Windrush news- the racial discrimination failure

The firm is proud to say that Stephen Slater appeared on the BBC 2 series “Who Should Get To Stay In The UK?” as the advocate representing Nancy, a victim of Windrush and the hostile environment policy. It is cases like those of Nancy, who came to the UK at a young age, only to be unable to prove her right to live and work in the UK, after her passport was stolen, that make the public realise that the Windrush victims are not nameless statistics.

Therefore, when Channel 4 news reported on a leaked report on Windrush, Stephen Slater and the solicitors in the Immigration team at OTS Solicitors were avidly listening to the Windrush news.

According to Channel 4 news, a leaked draft Home Office Windrush report damns the Home Office hostile environment policy. The report allegedly says the hostile environment policy did not take into account racial discrimination and says some Home Office officials acted recklessly.

OTS Solicitors are specialist in Immigration law matters. The firm is recommended for Immigration law in the Legal 500 publication of leading UK lawyers. OTS Solicitors have Law Society accredited solicitors status as trusted specialists in Immigration law. Stephen Slater featured in the recent BBC series “Who Should Get To Stay In The UK?”.

London based OTS Solicitors are known for their tenacious representation and commitment to their clients. If you need advice about your Immigration status or want to make an Immigration application or a Windrush claim then please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to speak to one of our experienced London immigration solicitors who will be happy to help.

The draft report by Wendy Williams, an inspector of constabulary, into Windrush is entitled “Windrush lessons learned” and was commissioned by Sajid Javid.

The report, when officially released, will focus on the aftermath of the introduction of Theresa May’s hostile environment policy introduced during her tenure as home secretary.

According to the leaked draft report, the Home Office failed in its duty to act against racial discrimination when it implemented its hostile environment policy.

The focus of the top London immigration solicitors will be to see if the report, once officially released, says if Home Office officials have acknowledged errors and learnt from the Windrush mistakes.

The best London immigration solicitors say that the hostile environment policies, introduced as a measure of Immigration control had devastating consequences for thousands of people who were living legally in the UK, but as a result of Home Office blunders and bureaucracy, had difficulty proving their Immigration status and right to live and work in the UK.

For some individuals, the hostile environment policy led to deportation from the UK, the refusal of health care and loss of homes and jobs Windrush through wrongly being classed as illegal migrants.

The public may think that the victims of Windrush will be handsomely compensated for the Home Office errors through the Windrush compensation scheme. However, top London immigration solicitors say that there are limits on the compensation available for some Windrush victims under the government compensation scheme. That is why Windrush victims need legal advice on the compensation routes available to them to ensure that the compensation adequately financially recompenses them for loss of jobs and the other losses suffered by them.

The best London immigration solicitors say we will not know whether the Home Office has learnt the lessons of Windrush until the report of Wendy Williams into the Windrush scandal is officially released.

Many campaigners and some sections of the media do not believe that the Home Office has learnt lessons from Windrush if the written advice to Home Office caseworkers on how to deal with Asylum and Human Rights claims by trafficked Nigerian women is anything to go by.

The official Home Office guidance on Nigeria refers to the potential for Asylum claimants and those making Human Rights claims to be able to return to Nigeria, wealthy from prostitution and free from social stigma. Perhaps the wording of the guidance does need to be taken into context with the Home Office research relied on by the guidance writers. In defence of the wording, the Home Office says it is clear that caseworkers can exercise discretion.

However, whatever the research relied upon by the Home Office and whatever the ability of Home Office officials to apply discretion when determining Asylum and Human Rights claims, many top London immigration solicitors, campaigners, and those working with trafficked women thought the wording in the guidance was just crass. It was not what one would expect given the impact of the #MeToo movement and the trend towards treating those forced into prostitution as victims rather than entrepreneurs and wealth creators.

The best London immigration solicitors will therefore await the official release of the

Windrush report entitled “Windrush lessons learned” with interest. In the meantime, those concerned about their Immigration status, the impact of the hostile environment policy or those wanting information about compensation options because they are a Windrush victim should all take expert legal advice. That is because all the signs indicate that migrants still need a forceful advocate to guide them through the complex Immigration Rules and Home Office policy documents.

Central London OTS Solicitors help individuals and businesses with all aspects of Immigration law.

Our specialist individual immigration team can help you with Windrush queries and compensation claims, all types of visa applications, EU Settlement Scheme settled status applications, Asylum seeker and Human Rights claims, and challenging Home Office decisions.