People migrate to the UK from Iran and Iraq for many reasons, including for work, for study, or to join family here. However, the majority of those attending Christadelphian classes and meetings have come to the UK to seek refuge from persecution or discrimination in their home countries.
Most people seeking refuge in the UK do so by claiming asylum. You must already be in the UK to submit an asylum application. This will usually happen on arrival in the UK. In some circumstances, a person may have been in the UK on a student, work or visitor visa for a period of time. They might then claim asylum because they fear persecution if they return to their country of origin.
While a person’s application for asylum is being considered, they are known as an asylum seeker. During this period, most asylum seekers live in basic accommodation provided by the Home Office, and receive a small allowance for living expenses. They are not usually permitted to work. There is more detail about the asylum process here.
If their asylum application is accepted, they are granted refugee status which normally means being given leave to remain (i.e. they are permitted to stay in the UK). If an application for asylum is rejected there are various appeal procedures. If these are exhausted, the applicant may be subject to immigration removal. When this takes place against the applicant’s will, it is known as forced removal (often referred to as deportation), and is usually preceded by a period of detention in an immigration removal centre. Forced removal may also happen if the Home Office determines that the application should be heard by another country (e.g. if the applicant travelled through that country en route to the UK).
Until 31 December 2020, asylum applicants could also be subject to immigration removal if the Home Office determined that their asylum claim should be considered by another EU member state. This process is known as the Dublin III Regulation. It no longer applies to the UK, though the Home Office has stated its intention to establish a replacement procedure.
Do Christadelphians help people gain refugee status?
The purpose of Christadelphian classes is to help people to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ (Matthew 22:37). We do this by looking at what the Bible says about God and His Son Jesus, about God’s purpose with humanity, and about how to live in a way which demonstrates the character of the Lord Jesus. They are not preparation classes for Home Office interviews.
Many of those attending classes have applied for asylum in the UK on the basis that they were persecuted for their Christian faith. The Home Office expects that people who are genuine Christians will attend a church in the UK, participate in its activities, and embrace a lifestyle which is consistent with their stated Christian beliefs. In making their assessment, the Home Office considers evidence from the applicant and from other relevant parties. For this reason, an asylum applicant’s legal representatives will often contact the church they attend in order to obtain confirmation of the applicant’s attendance and engagement. In the case of appeals, representatives of the church may be asked to attend the tribunal to clarify and expand on this before the tribunal judge. There is more information about church letters and tribunal attendance on the asylum process page.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we also aim to obey the command to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matthew 22:39). Loving our asylum-seeking neighbour may involve directing them to sources of information and advice about the asylum process, listening to and praying about their concerns, rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep (Romans 12:15), and visiting those detained in immigration removal centres (Matthew 25:34-40). Above all, it means encouraging one another to trust in God’s will and timing, and to serve him in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. We can do this regardless of whether we agree with the choices that people have made (or, more usually, have been forced to make).
We do not give immigration advice. By law, only regulated immigration advisers can provide advice on immigration matters.
Has the UK’s exit from the EU changed the asylum process?
Now that the UK has left the EU, the UK government is no longer bound by the principle of ‘free movement’ whereby EU citizens had the right to live and work in any EU member state. However, this has almost no relevance to refugees since they are not EU citizens.
Rules and processes relating to asylum seekers and refugees are governed by international law (particularly the 1951 Refugee Convention) and UK immigration law. These are sometimes interpreted in the light of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This is unchanged by the UK’s departure from the EU. The UK continues to be a party to the ECHR since it remains a member of the Council of Europe (which is a different body to the European Union).
Two areas of the asylum process have changed as a result of the UK leaving the EU. Under the Dublin III Regulation, if it could be shown that an applicant could have claimed asylum in another EU member state, the UK could request that state to accept the person back in order for their asylum claim to be decided there. For example, an asylum seeker who passed through France en route to the UK could be returned there in order for their claim to be decided in France. There was also the provision to transfer members of their family so that their claims could be consider in the same country. The Dublin Regulation III ceased to apply to the UK from 31 December 2020. It is not yet clear what processes will be put in its place.
Most refugee family reunion cases involve family members travelling from outside the EU (e.g. directly from Iran or a bordering country). These arrangements are not affected by the UK leaving the Dublin III system.
Refugee Preaching Resources 