Date: 1 April
Time: 12.30pm
Location: Online
Are you worried about changes to the ‘Good Character Requirement’ guidance for refugees? If so, join our online briefing next Tuesday 01 April to learn more about it and the ongoing legal challenges.
The ‘Good Character Requirement’ policy guidance, used by Home Office caseworkers to assess applications for British citizenship, was updated on 10th February 2025. It now tries to block some refugees from naturalising as British citizens, if their entry to the UK was criminalised i.e. they did not arrive with the required immigration documentation, such as a visa or electronic travel authorisation (ETA) and traveled to the UK via a so-called ‘dangerous journey’.
These changes apply to anyone who applies for British citizenship as a refugee from 10th February 2025, regardless of how long ago they entered the UK in this manner.
There are several ongoing legal challenges to the revised guidance, including one led by Syed Naqvi (ITN Solicitors) and Sonali Naik KC (Garden Court Chambers).
If you have been affected by this recent policy change, are concerned or have any questions, please join Sonali, Syed and MRN for an online briefing on the guidance. This will cover an:
- Overview of what has happened- what the guidance is, who is affected, when you might be affected, and what to do if you are
- Introduction to the legal challenge
- Q&A
Please register to attend the briefing and submit any questions you have on the form so that Sonali and Syed can address them in the online meeting. Please feel free to share this with your family, friends, neighbours and anyone in your network that you think might benefit from the briefing.
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!
If you have any questions or need help with registering, please do not hesitate to contact Aya at [email protected]
About the speakers
Sonali Naik KC, Garden Court Chambers
Sonali Naik KC specialises in public law cases and in all aspects of immigration, asylum and nationality law and practice. She regularly advises on and acts in public law policy challenges and test cases in this field.
She is representing UNHCR in a challenge to the refugee child family reunion policy in the Court of Appeal, listed for May 2025, and she acted in the successful ‘Rwanda’ litigation (AAA and others) in the Supreme Court. Sonali also acted in the leading case on internal relocation in the asylum context: AS (Afghanistan) v SSHD [2019] WLR 5345.
In 2023, Sonali was listed in The Lawyer magazine’s Hot 100 list, which recognises excellence in the legal profession. She was also a recipient of a Highly Commended Award at The Lawyer Awards 2022 for a pro bono initiative to assist Afghan judges in securing UK visas.
Syed Naqvi is a Partner and Head of the firm’s Immigration Department which is ranked in the Legal 500 directory. Syed is also ranked as a leading lawyer in the Chambers and Partners. Syed was featured in The Lawyer Magazine’s list of Top 100 UK lawyers. The list recognised lawyers in the UK from private practice, in-house and the Bar who had completed ground-breaking work.
Syed has a wealth of experience in advising individuals on asylum, trafficking, human rights and EEA/EUSS cases. Syed regularly appears as an advocate in both the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal and has conduct of numerous appeals and Judicial Review claims in the Upper Tribunal, the Administrative Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Syed has particular expertise in using Judicial Review as a mechanism to address discriminatory policies and practices in the UK’s asylum and immigration system.
The Migrants’ Rights Network (MRN) is a UK campaigning charity that stands in solidarity with migrants in their fights for rights and justice. We co-curate campaigns using anti-oppression practices to create transformational change, extending beyond the individual impact on migrants’ lives, to tackle oppression at its source.
Note on language
This session will be delivered in English. We will produce an FAQ document after the event, which will be translated into other languages. Please state your preferred language when you register.