IRR: Court of Appeal rules against Home Office 'sham' marriage rules Date: Thu, 24 May 2007 16:15:12 +0100 WEBWATCH Positive Action for Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Leeds (PAFRAS) has published its first newsletter. Download the newsletter at: http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf/PAFRAS_Newsletter_One.doc (word file 84kb) The Hammersmith and Fulham Refugee Forum's CRE funded Media Project has now been externally evaluated by the ICAR (Information Centre about Asylum & Refugees). This report illustrates how the Media Project in Hammersmith & Fulham has impacted on press and broadcast coverage of asylum and refugees. Download the report at: http://www.hfrf.org/pdf/HFRF_Media_project_evaluation_report_May_2007.pdf (pdf file, 176kb) The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a report by Rose Smith, Roger Grimshaw, Renee Romeo and Martin Knapp on: 'Poverty and disadvantage among prisoners' families'. Download the findings at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/pdf/2065.pdf (pdf file, 360kb) Download the full report at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2003-poverty-prisoners-families.pdf (pdf file, 72kb) Amnesty International has published its annual assessment of human rights worldwide: 'Amnesty International Report 2007'. View the main facts at figures at: http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGPOL100072007 Or view the report website at: http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/launchpack-eng The Home Office has published research on: 'Asylum Statistics: 1st Quarter 2007 - United Kingdom'. Download the report at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/asylumq107.pdf (pdf file, 280kb) The Home Office has published a Statistical Bulletin by John Freelove Mensah on: 'Persons Granted British Citizenship United Kingdom, 2006'. Download the report at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0807.pdf (pdf file, 704kb) The Home Office has published a: 'Report on progress in clearing the overseas convictions backlog'. Download the report at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/220507-overseas-convictions?view=Binary (pdf file 56kb) The Home Office has published a report by Dusty Amroliwala OBE on: 'The Inquiry into the handling by Home Office officials of notifications, by other European countries, of criminal convictions for UK citizens - February 2007'. Download the report at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/inquiry-criminal-convictions?view=Binary (pdf file, 1.6mb) WEBSITES The National Coalition of Anti Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) has information that is regularly updated on self-harm in immigration removal centres. View the information at: http://www.ncadc.org.uk/resources/self-harm2006.html The Centre for Corporate Accountability (CCA) has a website where you can keep up-to-date with what is happening with the Corporate Manslaughter Bill. On 22 May, the House of Lords rejected the amendment on custody deaths passed by the Commons. What does this all mean and what is happening now? Keep updated at: http://www.corporateaccountability.org/manslaughter/reformprops/2007/update.htm The Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees in the UK (ICAR) has recently launched the 'Researching Asylum in London (RAL) website'. The website hosts a database of research on refugee and asylum issues relating to London from 1999 onwards. View the website at: http://www.researchasylum.org.uk/ The Refugee Council have linked up with Amnesty International UK and Church Action on Poverty to arrange a series of sleepouts across Britain at the end of June in support of the Still Human Still Here campaign. For more information and details of how to get involved: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/gettinginvolved/campaign/just_fair/summersleepouts.htm FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT RELEASES Under the Freedom of Information Act the Home Office has released information on the: 'Recording of crimes committed by Britons overseas'. View the information at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/freedom-of-information/released-information/foi-archive-crime/5706-crimes-britons-overseas/ Under the Freedom of Information Act the Ministry of Justice has released information on: 'General Pinochet's 1995 visit to UK'. View the information at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/foi-pinochet.htm EARLY DAY MOTIONS (EDM) Jeremy Corbyn, MP, has introduced an EDM on: 'The Chagos Islands'. Read EDM1559 at: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33360&SESSION=885 Neil Gerrard, MP, has introduced an EDM on: 'Access to treatment for HIV'. Read EDM1556 at: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33357&SESSION=885 Diane Abbott, MP, has introduced an EDM on: 'Rights of child migrants'. Read EDM 1531 at: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=33330&SESSION=885 u n i t e d k i n g d o m - - > >> Court of Appeal rules against Home Office 'sham' marriage rules > By Kevin Smith 24 May 2007, 3:00pm The Court of Appeal has ruled against the Home Secretary by upholding the right of non-European nationals, who are in genuine relationships, to marry in the UK irrespective of their immigration status. Under rules introduced in 2005, non-European nationals with limited leave to remain had to show they had a fiancé visa, or Home Office permission to marry, before being married in a legally recognised ceremony in the UK. Under the rules, the Home Office could refuse people with less than six months' valid leave to remain the certificate of approval needed to demonstrate permission to marry to a registrar. The rules effectively treated those with less than six months' valid leave as seeking to enter marriages of convenience even when they were able to demonstrate that they had no such intention. This week, Lord Justice Buxton ruled that the scheme was disproportionate to the objective of preventing marriages of convenience for immigration benefit because it: * discriminated against non-Anglicans by exempting marriages under banns in Anglican churches; * was not adequately directed to identifying real marriages of convenience rather than preventing wide categories of persons from marrying on the assumption that these were marriages of convenience. Habib Rahman, the Chief Executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, the organisation that brought the legal challenge to the legislation, commented that the judgement was, 'a vindication of the genuine intentions of many migrants and their partners who have been prevented from marrying in a legally recognised ceremony by these cruel rules.' ---- FOOTNOTE The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors. IRR is not responsible for the content of external websites. Inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Please contact us (/contact/index.html) if you come across a broken link. > RELATED LINKS To visit the JCWI, click here (http://www.jcwi.org.uk/). IRR is not responsible for the content of external websites. Inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. 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