Other
I am helping someone else
Sample contentHelping someone through this is mostly about slowing things down: finding the paperwork, finding the deadline, and getting them to someone who is allowed to advise.
What the words mean
- Regulated adviser
- A solicitor regulated by the SRA, or an adviser registered with the Immigration Advice Authority. Only they can legally advise on immigration in the UK.
- Litigation friend
- Someone who acts for a person who cannot act for themselves, for example a child or an adult who lacks capacity.
What to do first
Step 1. Find every letter they have. The deadline is almost always in one of them.
Step 2. Write down their Home Office reference number and keep a copy separately.
Step 3. Do not give them advice about their case, even if you have been through something similar. The rules turn on details.
Step 4. Help them get to a regulated adviser, and offer to go with them.
Step 5. If they are detained, help them tell the staff they want the free legal advice available there.
What to gather
Their letters from the Home Office
Their reference number
Dates: when they arrived, when permission ran out, any hearings
Who can help
You can do a great deal without advising anyone: interpreting, childcare, travel to appointments, keeping the paperwork in order. Those are the things people most often have nobody to do.
Find a regulated adviserSample content · written for review · not checked by a lawyer or against the Immigration Rules