LET 1100 FAMILIES STAY

Positive Action in Housing has launched an information campaign in response to the Home Office’s review of 1100 asylum seeking families living in Scotland whose claims have been rejected.

The aim of the campaign is to ensure ‘legacy’ families get their lawyers to make fresh representations to the Home Office taking into consideration factors like length of time in the UK and ‘integration’ into Scottish society.

Robina Qureshi, director, Positive Action in Housing, said:

‘In Scotland we now have families who have been living here for over six years and are part and parcel of Scottish society and whose children are born and/or brought up here, and settled at schools and in the local community.

‘The newly formed Borders & Immigration Authority says they will look at each rejected ‘legacy’ case based on length of time in the UK, and evidence of integration.

‘This is the closest we are going to get to fighting for an amnesty for the 1100 families who have been here. So we have been working with asylum lawyers to identify how asylum seekers can best help themselves, for example, gathering petitions, or letters of support from churches, charities etc.

‘Our information campaign aims to make families aware of the possibility of pushing for their cases to be considered by the Border & Immigration Authority and taking these factors into account.

‘The leaflet will be circulated by volunteers over the next two weeks to all communities where asylum seeker families are mainly resident, in particular, Springburn, Pollokshaws, Kingsway, Govan, Shettleston, Anniesland/Drumchapel, Gorbals, Maryhill, and Kennishead’

Notes:

1 The two page leaflet can be downloaded from this link:
http://paih.org/IMPORTANT%20INFORMATION%20FOR%20FAMILIES%20SEEKING%20ASYLUM%20IN%20SCOTLAND.pdf

2 On March 20, 2007, Education Minister Hugh Henry made a public plea to the Home Office on behalf of “legacy” cases involving children who were integrated into communities. (http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.1280691.0.0.php)

3 On March 29, 2007, First Minister Jack McConnell stated that the Scottish Executive were in talks with the Home Office to look again at long-running cases involving children who have grown up in Scotland. Mr McConnell said he wanted a “sensitive” approach to be taken in such cases. He said he expected many families would be allowed to remain. Speaking at First Minister’s Question Time, Mr McConnell said many youngsters in this situation now regarded themselves as Scots. “That is why I believe that those legacy cases, as they are known, are so important.” He went on: “We have received a commitment from Home Office ministers that they will be properly looked at and I welcome that commitment. I want to ensure that in implementing that commitment due care is taken in relation to the futures of those young people because of their contribution to our schools.” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6507091.stm )

4 On 3 April, Lin Homer, BIA’s chief executive, said the review of legacy[1] cases would consider “a range of factors in deciding whether people could remain in the country on a case-by-case basis. This would include how long people had been in Scotland, whether they had obeyed the law, whether they had been honest in their asylum applications and whether the merits of their original case had changed” (http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1303151.0.0.php)

Positive Action in Housing is a Scotland-wide anti racist charity based in Glasgow. We work with communities and others to enable everyone to have an equal chance to live in good quality, affordable and safe homes, free from discrimination and the fear of racial harassment and violence. Our day-to-day work includes an advice & information service for those facing homelessness, destitution, harassment and poverty; a volunteering programme, antiracist campaigns, policy development, training and best practice guidance for tenants, advice workers, housing providers and others. www.paih.org

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[1] Those decided before the introduction of a new fast-track asylum system.