Scottish Refugee & Migrant Centre

The Scottish Refugee & Migrant Centre delivers legal advice targeting 4 key areas of work.

Our team also hosts two projects – JustCitizens and Rights Reps – and a second-tier immigration and asylum advice line.

Second Tier Immigration & Asylum Advice Line

Our second-tier immigration and asylum advice line provides free, confidential advice for advisers or professionals in Scotland.

Telephone: 0141 406 5353

When: Wednesdays, 2pm-4pm
How often: Weekly
Who for: Advisers or professionals in Scotland seeking 2nd tier advice relating to immigration and asylum law
Advice from:  JustRight Scotland solicitors, provided confidentially

Find out more: Second Tier Immigration & Asylum Advice Line (PDF)

 

We are funded by:


Legal Factsheets

Rwanda Removals - info for solicitors

Rwanda Removal Plans – for solicitors (PDF)

Disclaimer:

The new UK Government has cancelled the Rwanda Plan. Our resources were created based on the previous policy. We understand this change may affect many people, and we will provide updated information and support soon.

 

Resources

‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ and migrant women living with abuse

By Hanan El-Atrash In the UK, some migrants are subject to a condition called No Recourse to Public Funds or NRPF, which can have far reaching consequences for migrant women, particularly those living...

#RefugeeBanBill: What we are doing to stop the new UK Migration Bill

  JustRight Scotland has rejected the UK Government plan to proceed with a new Illegal [Migration] Bill which is due to have second reading today in the House of Commons.  We have explained the...

A joint statement on the Borders Bill “Not in our name”

In Scotland we have a proud history of protest, of raising our voices against the injustices that blight our society and speaking truth to power. We – the undersigned – are proud to work in a country ...

Access to Education is a Human Right for everyone: our #GradesNotVisas campaign is working to make this right real for all

  #OurGradesNotVisas campaign was conceived, created, implemented and launched last year by Ahmed Alhindi, a young migrant student who was unable to accept the offers he received from several...

Access to Healthcare for People with No Recourse to Public Funds

"Hello, can I please see your photo ID and proof of address, please?" This question was posed to participants upon arriving at the workshop ‘Access to Health and Social Care for people with No Recourse...

Access to Higher Education for migrant students is a fundamental right. Scottish Government’s Students’ Allowances (Scotland) Regulations now need to change

  by Maisie Wilson  For children and young people who moved to Scotland at a young age and built their lives in their communities, education is one of the first and most critical services they need...

Access to Higher Education for migrant students is now a real right

  JustRight Scotland has been campaigning - together with Maryhill Integration Network and JustCitizens, to extend the right to access education for migrant students in Scotland for over two years....

Access to Higher Education for migrant students: Welcomed update to Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) long residency rule

  by Maisie Wilson  The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) have just announced a payment scheme for students who were ineligible for funding due to an unlawful long residence rule.  ...

Age assessment of young people: our new guidance to assist local authorities in Scotland

  by Francesca Sella   JustRight Scotland, together with the British Red Cross, have published a short guide on the initial stage of age assessment to assist local authorities in Scotland and...

An afternoon with Belgrade Centre for Human Rights

After months of preparation, JustRight Scotland opened its doors today! We got off to a quick start with an afternoon meeting with the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights at the offices of the Scottish...

Celebrate Refugee Festival Scotland with us and join our Roots of Refuge event

  We are happy to announce that – we are returning for a second year to celebrate Refugee Festival Scotland together with JustCitizens.   Our Roots of Refuge event will take place on Thursday 22nd...

Celebrate Refugee Week 2022 with us and come to our ‘Roots of Refuge’ event in Glasgow!

We are delighted to invite you to our celebratory community event for RefugeeWeek2022, the ‘Roots of Refuge’!  Completely free for all participants, the event will take place on the 23rd of June at the...

COVID-19 Policy and Migrants in Scotland

It seems like both forever – and simultaneously no time at all – since Scotland went into lockdown. And though we may now be talking about taking the first tentative steps towards lifting restrictions, the...

Deal or No Deal?  What EU Citizens in Scotland can do now to prepare for Brexit

Challenges for EU Citizens in Scotland: How to Prepare for Brexit? Faced with the continuing uncertainty around the Brexit settlement and the status of the Draft Withdrawal Agreement, our JustRight...

Destitution and Seeking Protection

In May 2017, the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee (EHRiC) published a report on the findings of its recent inquiry on destitution and homelessness of asylum seekers and people...

EU Citizens and Access to Benefits: Time is Running Out for EU Citizens to Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme

  Gwyn King, our specialist welfare expert and Senior Associate Solicitor in our Scottish Just Law Centre (SJLC) warns that time is running out for EU citizens and their family members to apply to...

FGM: Breaking Down Barriers

Here are some things about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) many people do not know: Women and girls in Scotland are at risk of FGM; This is not something that is based in any religion; and It is a...

