Updates Five proposals for the UK’s asylum system
Amnesty has long called for a fair and efficient asylum system that respects a person’s dignity, ensures their legal rights and avoids arbitrary or unjust treatment. Now we’ve made five proposals to the UK government that would help it operate the system fairly and efficiently. It’s no secret that the current system is deeply unfair and inefficient, particularly because of a policy of refusing to process an ever-increasing number of claims over recent years. Fixing the damage is a huge task, but both urgent and necessary.
Our five proposals focus on the decision-making wants to see:
process. Amnesty
• A single, consistent decision-making process for all claims, regardless of
the nationality of the person seeking asylum, the way they arrived and when they made their claim.
• A designated official for each person’s claim – someone who has decision- making powers at all stages of the asylum process, including appeals. • Sufficient legal aid to ensure people seeking asylum have effective and independent representation.
• Decision-makers who are free from statutory or other constraints that influence the way they evaluate evidence and apply the standards of international law.
• Those who are recognised as refugees and granted asylum should be granted indefinite leave to remain, so that they can move on with their lives.
Scotland backtracks
After promising a Human Rights Bill in the SNP’s 2021 manifesto, the Scottish government says it will not now do anything until after Holyrood elections in 2026.
Until recently Scotland’s plans had been held up as a progressive example to other countries. The bill aimed to incorporate key international human rights treaties into Scots law, covering issues such as racial and gender discrimination, and the right to food and adequate housing.
Speaking about the decision to the Herald newspaper, Amnesty UK’s chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said there were now serious questions to ask about Scotland’s commitment to human rights.
An Amnesty van circles around Liverpool with an important message to all those attending the Labour Party Conference, September 2024 © Marie-Anne Ventoura/AI
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