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Immigration Advisory Service closes down
BBC News reporting that the Immigration Advisory Service is closing down.
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says the reasons why the charity is in administration are unclear, but cuts to the legal aid budget and to fees for doing legally-funded work are thought to be contributory factors.
More from the LSC website on this story, although not much more to be honest.
Our priority now is to work closely with IAS and the administrators to ensure clients of IAS continue to get the help they need, whilst safeguarding public money. We are now identifying alternative advice provision in the areas affected and arrangements for case transfer will follow as soon as possible.
More information now on the BBC news story.
Complex funding rules’
The IAS also failed to reach an agreement with the Legal Services Commission (LSC), which runs the legal aid scheme in England and Wales, over the repayment of money which the charity had claimed in error, partly, in IAS’s view, due to the LSC’s “complex funding rules in place”.
The charity said the legal aid cuts put it in the position of needing to repay this money from a much reduced income base.
The trustees said all avenues of support had been exhausted for it to seek a solvent restructure, and that they had no alternative but to put the charity into administration.
Trustees’ chairman John Scampion said: “It is a very sad day for us all, and I would like to pay tribute to the staff who have worked diligently and professionally through what has been very difficult and trying circumstances, and to reassure IAS’s clients that everything possible is being done to protect their interests during this very difficult time.”
Sounds very similar circumstances as contributed to the closire of RMJ last year, in terms of cash flow problems arising from LSC fee rules.
and now statement on the IAS website @ http://www.iasuk.org/home.aspx
The Immigration Advisory Service (IAS), the largest provider of publically funded immigration and asylum legal advice, advised today that it had been placed into administration. The IAS, a registered charity, has been in existence for 35 years, and employs 300 staff at 14 locations across England and Scotland. It is renowned for a large number of important legal precedent cases which have been taken through the Courts, including to the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights.
The Governments reforms include the removal of immigration from the scope of legal aid, and a 10% cut in legal aid fees for refugees seeking asylum within the UK. Immigration accounts for around 60% of IAS’s income. There are few organisations that could cope with the compound effect of removal of immigration from the scope of legal aid and a cut in fees for asylum clients.
The IAS has been in discussion with the Legal Services Commission (LSC) in an attempt to gain support for a solvent restructure of its operations. IAS had also tried to reach an agreement with LSC for an extended period to repay monies which (in common with many other firms) had been claimed in error, partly, in IAS’s view, due to the complex funding rules in place. The legal aid cuts put IAS in the position of needing to fund any repayment of these monies, from a much reduced income base, and as a result it has not proved possible to reach agreement on a way forward.
The IAS trustees regrettably decided that all avenues of support had been exhausted for IAS to seek a solvent restructure, and that they had no alternative but to place the organisation into administration. IAS administrators will be working closely with LSC over the next few days to ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for all of IAS’s clients, and clients are advised to monitor IAS’s website where updates on arrangements will be posted.
Just to add that if you click through on Shawn’s link above, there is also a whole load of information for any clients affected by the IAS closure - didn’t want to C&P it here as it is extensive, but if anyone does come across any individuals affected, then make sure they are taken through this information.
Here’s an interesting article from the Guardian last week about the closure of IAS and examining the possible repercussions and reasons for what has taken place.
We’ve been asked to publicise this message from Julian Bild, one of the signatories to the letter to the Guardian (Legal aid cuts leave migrants and asylum seekers vulnerable) expressing concerns about the closure of IAS, and wider governmental policy on immigration. If you’re interested in attending the meeting, please contact Julian by email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
There was a good response to my email suggesting that we discuss initiating a public campaign on the immigration legal aid cuts, and the possibility of linking this to the proposals to substantially limit the family immigration route. Apologies to those I have not replied to individually.
These twin attacks on the UK’s migrant communities represent a huge stepping up of the govt’s anti-immigration policies. Whilst acknowledging the very fine work undertaken by ILPA, Justice for All and others, there is clearly support for a broad based campaign to bring this discussion more into the public arena and to mobilise those who will be directly affected by the measures.
ILPA has kindly let us have their premises for an initial meeting to discuss launching such a campaign on Thursday 11 August 2011 at 7.00pm.
It would be great if those who responded to the e-mail, both as individuals and representing their respective organisations (JCWI, Migrant Rights Network, BID and others), and any others interested could come to the meeting. I envisage this meeting will be, in the main, a discussion on strategic objectives – i.e. do we inaugurate a formal campaign? – and if so, how we should do that. It would also be good, if agreement were there, to start planning a public meeting to kick off the campaign.
Please do pass this email to anyone else you know who may want to take an active part. Can you please let me know by email to me if you can attend. If there are enough replies to go ahead with the meeting I will then confirm that by email to those who reply. If you would like to attend but cannot due to lack of notice, holidays etc please let me know so I can send you details of the next organising meeting.
Julian
The Law Gazette reports that all cases on the books of the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) have been transferred to alternative providers, according to the Legal Services Commission. The Commission is also continuing the process of reallocating IAS’s unused new matter starts, carrying out a ‘mini tender’ in some areas.
The LSC said IAS had more than 8,000 open files when it went into administration in July. It said a total of 5,612 files have been transferred to alternative immigration advice providers, while another 2,528 files have been opened in error, and were cases which should not have had legal aid, or were ready to be closed.