For the past two decades, certain countries have adopted increasingly stringent measures to limit access to asylum procedures. The UK, despite having one of the most developed justice systems in the world, trials ever more draconian restrictions on access to justice for refugees. The ‘New Plan for Immigration’ again pushes that agenda, with reheated ideas about making some cases ‘inadmissible’ for asylum, further limiting access to appeals and judicial review in asylum cases, and ‘tightening up’ procedures for assessing the age of minors and during enforcement action. 

This seminar asks at what point a common law system like the UK will decide that we have reached legal breaking point: 

• To what extent do restrictions on access to the asylum system constitute a denial of access to justice for those seeking asylum? 
• How have similar proposals in the UK and elsewhere fared previously in terms of legality and implementation? 
• Rather than restricting access, in what practical ways might asylum systems such as that in the UK actually be improved in the pursuit of fairness and efficiency? 

Led by Kelly Frevele (Refugee Law Clinic), discussants include: 

• Sheona York, Solicitor, Kent Law Clinic, University of Kent 
• Prof. Nick Gill, Department of Human Geography, University of Exeter 
• Dr Ruth Brittle, Lecturer, Law School, Nottingham Trent University   
• Prof. Gillian Triggs, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, UNHCR 

Please view the full series programme here.

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