Home Office time limit hits asylum specialists

Immigration specialist law firms are being forced to turn away up to a third of asylum seekers because of 'unreasonable' Home Office-imposed time limits for asylum applications.

According to a Law Society survey of 186 Community Legal Service-funded immigration firms, which has been published this week, 62% of the firms surveyed had been forced to turn away asylum seekers because of certain time limits which require completion of the statement of evidence forms (SEFs) - the basis of all asylum applications - within 14 days of receipt by the client.

A best estimate showed that between April and June this year, 6,058 clients were taken on by London firms but that 2,756 were turned away.

Chris Randall, a committee member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association, said with such tight timetables, firms were having to turn clients away because of existing case loads or drop more profitable work to allow for 'Home Office-induced emergencies'.

Another association committee member, Jawaid Luqmani, said the problem was compounded by firms not expanding because asylum work was not profitable at current rates of remuneration.

The survey also revealed long waiting lists for some asylum seekers.

Only 10% of firms in London were able to offer new clients appointments within one working day.

Nearly half of firms in London and 41% outside could not offer appointments within five working days.

A Home Office spokesman said it would not be changing the deadline because it did not consider that legal advice was necessary to complete the SEF form.

Sue Allen