relative. We had visitor’s visas and I thought we were going on holiday. Instead I was left with a large Ghanaian family I’d never met and ended up cleaning, cooking and looking after their children. I wasn’t…
COVID-19 has made it abundantly clear that the divisive politics of austerity and the hostile environment have left us all less safe and more vulnerable. There can be no going back to ‘business as usual’ after the pandemic: no more good migrant versus bad migrant, benefit claimant versus tax payer.…
2019 commemorates the 70th anniversary of Britain’s modern system of Legal Aid, inaugurated by Clement Attlee’s Labour Government in the wake of World War Two. This element of the ‘cradle to grave’ welfare system, based on the Beveridge Report recommendations, was to ensure that all had adequate access to fair…
On Saturday 16th November 2019 GMIAU held our Annual General Meeting. Thank you to all who attended and took part in the raffle which raised £95. GMIAU relies on donations and fundraising to keep services running. On a yearly basis we give advice and support to around 5000 people facing…
Today GMIAU has released a new report “Not so straightforward” about the experiences of children in care and care leavers in Greater Manchester affected by Brexit immigration changes. In spring 2019, bus stops around Greater Manchester started to carry posters – with pictures of cups of tea on – advising…
We are recruiting. Help Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit by becoming a Trustee. Do you believe that every person who claims asylum in the UK has the right to a rapid, fair and humane assessment of their claim? Do you believe that someone who is newly arrived from another country,…
30 years ago, GMIAU was set up by ardent campaigners after lobbying Greater Manchester councils. Originally based in Manchester Town Hall with 4 workers, GMIAU has supported many thousands of people subject to immigration control to achieve settlement and security and fight the barriers of hostile immigration laws, media rhetoric…
Young people from our All4One youth group have written #SixThings. It’s their ‘how to’ guide for local authority staff and others about the support they need as young people in care affected by immigration control. All those who wrote it are on their own in the UK, seeking asylum and…
Declaration is a mixed media music and video performance and digital art installation led by artist Kooj Chuhan and composer Tagné Tebu. It focuses on jazz improvisation but incorporates improvisatory approaches from India, Africa, Middle East. Improvisatory approaches will drive narrative development and the video projection to reflect the respective…
Last month one of our solicitors – Nadia Hussain – was invited to speak at the Inspirational Women of the Law event at Newcastle Law School. The day celebrated the achievements of iconic and influential women who have a strong connection to the law, including legal practitioners, judges and campaigners.…
Several weeks ago, we were contacted by Manchester music and art collective Levelz to let us know that they were putting on a fundraiser to raise money to help us continue fighting for migrant rights, as part of efforts to raise awareness for the Windrush Campaign. An all-star Mancunian lineup…
We are looking for someone to work in our Liverpool office on Bold Street. The post: Administrator The hours: 14 hours per week The pay: £17,972 (pro rata for 14 hours). The main duties include: maintaining files and filing systems, photocopying, faxing and general duties such as contacting clients, and…
To read more about Rosie’s experiences with our Refugee Family Reunion project, please download the below document.
People who claim asylum in the UK, and are either recognised as refugees or given humanitarian protection, are able to apply for their separated family members to join them. The UK’s Immigration Rules allow married or civil partners, same-sex partners and children aged 17 or under to apply to reunite…
We’ve advocated for the rights of over 1,000 people in 2018, ensuring access to safety and the chance to begin to build a new life in the North West. As we look towards the coming year, we know that there are so many more battles ahead. We are proud to…
I left Malawi because of my family. After my husband died my father wanted me to marry…
Solicitor’s at GMIAU have now put together a full report with insights in to the lessons learned so far from the Windrush Scandal, and how the Home Office have responded to it. It is intended to provide insight in to the legal aspects of how members of the Windrush generation…
As part of our commitment to assisting the next generation of social welfare lawyers, we had Dylan, a student of International and European Law at The Hague, Netherlands, complete a two week placement last month. Here is what he had to say about the experience. “I spent two weeks at…
Windrush compensation scheme consultation Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit is a voluntary organisation who have been supporting people subject to immigration control for over 25 years. We deal mainly with asylum and human rights cases but have also dealt with a number of ‘Windrush’ cases. We have highlighted below some…
Cuts to legal aid for immigration issues mean members of the Windrush generation may be denied justice as they try to settle their status and rebuild their lives, the Law Society of England and Wales warned today. Law Society president Joe Egan said: “As far too many people who came…
Following the most recent developments from the Home Office regarding the legal status of those within the Windrush Generation, we have now included a section on our website which outlines as simply as possible our advice on how to proceed. You can access this by clicking here. We will be…
Apology In the face of growing pressure, after the Prime Minister’s office had originally declined a meeting, Theresa May apologised to Caribbean leaders today for the treatment of Windrush citizens and stated that “Those who arrived from the Caribbean before 1973 and lived here permanently without significant periods of time…
Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraising appeal to raise vital funds for GMIAU’s destitution project (ASHA). ASHA (Asylum Support Housing Advice) is a very busy service which helps people who are seeking asylum or who have been refused and are facing destitution and homelessness and sees over 1000…
