Home Secretary: EU Settlement Scheme is performing well – Home Office

‘Home Secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed that more than 750,000 applications have now been received for the EU Settlement Scheme.’

Full press release

Home Office, 30th May 2019

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Secret ‘Torture Loophole’ Raises Serious Questions For Government, MP David Davis And Barrister Say – Rights Info

‘The government must be asked “serious questions” on how a secret policy allowing ministers to approve actions that could lead to torture was signed off, a leading QC and Tory MP have said.’

Full Story

Rights Info, 20th May 2019

Source: rightsinfo.org

Arriva takes UK to court over East Midlands rail franchise – The Guardian

‘Chris Grayling’s embattled transport ministry faces a second legal challenge over the way the East Midlands rail franchise was awarded, from Arriva Rail, owned by Germany’s state-backed Deutsche Bahn.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 12th May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office abandons six-month target for asylum claim decisions – The Guardian

‘The Home Office is scrapping its target of processing most asylum claims within six months, the Guardian has learned. Human rights lawyers expressed alarm at the news, saying the number of vulnerable asylum seekers facing delays in having their claims processed could become even worse than its current level.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 7th May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

This week’s round up – Williamson fired over Huawei and the courts return after Easter – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Despite the return of the courts on Monday, it was another relatively light week in terms of decisions in the fields of public law and human rights. However, the High Court decided a number of interesting clinical negligence cases, whilst the Court of Appeal gave judgement in the case of TM (Kenya), R (On the Application Of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] EWCA Civ 784.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 7th May 2019

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Home Office faces investigation over Windrush scandal from equalities watchdog – The Independent

‘The Home Office has been referred to the equalities watchdog over the Windrush scandal and the wider “hostile environment”. More than 80 MPs from six political parties have called on the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to investigate whether the department unlawfully discriminated against the Windrush generation and continues to discriminate against ethnic minority Britons as a “direct result” of its immigration policies.’

Full Story

The Independent, 1st May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office chaos and incompetence lead to unlawful detentions, claim whistleblowers – The Guardian

‘Chaos, incompetence and bullying of Home Office employees is resulting in failed deportations and the unlawful detention of vulnerable and desperate people, whistleblowers allege.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 28th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office faces legal action over English test cheating claims – The Guardian

Posted April 26th, 2019 in appeals, deportation, fraud, government departments, immigration, news, statistics, visas by sally

‘The Home Office is facing over 300 court of appeal legal challenges from foreign students who believe they were wrongly accused of cheating in English tests, and dozens more cases are pending in immigration tribunals.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 26th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

High court suspends Home Office policy limiting support for slavery victims – The Guardian

‘A high court judge has suspended a Home Office policy that cuts off after six weeks all statutory support to slavery victims in the UK, ruling that it risks causing “irreparable harm to very vulnerable individuals”.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 17th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

I’m still at a loss’: Windrush victims who were forced into homelessness and debt due to scandal still living in anguish and destitution a year on – The Independent

‘On 16 April 2018, Amber Rudd – then home secretary – stood up in the House of Commons to formally acknowledge the Windrush scandal for the first time. The treatment of immigrants by her department’s “hostile environment” was appalling, she said, vowing to deal with cases within two weeks and put things right. But exactly one year later, the suffering goes on. Many are yet to receive a response to their application to the taskforce, leaving them in a “state of limbo” with little or no information about how their case is progressing.’

Full Story

The Independent, 16th April 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Government immigration database ‘deeply sinister’, say campaigners – The Guardian

‘The Home Office is developing a database that could provide quick immigration checks to outside organisations amid criticism from campaigners, who call it “deeply sinister” and say it could amount to a “secret digital ID system”.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 10th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush: Home Office admits data breach in compensation scheme – BBC News

‘The Home Office has admitted breaching data protection rules when it launched the Windrush compensation scheme.’

Full Story

BBC News, 8th April 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Home Office limit on support for slavery victims may be unlawful, court rules – The Guardian

‘A high court judge has ruled that Home Office policy to cut off all statutory support to people six weeks after they have been formally identified as victims of slavery is potentially unlawful, ordering that assistance must immediately be extended.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 29th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government backs down over ‘myth-busting’ guide on child protection – The Guardian

‘The government has withdrawn a controversial document that claims some statutory protections for vulnerable children are “myths”, after a charity launched an application for judicial review, the Guardian has learned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 24th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office refuses Christian convert asylum by quoting Bible passages that ‘prove Christianity is not peaceful’ – The Independent

Posted March 21st, 2019 in asylum, Christianity, government departments, immigration, news, statistics by sally

‘The Home Office has refused asylum to a Christian convert by quoting Bible passages which it says prove Christianity is not a peaceful religion. The Iranian national, who claimed asylum in 2016, was told passages in the Bible were “inconsistent” with his claim to have converted to Christianity after discovering it was a “peaceful” faith.’

Full Story

The Independent, 21st March 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office overseeing ‘serious failings’ in almost every stage of immigration detention process, MPs warn – The Independent

Posted March 21st, 2019 in detention, government departments, immigration, news, time limits, torture by sally

‘The Home Office is overseeing “serious failings” in almost every stage of the immigration detention process, according to a new report which makes fresh calls for a time limit on detention.’

Full Story

The Independent, 21st March 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office to amend registration rules for vulnerable EU citizens – The Guardian

‘The Home Office has reached an out-of-court settlement with a charity that had threatened a judicial review over the registration system for EU citizens. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) agreed to drop its application for a judicial review after Sajid Javid’s department made changes to its guidance to caseworkers in relation to vulnerable citizens.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 6th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office pays £1m to civil servants in discrimination case – The Guardian

‘Nearly 50 civil servants who accused the Home Office of discrimination because of their age or ethnicity have secured more than £1m in compensation following a tribunal.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 6th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office still using NHS patient data for immigration enforcement despite suggesting it would end practice – The Independent

‘The Home Office is obtaining patient data from the NHS and using it for immigration enforcement purposes, despite suggesting last year that this form of data-sharing would no longer take place. A report by the chief inspector of borders reveals immigration enforcement teams are using hospital records containing data on migrants with an outstanding debt to the NHS of £500 or more.’

Full Story

The Independent, 4th February 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Minor offences may stay secret after legal challenge fails – The Guardian

‘Some people with minor, past convictions may not have to disclose them in future after the government lost a legal challenge aimed at preserving its system of criminal record checks.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 30th January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com