Asylum seekers need good quality legal advice, says Scottish Refugee Council

January 19, 2007 in Asylum and refugees

Good quality legal advice for asylum seekers must be available under the new asylum model introduced last year, the chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council said yesterday.

Speaking at the charity’s AGM, Sally Daghlian said that the new model would result in a faster asylum system, making the availability of well-trained legal advisers crucial.

She added that asylum and immigration law frequently changed and that legal advisers had to be helped to keep on top of this.

“So much change is challenging therefore it is vitally important that the legal advisers receive appropriate, up-to-date training, or the new system risks falling at the first hurdle,” she said.

The new model is being piloted and will be rolled out across the UK in April. Under this system it is intended that initial decisions on asylum seekers’ claims will be made within one month, as opposed to two under the old regime, and be of better quality.