Legal News

Leader of UKIP Nigel Farage MP has said the UK should show compassion and take in Syrian refugees.

Britain is one of 18 EU member states which have declined to accept refugees fleeing the Syrian crisis. Germany has agreed to take 10,000 Syrian refugees and France 500.

The UK has instead pledged £500 million towards the refugee crisis.

Families are fleeing Syria for neighbouring countries and many are now living in freezing conditions in makeshift homes as winter sets in. Syrian refugees are reported to be gathering in areas surrounding Calais, hoping to be able to make it across the Channel to the UK to claim asylum.

The UK is also currently preparing for a new influx of migrants from Eastern Europe from 1 January, as border restrictions are lifted on Romania and Bulgaria on 31 December.

Migrants who come to the UK without jobs or homes to go to will have to wait for three months before being able to claim out-of-work benefits, however.

However, a recent BBC report found that the UK is also a preferred destination for Syrian refugees because of Britain’s tolerant lifestyle. BBC News reporters witnessed refugees being discovered by Border Agency officers in lorries at Calais, where people traffickers are arranging illegal entry into the UK for asylum seekers fleeing persecution. Many refugees detected by police in Calais are released to continue sleeping rough until they can try to enter Britain again.

Mr Farage’s comments about the UK accepting Syrian refugees have caused a backlash among some UKIP supporters.

Mr Farage said, however, that asylum seekers and refugees fleeing conflicts were “a very different thing” from economic migrants. He has called for a proper debate on the subject to distinguish between genuine refugees who fear for their lives and migrants moving to the UK for “economic benefit”.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Lawyers

Duncan Lewis immigration lawyers are one of the UK’s leading firms of solicitors dealing with immigration and asylum cases, including appeals.

Duncan Lewis is also a leading firm of Legal Aid solicitors and can advise on a wide range of immigration issues, including asylum, benefits for migrants to the UK, UK citizenship, illegal entry to the UK, detention, right to work in the UK, marriage in the UK and student visas.

For expert advice on immigration and asylum, Contact Duncan Lewis immigration lawyers on 020 7923 4020.