Immigration Solicitors

Cambridge City Council has announced that it is expanding its target to welcome 100 refugees, including people from Syria, as part of government schemes to resettle people from war torn countries.

In autumn 2015, the council agreed with the Home Office that it would welcome 50 refugees – and by December 2016, more than 40 refugees are expected to have been re-homed in or around Cambridge.

Support has come from the Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign and others, to ensure that most of the refugees settle into life in the city.

The council has already allocated some of its own accommodation, but says that, given the pressures of meeting the needs of local homeless people, it continues to need offers of suitable self-contained private rented and housing association homes in or near Cambridge to accommodate the refugees.

Leader of Cambridge City Council, Councillor Lewis Herbert, said:

“The council’s autumn 2015 commitment was to re-home at least 50 Syrian refugees. This was a minimum and we always envisaged a higher number over time.

“We met Home Office Minister Richard Harrington in earlier this year to say that Cambridge could do more if the national scheme extended to single refugees – an issue that has not yet been resolved. We offered to help when such a scheme is announced.

“The government needs to broaden its support schemes to help individual refugees – and be crystal clear both about the future for refugee children who have just arrived from Calais and the future of recently arrived unaccompanied asylum seeking children already in the UK.

“We know that there are hundreds of unaccompanied asylum seeking children currently in the care of the authorities in the East of England – and they need answers from the government on their future in the UK, too.”

The council says that any private sector housing offered must be self-contained units rather than spare rooms, due to Home Office prohibitions against the use of spare rooms for resettling refugees.

The council inspects properties offered by private sector landlords to ensure they are of an appropriate standard.

Where rents are requested, they are affordable under the Home Office scheme, which is in line with council rents.

The council has supported fundraising efforts by local groups, most recently an event by Cambridge Rotary Club, which raised money for Syrian refugees.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors can advise on UK immigration law, including asylum applications and appeals, illegal entry to the UK, and right to work in the UK.

Duncan Lewis can also advise major companies, SMEs and individuals on business immigration and Tier-2 visa applications for staff from non-EEA countries, wishing to take up appointments in the UK.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide – including in London and in most major cities – and Duncan Lewis is one of the UK’s leading immigration specialists, able to advise on immigration law and international recruitment across all business sectors.

Duncan Lewis can also advise on entrepreneur visas, student visas, spouse visas and visa overstays.

For expert legal advice on UK immigration law, call Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 0333 772 0409.

For 24/7 help with urgent immigration matters such as detention, call the Duncan Lewis Solicitors Emergency Helpline on 0333 772 0607, where an accredited immigration lawyer is available out of office hours.