Home Office ‘Activist Lawyers’ Tweet Shows Govt is Not Above the Law

Yesterday, the Home Office published a video on Twitter criticising the role of "activist lawyers" in abusing "rigid regulations" to "delay and disrupt" the removal of people "who have no right to remain

Human Rights Act reform: we reject the UK Government proposals

  JustRight Scotland has rejected the UK Government plans to replace the Human Rights Act (HRA) as announced last December.  We have been working – together with other Scottish civil society and ...

Immigration: Preparing for Brexit

On 08 September 2017 at the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow around 100 people (mainly immigration lawyers) gathered to hear about what Brexit means for immigration law, now and in the future. ...

Insight series – Part 3: a JustRight Intern

  Robyn’s role within our team We have partnered up with The Robertson Trust to welcome a group of interns into our JustRight Scotland team. Some of them have been working alongside our legal teams...

Introducing our new social enterprise: JRS Knowhow 

We are proud to announce the launch of our brand new social enterprise JRS Knowhow. The start-up social enterprise was created in April 2021, marking almost exactly four years since JustRight Scotland was set...

JRS is taking part in #16Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

The 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence is an international campaign that runs from today to the 10th of December, Human Rights Day. Originally created by activists, it continues to be...

JRS Spark: Brexit & Scotland – Migration Rights event report

As 29 March 2019 (the date that the UK officially leaves the European Union) looms closer and closer, many EEA nationals residing in Scotland are still unsure on how their migration status and rights ...

JustRight Scotland gave written evidence to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee on the crisis in Ukraine

  We have given written evidence to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee of the Scottish Parliament on the crisis in Ukraine on 13 June 2022. From the data our legal...

JustRight Scotland launches Ukraine Advice Scotland advice line

  JustRight Scotland has officially launched a new free, confidential advice line called Ukraine Advice Scotland. This project, funded by the Scottish Government, is fully operative and will provide...

JustRight Scotland: Our statement on the Migration Bill

  JustRight Scotland is deeply dismayed by the Migration Bill introduced this week by the UK Government. This Bill marks a new low in the current government’s assault on all our human rights – it...

Legal opinion: the legal implications of the [Illegal] Migration Bill in Scotland

  by Sabrina Galella  Together with the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC) and the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland (CYPCS), we commissioned a legal opinion from Kay Springham KC, to...

Legal Opinion: What does the Nationality and Borders Bill mean for devolution in Scotland?

Sabrina Galella, Policy & Public Affairs Officer at JustRight Scotland.   JustRight Scotland and Scottish Refugee Council jointly commissioned a legal opinion from Christine O’Neill QC and her...

Making Human Rights Justice a Reality Report shines a light on systemic barriers to justice and how to break them

  by Maisie Wilson   Over the past few months, we have been working with the Human Rights Consortium Scotland (HRCS) on their latest report Make Human Rights Justice a Reality, along with Clan...

Migrant Young People and SAAS

Thanks to our JustRight intern, Niamh Grahame, for writing this blog. Starting university can be a stressful time for any young person. This stress is often amplified for migrant young people in Scotland....

Migrants Deserve Less Rhetoric and More Action

Over the last week we have seen many from across our Parliaments take a knee and tweet messages of their commitment to tackling racism, with the backdrop of disproportionate Covid-19 deaths across the...

My experience as Legal Caseworker for the Ukraine Advice Scotland project

  By Steven Lynch  I have been working as Legal Caseworker for our Ukraine Advice Scotland project since July. I applied for this position because the role was in an area of law that I was interested...

My first 6 months as Legal Trainee and Justice First Fellow

  by Eilidh Turnbull In January, I started my legal traineeship at JustRight Scotland. A legal traineeship is a two-year period of in-office training, which you do after studying law at university....

My first-year anniversary as Legal Caseworker for the Scottish Just Law Centre

My role at JustRight Scotland  As of the start of 2023, I have been with JustRight Scotland for a year, working as a Legal Caseworker for the Scottish Just Law Centre (SJLC). And what a year it has...

New Collaborations for Children!

We have recently been awarded a grant of funding from Unbound Philanthropy for JustRight for Refugee Children to establish two new collaborations! Unbound Philanthropy is a private grant-making foundation...

New Plan for Immigration Consultation: A Briefing for Scottish Civil Society Organisations

On 24 March 2021, the UK Government published its New Plan for Immigration, which sets out various proposals for changes to nationality, immigration and asylum law.  The consultation invites members of...

New Plan for Immigration Consultation: Our Response

On 24 March 2021, the UK Government published its New Plan for Immigration, which sets out various proposals for changes to nationality, immigration and asylum law. JustRight Scotland and our JustCitizens...

New report, to be launched in Scotland, sheds light upon forced migrants’ experiences of sexual and gender-based violence

  On the 7th December, SEREDA Scotland will launch its findings into the experiences of forced migrant survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and the services they rely on. Led by the...

New: Factsheet on reunited family members

Our Scottish Family Reunion Service (SFRS) has published a new factsheet on the rights of reunited family members once they are in the UK.  Immigration law in the UK is more complex than ever and is in...

Now is the time to show the Home Office the door

PRESS RELEASE After Thursday's events in Glasgow, where the community successfully intervened to protect two migrants, JustRight Scotland has written to the First Minister and Justice Minister calling...

