Who Needs Immigration Advice Learning the Lessons from the The Solihull Pilot

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Who Needs Immigration Advice?Learning the
Lessons from the The Solihull Pilot

• Maurice Wren
• Director, Asylum Aid

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• New Asylum Model
• Response to backlogs and high successful
  appeal rate
• Concerns about quality UNHCR, Judiciary,
  Parliament, etc
• UNHCR Quality Initiative
• Case ownership and higher calibre of
  decision makers
• No integration of legal representation
• LSC cuts and restrictions
• October 2006 Solihull Pilot

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• Solihull Pilot (Jan December 2007)
• Early access to competent legal
  representation
• Witness statement and corroborative evidence
  submitted
• Interactive process before/during/after
  interview
• Flexibility and local management authority
• 11 selected private and NGO legal
  representatives
• Hourly rates for Legal Help and CLR
• CO/Legal Rep user group

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• Evaluation key indicators
• 6 month case conclusion target achieved
• Cost neutrality, or better whole process
  savings
• More sustainable initial decisions lower
  appeal rate
• Cultural change achieved

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• Evaluation findings (October 2008)
• Case conclusion rate higher than control
  group
• Cost neutral at least
• Higher initial grant rate
• Lower allowed appeal rate
• Significant qualitative evidence of cultural
  change

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• Solihull impacts
• Good legal representation works Official!
• Strong evidence base
• Efficiency and savings
• GFS rationale undermined
• March 2009 Ministerial approval for roll
  out

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• Early Legal Advice Process (ELAP)
• Solihull principles to be extended
• UKBA Midlands Region from April 2010 for 12
  months
• All new cases including UASCs and fresh
  claims
• Hourly rate for Legal Help retained GFS
  for CLR
• Legal Reps must be based within Region
• RMJ and Asylum Aid on ELAP Project Board

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• Lobbying and campaigning impacts
• Solihull roll-out
• NAM quality assurance CO accreditation
  (?)
• Screening review
• SHSH improving OGNs
• Voluntary Sector Keyworker Project
• Charter of rights of women seeking asylum

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• Lessons
• Technocratic engagement cost and
  efficiency
• Potential for win win win outcomes
• Efficiency dependent on greater fairness
• UKBA LSC joint strategic planning
  essential
• Legal representation not enough by itself
• UKBA resources and capacity
• Protection culture a possibility

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• Abiding concerns
• Lessons will not be learned
• No joint strategic planning
  UKBA/LSC/Providers
• Impact of GFS and competitive tendering
• Competence and quality v mediocrity and
  cherry picking
• No Political or political will to change
• Political argument fairness creates a pull
  factor
• Regressive gate keeping the culture of
  disbelief
• Numbers and General Election will limit
  engagement