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Jamie Bell Featured in Solicitors Journal on Landmark ARAP Challenge (23 March 2026)
Date: 23/03/2026
Jamie Bell, a solicitor in our Public Law department, has been featured in the Solicitors Journal following the publication of his analysis of a significant High Court challenge concerning the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).
Jamie's article examines the case of BVD v Secretary of State for Defence (AC-2025-LON-002837), in which the High Court has granted permission for a judicial review that could have far-reaching implications for thousands of Afghan nationals still awaiting decisions on their ARAP applications.
The Legal Point at Stake
The case centres on the interpretation of Category 4 of the ARAP scheme, which provides for the relocation of Afghan nationals who worked alongside the UK mission in Afghanistan, made a substantive and positive contribution to the UK's military or national security objectives, and now face a risk of retribution as a result. As Jamie's analysis sets out, two fundamental points have been left undefined by the UK Government and remain unaddressed in existing case law: what constituted the UK's military objectives in Afghanistan, and what amounts to a "substantive and positive" contribution.
About the Case
The claimant, BVD, is an Afghan national who oversaw and delivered UK-funded stabilisation programmes in Helmand and other provinces, working directly with UK officials on programme financing, governance and risk management. Despite this, the most recent decision in his case, his third, rejected that his work fell within the UK's national security objectives. BVD is represented by Jamie Bell and caseworker Hamish Dick of Duncan Lewis Solicitors. The substantive hearing is listed for 19 May 2026.
The full article is available to read on the Solicitors Journal website.
About the instructing team:
Jamie Bell has represented clients in ARAP proceedings for a number of years and has developed particular expertise in Category 4 applications, which, by their nature, involve complex and varied factual backgrounds. He continues to act for clients across a range of immigration and public law matters at Duncan Lewis, supported by a dedicated team with significant experience in this area.
Hamish Dick is a Caseworker in the Public Law department at Duncan Lewis's City of London office, where he works under the supervision of Public Law Director Toufique Hossain and Jamie Bell.
About Duncan Lewis Solicitors
Duncan Lewis's Immigration and Public Law team has a strong track record in complex, high-profile litigation involving human rights and asylum. The firm has been involved in a number of landmark cases, including challenges arising from Brook House, the Rwanda policy, and Manston, and remains committed to robust legal representation for those who need it most.