THE North West Migrants Forum has today written to Justice Minister Naomi Long in solidarity with our colleagues in the Immigration Practitioners Group following the commencement of industrial action.
As of February 4, immigration solicitors are no longer taking on new clients or providing new immigration advice. From March 1 the withdrawal of services will extend to ongoing cases where a substantive interview date has yet to be provided.
We, as a charity that supports those seeking refuge in Northern Ireland, are acutely aware of the impact this will have on our members. However we also support immigration practitioners who have been operating in crisis mode for the last number of years, effectively acting as pro bono lawyers.
The facts are these:
- Legal aid rates have not increased for services in advice and assistance in over 40 years.
- Remuneration in Immigration Tribunals has not changed in almost 15 years and does not reflect the amount of work required in dealing with complex cases for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
We have therefore written to the Justice Minister to ask her to consider the demands of the Immigration Practitioners Group and to do all within her power to find a resolution as quickly as possible.
In our letter we express our unequivocal support for our colleagues within the Immigration Practitioners Group (IPG) who only commenced industrial action when all other options had been explored and exhausted.
Everyone within the sector will be aware of the pressure that the few colleagues we have practising immigration law have come under these past few years, with a handful of solicitors carrying much of the burden for supporting thousands of people across Northern Ireland without fair remuneration.
The current situation is completely unsustainable and will undoubtedly run the risk of us losing the too few immigration practitioners that we have here, putting the system at risk of total collapse.
Here at the North West Migrants Forum we have had 300 people in ten months seeking support with matters relating to legal representation. A huge part of our caseworker’s day is spent attempting to access solicitors who have the capacity to support our clients. We are just one small organisation in the north west, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg.
We are asking the Department of Justice to reconsider the modest demands of the Immigration Practitioners Group.
Failure to do so places vulnerable people at high risk of attempting to navigate a complex Home Office process without the required support, increasing the risks of claims being rejected unfairly, people falling into irregular immigration status and falling into destitution – all of which increases the risk of exploitation and will increase strain on the already over-stretched third sector.