Legal support and advice (outside London)

This section contains information where you can get legal help and advice if you want asylum or you already have refugee status. The organisations vary in terms of what they can offer - some give advice over the telephone, some can help you find a good lawyer, and some simply offer advice to download on their websites.Some of these organisations work across the UK, some work locally and some work in detention centres.

This section covers the following categories;

-Legal advice services

-Kent and East Sussex

-Liverpool/Merseyside

-Leeds

-Manchester

Legal advice services

Rights of Women

Rights of Women give confidential free legal advice on asylum and immigration issues to individual women as well as the organisations that support them. All advisors are woman barristers or solicitors. A word of warning – the line can be very busy, so you may need to be patient.

www.row.org.uk

52-54 Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8RT
Tel: 0202 518 887

Email: info@row.org.uk

Immigration Legal Practitioner’s Association (ILPA)

ILPA is the umbrella organisation for asylum and immigration firms in the UK. They cannot give you individual advice on your case and are likely to be most useful in terms of finding a solicitor specialising in asylum. Their website has details of solicitors across the UK and useful information on the asylum system. Because they are likely to be useful to most women and organisations as a directory, only the website is listed here.

www.ilpa.org.uk

Community Legal Advice

Community Legal Advice (CLA) offers free confidential, independent legal advice over the phone, a list of solicitors that do legal aid work, and advice in many different languages including Urdu, Bengali, Cantonese, Punjabi and Gujarati. Some links may be out of date. They do not provide a contact address.
www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk
Tel: 0845 345 4 345

Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ)

RMJ (formerly the Refugee Legal Centre) has offices across England, and offers free advice and representation for every stage of asylum claims, including to people in detention. There are 12 offices across England. More details, including contact details for local offices, can be found on their website.

www.rmj.org.uk

Nelson House, 153 - 157 Commercial Road, London E1 2DA
Tel: 0800 592 398 or 02077 803 333 (detention helpline)

This telephone advice line is for foreign nationals who are detained in immigration removal centres or in prisons, and it is available on Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10.30am - 1pm, 2pm - 4pm.

Tel: 07831 598 057 (emergency out of hours telephone line)

This line operates between 6pm and 8am (1800 and 0800) on weekdays and all weekend. If you are in an extreme emergency regarding your immigration status, and are threatened with imminent removal from the United Kingdom, you can use this number.

Immigration Advisory Service (IAS)

IAS has offices across England, and offers free legal advice on immigration and asylum issues. Visit the website for local branch details.

www.iasuk.org

3^rd Floor, County House, 190 Great Dover St, London SE1 4YB

Tel: 02079 671 200 Fax: 02074 035 875

Asylum Aid

Asylum Aid provides free legal advice and representation to asylum seekers, and campaigns on their behalf. It has a specialist section that focuses exclusively on women asylum seekers called the Refugee Women’s Resource Project, which offers advice, training, and campaigning. The advice line is open on Mondays 2.00 pm - 4:30pm and Thursdays 10.00 am - 12:30pm

http://www.asylumaid.org.uk/

Club Union House, 253-254 Upper Street, London N1 1RY
Tel: 02073 549 264 (advice line)

The Law Centres’ Federation

Law centres provide free legal advice and representation to vulnerable groups, including refugees and women seeking asylum. This is the umbrella organisation and useful for locating your closest law centre. To do this, and find out more about the services they offer see their website.

www.lawcentres.org.uk/lawcentres

293-299 Kentish Town Road, London NW5 2TJ

Tel: 02074 284 400 Fax: 02074 284 401

Email: info@lawcentres.org.uk

The Refugee Council

The Refugee Council does not provide legal advice, but can make referrals to legal advisors. It provides advice and services on asylum matters through its One Stop Shops. Visit their website for a list of services and locations. They also have useful multilingual advice leaflets and websites for asylum seekers and refugees.

www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/howwehelp/directly/main/

240-250 Ferndale Road, Brixton, London SW9 8BB

Tel: 02073 466 700 (London office) Fax: 02073 466 701

National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC)

NCADC does not provide legal advice. It is a campaigning group that fights against the deportation of asylum seekers from the UK. Their website contains useful information about asylum seekers’ rights and a list of solicitors.

http://www.ncadc.org.uk/

110 Hamstead Road, Birmingham B20 2QS

Email: admin@ncadc.org.uk or urgent@ncadc.org.uk (emergencies during out of office hours)

Refugee Action

Refugee Action provides advice to asylum seekers about the asylum process, welfare benefits, employment and housing. They work in Bristol, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Plymouth. The website provides contact details for all regional offices.
www.refugee-action.org.uk/ourwork/WhereWeWork.aspx

The Old Fire Station, 150 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8SB

Tel: 02076 547 700 (head office) Fax: 02074 013 699

Citizen’s Advice Bureaux (CAB)

CAB are located in most areas of the UK, and offer free general advice on many different issues. To find your nearest office and arrange an appointment see the website:

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm

Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID)

BID is an independent organisation which helps asylum seekers in detention get bail; it also provides free legal advice about detention, resources for those in detention and campaigns.

www.biduk.org
Tel: 02072 473 590 (London), 02392 816 633 (Portsmouth), or 08453 304 536 (Oxford)

Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees (AVID)

AVID do not offer legal advice or representation, but they do have a useful section on detainees’ rights. Avid coordinate visits to detention centres and campaigns on behalf of detainees.

www.aviddetention.org.uk/

Box 1496, Oxford, OX4 9DY

Tel: 01865 250 690

Emails enquiries can be sent through the ‘Contact’ section of the website

Kent and East Sussex

Migrant Helpline

Migrant Helpline provides services for asylum seekers and refugees in Kent and East Sussex through their One Stop Shops. Although they don’t provide legal advice, they can make referrals to other organisations.
http://www.migranthelpline.org.uk/migrant_helpline_services/

Tel: 01304 203 977 (Dover) or 02087 740 002 (Croydon)
Email: mhl@migranthelpline.org

Liverpool/Merseyside

Asylum Link

Asylum Link provide free asylum and immigration advice, as well as referrals to other organisations. They also advise on housing, NASS and other issues. Their services also include English classes and social support.

www.asylumlink.org.uk/services.html

St Anne’s Centre, 7 Overbury Street, Liverpool, L7 3HJ
Tel: 01517 091 713

Email: info@asylumlink.org.uk

Leeds

The Manuel Bravo Project

The Manuel Bravo Project gives free legal advice to asylum seekers in Leeds. They also give referrals to other organisations.
www.networkleeds.com/group/group.aspx?id=40837
Cordelia House, 45 Westfield Road, Leeds, LS3 1DG

Tel: 01133 508 608

Email: office@manuelbravo.org.uk

Manchester

Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)

GMIAU is an independent not-for-profit advice service which provides free legal advice and representation to asylum seekers. They have a drop-in service on Wednesdays and take referrals from other organisations. For more information see the website:
www.gmiau.org

1 Delaunays Road, Crumpsall Green, Manchester M8 4QS

Tel: 01617 407 722

Email: referrals@gmiau.org