Existing Statelessness determination procedure
An example of legal aid provision - Liverpool Law Clinic
In October 2013, within six months of the establishment of the United
Kingdom’s new SDP, the Liverpool Law Clinic (part of the Law Department
at the University of Liverpool) launched a project to advise and represent
stateless persons in relation to their applications for a residence permit, and
for stateless children to register as British citizens. Since then it has offered
a free service nationwide service to stateless clients. The Clinic is run by
specialist lawyers assisted by law students. There is very limited, exceptional
legal aid funding in England and Wales for advice and representation in
relation to a statelessness application. Clients are referred by organizations
such as the Red Cross and UNHCR, or they find the Clinic through an internet
research or word of mouth. Most of the clients would not be able to pay for a
private lawyer to represent them.
Though the clinic deals with a relatively small number of clients, it quickly
established its expertise. It has secured some significant changes of
approach by the Home Office by making strategic applications and
innovative arguments, to ensure the United Kingdom follows best practice as
closely as possible. Two staff members authored a Best Practice Guide for
legal representatives who advised on the statelessness leave procedure and
provided legal training throughout the United Kingdom. The clinic’s lawyers
support other legal representatives making statelessness applications on
behalf of their clients, foster contacts with many partners in this field and
participate in international meetings to exchange experiences and encourage
best practice. The lawyers, together with legal representatives from other
organizations, push for policy change through regular meetings with the
Home Office.
Through their involvement in the work of the clinic, some 350 University of
Liverpool students have developed in-depth, practical knowledge about
the situation of stateless people, encouraging them to specialize in this
field. From June 2016, the clinic received funding for a project to develop its
strategic legal work on statelessness, initially focused on vulnerable young
stateless migrants aged 25 and under. The clinic hosted an international
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