​Migrant Support Handbook

Advising migrants in respect of their rights and entitlements to accommodation, financial support, social care and healthcare is incredibly complex. This excellent book by barristers Shu Shin Luh and Connor Johnston (with contributions from other notable practitioners) fills the void left by its predecessor text (Support for Asylum-seekers and other Migrants by Sue Willman and the late Stephen Knafler).

Although the focus of the book is migrant support, the first three chapters contain useful sections on nationality and immigration law; EEA free movement and the EU settlement scheme; and asylum and international protection law. The remaining chapters focus on:

• Welfare benefits for migrants;
• The operation of asylum support, both emergency s.98 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 support and longer-term s.95 support;
• Support for failed asylum seekers and those on immigration bail;
• Housing for migrants, including eligibility for homelessness assistance, the allocation of social housing and the right to rent;
• Adult social care for migrants as well as community care services for migrant children, families and care leavers;
• Healthcare for migrants; and
• An additional chapter covering the circumstances of unaccompanied minors and care leavers, particularly in relation to age assessments, and victims of trafficking and domestic violence.

The book is necessarily detailed given the vast quantity of legislation, guidance and case law. However, it is well structured, divided into clear sections, and chapters contain overview sections listing ‘key points’. There is also a very helpful index.

Whether you are an experienced practitioner or new to the field this handbook is essential.

Victoria Pogge von Strandmann is a partner at Simpson Millar LLP, London

This book could not be more timely. Asylum is a political football, with those in need of protection at the mercy of vote-winning gimmicks and performative cruelty. In a year in which it is possible that flights to Rwanda will take off despite a ruling from the Supreme Court that this is unsafe, and in a country where migrants are housed in barracks and barges, rather than in the community, this book is essential reading for all advisers.

Shu Shin Luh and Connor Johnston are experts in the field of social welfare law. They provide an authoritative overview of the asylum and asylum support system. This book covers everything practitioners need to know in order to advocate for migrants to access their fundamental rights, including services, housing and healthcare.

The section on community care services for migrant children, families and care leavers is particularly informative and covers a breadth of legislation; from the core foundation of the Children Act 1989 to the (as yet unenacted) powers under the Illegal Migration Act 2023. The special cases section examines in detail the more vulnerable cases such as unaccompanied children, care leavers, victims of domestic violence and trafficking.

The handbook’s only downside – fully acknowledged by the authors – is the fast-paced nature of legislation in this area, so that some of the law is in a state of flux. This lends itself to a need for regular updates.

Nicola Burgess is a solicitor at the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit