Call for fairness not fares in our asylum system

Refugee ActionA new Home Office rule could force asylum seekers to travel to Liverpool if they want to submit new evidence for their case. What’s more, there won’t be any help for those who can’t afford the journey.  Sign our petition to fight this.

What’s changed?

At Refugee Action, we work with people who’ve experienced the very worst of the asylum system. Many are exploited by inadequate legal advisors. They are disbelieved by the Home Office. And they are left destitute and homeless, even when they’ve later been found to have a genuine need for protection.

In a system that’s so tough to navigate, the right to make a fresh claim – to present new evidence that will help your case, which you might not have originally had or known was relevant – is vital to ensuring people’s safety. But for many people seeking protection, that right is about to be taken away.

Under the new rules, asylum seekers will only be able to submit new evidence for their case if they can travel to Liverpool and do so in person.  There will be no travel expenses provided to help people do this. Most asylum seekers, who live on a tiny amount of support because they aren’t allowed to work, won’t be able to afford this journey.

To stop someone making their case for protection like this is just wrong. The Home Office is trying to save money at the expense of people’s right to seek safety. Their arbitrary changes undermine our asylum system, and place undue pressure on the city of Liverpool – a community which already welcomes and protects its fair share of refugees.

What can you do?

1. Sign our petition – and when we share our concerns with the Home Office, we’ll share your name too.

2. Donate the cost of a journey from Manchester (where our Increasing Asylum Justice project is based) to Liverpool.  If the new rules are put into place, this project will need to pay for thirty individuals to make this journey (£11.50 per person for a return coach trip) – a cost it cannot currently meet.

3. Tweet your supportHere’s a tweet you can use:

Forcing asylum seekers to travel to Liverpool to submit evidence is cruel & unnecessary. Call for #fairnessnotfares
bit.ly/1y7wZzN

We recently heard that the new rules are being deferred – but we don’t know how long the delay will last.  The delay is a valuable chance to let more people know about the changes and how harmful they will be to people seeking safety. Please help us spread the word by signing and sharing now.

 http://www.refugee-action.org.uk/support_us/campaign/join_a_campaign/1414_call_for_fairness_not_fares_in_our_asylum_system