Removal Window closed by High Court

Congratulations to the Public Law Project and Medical Justice whose challenge to the Home Office’s Removal Notice Windows (RNW) policy has resulted in a grant of interim relief suspending the policy. The order was granted by Walker J at an interim relief hearing on the 14^th March 2019 and will remain in force until the full hearing, due to be listed in about June or July. PLP are representing Medical Justice in their challenge to the lawfulness of RNW policy and its operation and the effect this has on access to justice. The effect of the suspension means that detainees will now have to be given specific removal directions with notice of the actual date and time of their proposed removal if the Home Office wish to remove them from the UK. This will provide detainees and their lawyers with a degree of certainty and an opportunity to advice and prepare evidence for applications within more realistic timeframes. We were pleased to be able to provide case studies showing the various ways in which the RNW policy operated in a way that operated unfairly for our clients and restricted their access to justice. Other organisations, including the Law Society and the Immigration Lawyers’ Practitioners Association also provided evidence in support of the claim. You can read more about the challenge here. If you require advice or representation in connection with immigration detention or any other public law matter please contact Penny Visram on 0208 885 7924 or p.visram@wilsonllp.co.uk