Experienced Immigration Solicitor/Caseworker Level 2 GMIAU is seeking to recruit a committed and experienced immigration caseworker with proven experience of providing advice and representation in immigration, asylum, and human rights cases. For an informal discussion about the post please contact Denise McDowell, Director, on 0161 769 8822 or via denise@gmiau.org.…
We are pleased to announce the launch of our inaugural impact report, published earlier this year in November 2017. Our report is intended to shine a light on some of the work that our dedicated team of staff and volunteers complete on a daily basis, as well as highlighting some…
I have four children and my mother also lives close by. Before we came here, our life was very, very good and the children were in a good school. I had a career as an engineer. Suddenly everything changed. I had to keep my children safe and we had no…
I first came to the UK in 2006. It was very difficult in Zimbabwe, the people who were supposed to help you would attack you. It was difficult to know who to trust. It was very, very difficult. My wife and child got their leave to remain in the UK…
The All4One group was set up to create a safe social space for children and young people between the ages of 13 and 21 who are seeking asylum or have been trafficked, and are living on their own in Manchester. The group meets monthly for fun activities, trips and events.…
A study of the experiences of children from the Calais ‘jungle’, now claiming asylum in the North West of England, shows why we must speak up for refugees during the election campaign. The door into Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit is on the corner of two busy roads near a…
Our policy officer has prepared a background paper for the work we are doing with children from the Calais camp. The paper provides information on the following headings: Context How can children in Calais/France enter the UK? What is the Dublin III regulation? What is the Dubs Amendment? What is…
At GMIAU we continue to make the case for Letting More Dubs Children In. Thank you to everyone who has helped spread the message. News that the camp at Grande-Synthe outside Dunkirk was destroyed by a fire in April only demonstrated the urgent need for children to have access to…
GMIAU director Denise McDowell was recently invited by the University of Manchester to work with a Student Group on the module – The Anthropology of Development and Humanitarianism. The students presented their research on the subject of “how anthropology can help to think about the issue of refugees and people…
The announcement by government that they are to stop the scheme to bring vulnerable lone refugee children to the UK under the Dubs amendment to the Immigration Act 2016 has shocked and outraged many of us. The government seeks to blame local authorities. However, many believe that the government failed…
It was a bittersweet evening as Trustees, staff, volunteers and students gathered to thank Rev Andy Braunston for his outstanding leadership and valuable contributions made over the last decade as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit. Through thick and thin Andy was a strategic…
Why are there children from the Calais camp in the North West? For over 15 years there have been transit camps in the French city of Calais, where people have gathered to cross the channel to the UK. Many of those who enter the UK from the Calais camp are…
Families in the UK that open their doors to child relatives fleeing the camps of Calais are being penalised by stringent rules on legal aid. It was a cold winter day last year and the small waiting room at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit is cramped as usual with clients…
The Legal Education Foundation’s innovative Justice First Fellowship has passed an important milestone, with its first ever intake of fellows qualifying as solicitors. The nine solicitor Fellows who joined the then embryonic scheme in 2014 completed their legal training at some of the country’s leading social welfare organisations, including Public…
Calais children need a lawyer: social workers in contact with children from the Calais camp must make sure they have access to an immigration lawyer. Which children are we talking about? Small numbers of children from the camp in Calais are coming to the UK because they have family members…
Peter is a young man from Zimbabwe. A victim of the country’s economic crisis, he was forced to try and make a living by illegally panning for gold. He was not interested in politics, but his four childhood friends were all members of the MDC. As a result, he was…
In Uganda it is illegal to be gay. At the moment the maximum is 14 years and it is on course to be the death penalty. That is what I was running away from. My partner and I were put in prison, but it is a corrupt country so my…
Nasrin is from Iran. When she was 21, she came under pressure from her family to marry. She did not want to marry, preferring to pursue a career, but felt she had no choice – women do not have many options in Iran. Nasrin’s husband was violent to her from…
We left Iran because of my mother’s problems. I was only thirteen but I got the vibes that there is no free speech, no equality of men and women, differences in the legal terms that apply to men and women. She had issues with my Dad who was really part…
Mohamed is from Somalia. He fled the civil war that has been going on there since 1991. He is a member of a small clan, which cannot protect itself from the larger clans who are in control. Mohamed was lucky – he was granted refugee status by the Home Office.…
I left the Democratic Republic of Congo because of my involvement with a dissident newspaper. (There is no freedom of the press in DRC). I had an internet cafe and they were using my machines to type. I was hosting that group in my office without knowing what the risk…
Josephine was only 6 years old when both her parents were killed in Angola’s civil war. She is from Cabinda, which is a part of Angola which is seeking independence and has been the scene of a long running conflict as a result. Josephine cannot remember exactly what happened to…
I left Malawi because of my family. After my husband died my father wanted me to marry my husband’s brother because he was in business with him. At the end of the day it was like inheriting his brother’s possessions and it suited him that my brother-in- law was taking…
We understand that there is widespread concern about the outcome of the EU Referendum. There are already increased reports of racism and hate crime. Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit exists to support anyone who is subject to immigration control and to oppose racism in all its forms. This is a…