Immigration - new material (52)
Topic
Country/Region
01 March 2001
Immigration Controls, the Family and the Welfare State - a handbook of law, theory, politics and practice for local authority, voluntary sector and welfare state workers and legal advisors. Steve Cohen, 2001, ISBN 1?85302?723?5, £17.95, pp363.
“There is an irony at the heart of the nexus between immigration law and welfare. This revolves around the family. Family unity is a central aim of welfare provisions. However, a consequence of immigration control is the division of families on a global scale”. Cohen provides extensive material on the destructive effect of immigration controls on privacy and family life and shows how the division of families is central to immigration control. Drawing on extensive experience in campaigning and legal support work, the book is not limited to the strictly legal provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act with regards to the family and welfare, but gives examples of hypothetical and real “case work problems” and “real case stories” to show the implications of current legislation. Chapters one and two deal with the basic issues (legal and political) behind immigration and “good practice” for support workers and give a detailed analysis and critique of concepts of the family and their relation to immigration rules, deportation and anti?deportation campaigning. Chapters three and four focus on the link between the eligibility of welfare provisions and people's immigration status and give invaluable and critical campaigning advice, again, drawing on extensive campaigning experience. Finally, the book concludes with a strong case against the notion of “fair” immigration controls, clearly outlining the necessarily racist nature of immigration controls as well the ideological presupposition behind the argument for controls. In the light of growing demands for a discussion on the abolition of border controls amongst anti?racist activists, this book, not least due to its strong focus on practical support and good practice, should inform every legal practitioner and support worker in the field of immigration and asylum. Available from: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 116 Pentonville Rd, London N1 9JB, Tel: 0044(0)20?7837?2917, post@jkp.com, www.jkp.com.
Recent developments in immigration law, Legal Action, March 2001, pp10-17.
This four monthly update keeps “practitioners up to date with developments in legislation, practice and case-law” with regards to immigration and asylum. Available from Legal Action, 242 Pentonville Road, London N1 9UN, Tel: 0044(20)7833-2931, legalaction@lag.org.uk
Asylum Seekers - a guide to recent legislation, Immigration Law Practitioners' Association and Resource Information Centre, March 2001, pp100.
Studies the effects and implications of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 and asylum related Human Rights Act provisions. The five chapters cover legal representation (including the appeals procedure and detention bail), the new support and dispersal arrangements, housing and other benefits, access to health, employment and education, and “vulnerable categories” (children, victims of torture, women and people with mental health problems). Available from: Resource Information Service, Basement, 38 Great Pulteney St., London W1F 9NU, Tel: 0044(20)7494-2408, ris@ris.org.uk
Far from Home - The housing of asylum seekers in private rented accommodation, Deborah Garvie (Shelter), January 2001, ISBN 1 870767 93 4, pp72, £12.50.
This research was initiated after the homeless NGO Shelter started receiving alarming reports by local authority environmental health officers on the housing condition of asylum seekers. It is well researched and informative, tracing the systematic restriction of housing and support arrangements for asylum seekers through Asylum and Immigration Acts since 1993. The findings are based on a three-month investigation into the various forms of accommodation for asylum seekers with the main focus on the private sector through sub-contractors<