Our statement on “Rwanda Operation”

  In the face of concerning developments regarding the imminent “Rwanda Operation” across UK, we recognise how frightening this development has been for many. We stand in solidarity with people...

Our Worker Support Centre is now available to all seasonal horticultural workers in Scotland

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Worker Support Centre. Funded by the Scottish Government, this Centre is available to all workers on the Seasonal Workers Visa (SWV) in Scotland including...

Part 1: What on earth is age assessment?

This is the first in a 2 part blog on age assessments of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. At the Scottish Refugee & Migrant Centre our lawyers are specialists in age assessments. If you don’t...

Part 2: Top Tips for Age Assessment

This is part 2 of our blog series on age assessment, written by our JustRight intern Niamh Grahame. To read part 1, click here. As we covered in part 1, there is no single reliable method for carrying...

Response to Independent Review on the Human Rights Act

We have submitted a response to the Independent Review of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), in response to its call for evidence which closed on 3 March 2021. Our submission makes it clear that we see ...

Rising Together: Celebrating Resilience & Community in Scotland’s Migration Sector at our Roots of Refuge

  By Annamaria De Felice  As we continue to engage with Fair Begins Here, a national campaign led by Together with Refugees, we are also working with community groups and other organisations across...

Rwanda Plan is unlawful: We welcome the outcome of the UK Supreme Court

  We welcome the UK Supreme Court’s judgment which has found the so called ‘Rwanda Plan’ to be unlawful. The UK Government must now urgently rethink its [Illegal] Migration Act and scrap this cruel,...

Safeguarding Migrant Workers’ Rights in the UK: Speaking with Experts

  By Annamaria De Felice   In a recent open webinar hosted by Libera and moderated by James Fookes from Anti-Slavery International, a panel of experts and practitioners addressed the urgent issue...

Scotland rejects the Refugee Ban Bill

  JustRight Scotland and Scottish Refugee Council have joined forces to launch the first step of a Scottish campaign which aimed to stop the #RefugeeBanBill and get other organisations involved in...

Scotland’s Super Sponsor Scheme for Ukrainians paused

  The Scottish government has announced that Scotland’s Homes For Ukraine Super Sponsor Scheme will be paused from 9:00am on Wednesday 13 July 2022. The Welsh Super Sponsor Scheme is already paused...

Scottish Family Reunion Legal Service

  From 1 August 2017, JustRight Scotland has been funded by Unbound Philanthropy to deliver a Scottish Family Reunion Legal Service in collaboration with the British Red Cross.   Unbound...

Scottish Government consultation on Electoral Reform: What we say in our response

  JustRight Scotland submitted its response to the Scottish Government consultation on Electoral Reform in Scotland. Additionally, we submitted a separate joint response  with Maryhill Integration...

Scottish Government’s consultation on changes to residency criteria for access to financial support in Further and Higher Education: our say

JustRight Scotland has submitted a response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the proposed changes to residency criteria for access to financial support in Further and Higher Education. The...

Scottish human rights organisations unite to reject “unnecessary, regressive and divisive” plans to replace Human Rights Act

Responding to the UK Government’s announcement today that it plans to replace the Human Rights Act, five leading Scottish human rights organisations have released a joint statement calling the proposals...

Solidarity with communities affected by the recent surge in far-right terror

  We at JustRight Scotland are deeply shocked by the recent surge in far-right terror across the UK. Members of our communities, simply going about their lives, are being violently targeted because...

Stamping Out NRPF in Scotland

By Talat Yaqoob The news stories of the increasingly dangerous and dehumanising policies being considered by the Home Office have continued to dominate another week in the press. We know that these...

The UK-Rwandan Plan: an agreement to trade people

  Andy Sirel, Scottish Refugee & Migrant Centre The Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Republic of Rwanda, announced on 14th April, is an agreement to trade in people....

The Worker Support Centre is now transitioning to a new sustainable phase

  JustRight Scotland (JRS) has hosted the Worker Support Centre (WSC) for its first six months of operation from May 2022 to October 2022 as part of a long-term plan focused on providing initial ...

Ukraine Advice Scotland Survey – Views of Ukrainians Arriving in Scotland in 2022

Since March, our Ukraine Advice Scotland team have answered over 1,800 enquiries by providing legal advice to those who arrived or are due to arrive in Scotland, along with those acting as hosts.  Set...

Unlocking Support: A call for action to support age disputed young people in Scotland

  By Annamaria De Felice  Today, we reflect on the successful launch of our groundbreaking report, “Unlocking Support: Age Disputed Young People in Scotland.” The event, which took place at Brodies,...

Using the Law to Challenge Discrimination: Migrant Access to Further Education & Unlawful Disclosure of Gender History by NHS

  Gwyn King, Senior Solicitor in our Scottish Just Law Centre, highlights two recent cases where we helped clients to use the law to successfully challenge discrimination:   Barriers to Migrant...

We call upon the Scottish Government to heed the recommendations of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s report and take action to safeguard the human rights of the people attacked by the Illegal Migration Act 2023

We welcome the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s recommendations published in their latest report about asylum seekers in Scotland. In particular, we support the Committee’s strong...