Please fill in one of our online advice forms to get advice from GMIAU.

We are extremely busy and have very limited capacity to take on cases. We cannot promise to take on any cases, but we will respond to all requests for help and give advice if we can.

We also have self help resources to help people navigate the system themselves where they can. Please see our legal resources session.

Yes, advice from GMIAU is always free of charge. Anyone asking for money to help you get advice from GMIAU – for example by filling out our advice form – is a scammer.

The only way to request legal advice from GMIAU is through our online advice forms. If you come to our office without an appointment, you will be directed to the online form.

Our destitution team may be able to help in the office if you are destitute because of your immigration status (for example, if you have been refused asylum or have no legal status).

Please see the next question if you are struggling to fill out the form on your own.

Our online form takes about 10 minutes to complete. We know that filling in our advice form may be difficult for some people. You can ask a professional at another organisation, or trusted friends and family, to help you.

Include as much information in the form as you can. If we need more information we will get in touch with you.

We can help with:

• Children and young people seeking asylum

• Children in care with insecure immigration status

• People at risk of domestic abuse

• People affected by the Windrush scandal

• Indefinite leave to remain applications for refugees

• Private and family life applications

• Advice for people on Health and Care worker visas

• People experiencing or at risk of homelessness or destitution who have no recourse to public funds

We cannot take on new cases, but we can advise on:

• New asylum claims or appeals for adults

• Refugee family reunion

We are unlikely to be able to help with:

• Issues with work visas except Health and Care Worker visas

• Issues with spouse visas (unless you are at risk of domestic abuse)

• Issues with student visas

• British citizenship or passport applications for adults

• Visitor visas

• Sponsorship visas

• We are unlikely to be able to assist you if you have financial means that exceed the limit for Legal Aid.

If you fill in an advice form someone will always get back to you as soon as possible. They may ask you for more information, give you some legal advice, or signpost to other organisations or resources that can help you. Please remember that we have very limited capacity and we cannot take on the majority of cases that are referred to us.

Yes, at GMIAU we can help people with no immigration status. We cannot promise to take on your case, but there may be options for you. Please fill in our advice form and someone will get back to you.

You will need to apply to renew your visa. Usually, you can do this in the 28 days before your leave to remain expires. It is important to apply before your leave expires.

If your previous visa was on the basis of your family life, see our legal resource on family life applications.

If you need to renew your visa but you cannot afford the fees, you may be able to apply for a fee waiver. See our legal resource on fee waivers. As long as you apply for your fee waiver before your leave to remain expires, you will keep your leave and your rights to work and rent until a decision is made on your fee waiver. Then you need to make the full application.

If you need to renew your visa but you are struggling with the application, you can fill in our advice form and we may be able to advise.

If your visa has already expired, fill in our advice form.

Yes, if the Home Office has refused your asylum claim, you can appeal. You must do this within 14 days of the Home Office decision. Please see Right to Remain’s toolkit for their guide on asylum appeals.

If you have missed the 14-day deadline, you can submit an “out of time appeal”, but you will need to explain and evidence why you were unable to appeal before the deadline.

At GMIAU we can advise on asylum appeals but we are unlikely to be able to take on your case.

If you are destitute or facing homelessness, our team may be able to help you. Please see our Homelessness and Crisis page for more information and to fill in our advice form.

If you have no recourse to public funds and you are destitute or struggling to afford to support your children, you may be able to apply to have the no recourse to public funds condition lifted. You will only be eligible if you have a certain type of leave to remain based on your human rights. Please see our No Recourse to Public Funds information sheet for how to apply.

Please see NRPF Network for more information on the rights and entitlements of people with no recourse to public funds.

The options for refugees to bring their family to the UK have become more limited since refugee family reunion was suspended in 2025. For the options still available, including the general family migration route, please see our Refugee Family Reunion information sheet.

Discontinuations of support

People receiving positive asylum decisions are given 42 days’ notice to leave their accommodation from the date of the asylum decision. This includes a minimum of 28 days from the date of the asylum support discontinuation letter.
People receiving negative decisions are given 21 days from the date of the decision.
If someone is on section 4 support, then their notice period is 14 days.
Asylum support may be terminated for other reasons, but there is a right of appeal.

Please see our Asylum Support Discontinuations and Homelessness information sheet for more information.

Dispersal

“Dispersal” is when your asylum support continues but you are moved to a different accommodation, which could be in a different area. If the Home Office tries to move you and you don’t agree to move they call this a “failure to travel”. If this happens to you, GMIAU may be able to help – please fill in our advice form.
You can also see Right to Remain’s guide on Dispersal for more information.

If you are destitute or facing homelessness, our team may be able to help you. Please see our Homelessness and Crisis page for more information and to fill in our advice form.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, please use our Domestic Abuse advice form.

If you are a dependent on a spouse visa, we can help you apply for:

• the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MDVAC), to get three months’ status with access to benefits to leave your situation

• indefinite leave to remain for people who have status in the UK as a dependant and had to leave the relationship due to domestic abuse.

For more information on how to make this kind of application yourself please see our Domestic Abuse information sheet.

No, we are not able to advise on benefits or council tax exemptions.

Please contact Greater Manchester Law Centre or your local Citizens Advice for advice.

No, we are not able to help with divorce, custody or family law.

Please see Citizens Advice for family law advice.

No, we are not able to help with passport applications.

Please see the government website for how to apply for a British passport.