Seeking Refuge? - Rights of Women
Seeking Refuge? - Rights of Women
Seeking Refuge? - Rights of Women
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that you are prepared to take steps to leave the<br />
UK. The basis <strong>of</strong> your claim for financial support is<br />
your fresh claim.<br />
Once your fresh claim is accepted by the UK Border<br />
Agency (this means that they agree that it contains<br />
new and relevant information and they are now<br />
deciding whether you are entitled to protection),<br />
you will then be entitled to Asylum Support, which<br />
consists <strong>of</strong> cash payments and accommodation. For<br />
more information about financial support for<br />
asylum-seekers, see Chapter 11.<br />
How will my fresh claim be<br />
decided?<br />
Once you have made a fresh claim, you have to<br />
wait for a decision to be made on it by the UK<br />
Border Agency. There is no timescale for dealing<br />
with these applications, so it is impossible to say<br />
how long it will take for a decision to be made on<br />
your case. The fact that your claim is accepted as<br />
a fresh claim does not mean that you will be<br />
granted protection in the UK. The law that will be<br />
considered when deciding your fresh claim is the<br />
same as the law that applies to other asylum<br />
applications. For further information about this,<br />
see Chapter 2.<br />
What happens if the UK Border<br />
Agency does not accept my<br />
fresh claim?<br />
If the UK Border Agency refuses to accept that the<br />
new information you provide amounts to a fresh<br />
claim, then you can challenge that decision by<br />
judicial review. This is a very complex area <strong>of</strong> law,<br />
so you will need to seek legal advice.<br />
What happens if my fresh claim<br />
is refused?<br />
If your fresh claim is refused, you will have a new<br />
right <strong>of</strong> appeal against the decision to an<br />
Immigration Judge at the Asylum and Immigration<br />
Tribunal. This is a very complex area <strong>of</strong> law, so you<br />
will need to seek legal advice. For further<br />
information about appeals, see Chapter 8.<br />
Things to remember<br />
• If you have made a claim for asylum that has<br />
been finally refused, but you have new<br />
information that:<br />
o has not already been considered; and<br />
o taken together with the previously<br />
considered material, creates a realistic<br />
prospect <strong>of</strong> success;<br />
you may have a fresh asylum claim.<br />
• If you make a fresh asylum claim, you can apply<br />
for financial support.<br />
• If you make a fresh claim that is accepted by<br />
the UK Border Agency, they will have to make a<br />
new decision on your case. If they refuse to<br />
grant you protection in the UK, you will have a<br />
new right to appeal against that decision.<br />
Support organisations<br />
For legal information and advice on immigration<br />
and asylum law, see:<br />
• Anti-Trafficking Legal Project (ATLeP)<br />
• Asylum Aid (includes the <strong>Refuge</strong>e <strong>Women</strong>’s<br />
Resource Project)<br />
• Community Legal Advice<br />
• Immigration Advisory Service<br />
• Immigration Lawyers Practitioners Association<br />
• <strong>Refuge</strong>e and Migrant Justice (formerly the<br />
<strong>Refuge</strong>e Legal Centre)<br />
• <strong>Rights</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Women</strong><br />
For information about Asylum Support law and<br />
appeals at the Asylum Support Tribunal, contact<br />
the Asylum Support Appeal Project.<br />
If you want to discuss an asylum support problem<br />
with someone, contact your local One Stop<br />
Service such as:<br />
• <strong>Refuge</strong>e Action<br />
• <strong>Refuge</strong>e Council<br />
• Migrant Helpline<br />
• North <strong>of</strong> England <strong>Refuge</strong>e Service<br />
• Welsh <strong>Refuge</strong>e Council<br />
For information about returning to your country<br />
<strong>of</strong> origin, see:<br />
• Choices<br />
• International Organisation for Migration.<br />
See Chapter 12 at the end <strong>of</strong> this book for the<br />
contact details <strong>of</strong> these, and other useful<br />
organisations.<br />
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