This morning I had the pleasure of visiting the Asylum Unit at the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate in Croydon. I attended with a client who was making an asylum application.
It was a real eye-opener. The attitudes of the staff there was appalling; their lack of communication skills and common courtesy was disappointing. Although I wasn’t an asylum seeker or an immigrant seeking support from the Home Office, I felt like a third class citizen. That’s right, a British citizen felt like a third-class citizen. If I felt like that, how do you think asylum seekers and immigrants feel when they attend the IND?
There are permanent queue lanes set at the entrance to the IND, while under cover, exposed to the elements. Today saw gale force winds, and they were hurling through the queue lanes, where we were waiting for about 30 minutes. At least we didn’t get wet. Surely it wouldn’t be too much trouble to have queue lanes inside a building? At least it would be warmer. What if it had been a typical winter’s day, with temperatures close to freezing?
Once inside, my client, the interpreter and myself had to undergo no less than three security checks. Yes, THREE. Although understandable given the volatile nature of the work of the IND and the current political climate, three does seem a little excessive.
Once through to the Asylum Unit, my client had to wait about 45 minutes before being seen by an officer. That was fair enough given that there were quite a few asylum seekers in the waiting area. When we got to the counter, which was glass screened and communication through a microphone and speakers, the officer didn’t introduce herself, and didn’t have a welcoming or polite manner. It was straight to the questions, of which there were several, and long pauses in between as she 1) typed very slowly the information onto her terminal, 2) talked to colleagues, and 3) answered her mobile phone. She was fully aware that the interpreter was only booked until 12.30pm, but this didn’t seem to faze her in the least, even though the Home Office were unable to provide a BSL/English Interpreter for the rest of the session with the client.
Typically, an initial interview for an asylum seeker lasts four to five hours. I’m not surprised, given the speed at which the officer worked. There are minimal facilities, with one vending machine. At least there were toilets. The seats are made of plastic and very uncomfortable. Coupled with staff’s rudeness and bluntness, it was hardly a good advert for living in the UK.
What really gets my goat about all this is the fact that the general British public think that the Government is soft on immigration. Rubbish. My perception of the immigration system in the UK, given that I’m a Level 1 OISC registered immigration adviser, is that it’s bloody tough and unforgiving. One case I recall basically showed that, if your adviser is shit at their job, and your initial application fails for that reason, you haven’t got much chance of succeeding later on, even though it’s not your fault. The Home Office is like a huge elephant, it remembers EVERYTHING. Therefore, the initial application will prejudice later applications. The system is a myriad of complicated rules and regulations, and is bloody difficult for advisers to get to grips with, let alone those subject to the system.
Let’s all wake up and smell the coffee; immigration in the UK is bloody tough. Don’t let the media and television tell you otherwise. Better still, go look at the Immigration Rules on the IND website. Now tell me that it’s easy to come and live in the UK.
