There’s no doubt that the migrants making their way to the UK across the channel have become pawns in an increasingly ideological political battle, with this embodied perfectly by the controversial Nationality and Borders Bill.
This bill, which has been dubbed the ‘Anti-Refugee Bill’, recently passed its third reading, while it will systematically dismantle the international refugee protection regime in the UK and renege on the fundamental principles of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Fortunately, however, there are several private entities that continue to aid those who want to claim asylum and escape persecution in their home country. This number includes Squire Patton Boggs, which recently won asylum for an LGBTQ client from the Caribbean.
How Squire Patton Biggs Helped its Asylum Client
Recently, a Squire Patton Biggs client (who was being represented on a pro bono basis) was granted asylum on these shores a decade after their initial claim, who had suffered considerable persecution on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis.
More specifically, the client (who was gay and diagnosed as being HIV positive) sought asylum following years of sustained persecution and the threat of this continuing in the future, having lived a closted life in St. Kitts and being savagely beaten on at least one occasion by a gang of men.
Upon reporting this to the police, he was informed by the police officer that he deserved what had happened to him, and that the same fate should befall all gay men on the island.
The client subsequently fled to the US, where he has been living for nearly a decade awaiting a hearing on his asylum petition.
The case represented a major win, while it was based on affidavits from the client’s friends and co-workers and gathered country condition materials that clearly outlined the dire situation facing homosexual and HIV positive men in St. Kitts.
What are the Chances of Having an Asylum Claim Accepted in 2021?
The final asylum hearing was held on November 29th of this year, and after all the evidence had been heard, the government waived its closing argument and the client’s request for asylum was granted.
Of course, this was just one (albeit particularly emotive) reason why people claim asylum on these shores, but it’s fair to surmise that hundreds of similar claims fail in the courts on a regular basis.
In fact, during the fiscal year for 2016 (which is the most recent year for which data has been made available), 20,455 individuals were granted asylum from a total of 73,081 cases.
This equates to a total percentage of around 28%, while approval rates vary wildly by immigration court from between 10% and 80% overall.
Because of this, it’s hard to understate the achievement of Squire Patton Boggs in this case, and the overwhelmingly positive nature of the eventual outcome.
