Following our pilot session last September, we will be hosting an updated Knowledge is Power workshop on Monday 23 March online from 10am-1pm. We plan to repeat this session again throughout the year.  

Who’s it for?

This session is specifically aimed at people whose asylum claim has been refused by the Home Office (or they are concerned it will be refused) and have an upcoming appeal hearing at the First-tier Tribunal and do not have a lawyer to represent them or prepare their case. 

This session is also for individuals and groups (especially those who are not IAA-regulated) who support people without representation submitting and going through the asylum appeals process. At Right to Remain, we believe that sharing and building knowledge across communities is how we create change and resist a cruel system – not by keeping information confined to professional spaces. Where possible, we encourage supporters to attend alongside someone currently navigating the asylum system.

Please note we do NOT give legal advice and we will NOT be able to answer specific questions about individual cases.

What will this session look like? 

This will be a highly practical and participatory session which will go through the journey of receiving a Home Office refusal to the day of the appeal hearing focusing on the practical steps to take if you do not have a lawyer including:

• What an appeal is and what the Tribunal actually decides
• What happens after an appeal is submitted
• How to read and respond to your Home Office refusal letter 
• How to start researching and organising evidence
• What a hearing looks like in practice and how to prepare
• Where the line sits between legal advice and legal support

Please note we do not give legal advice and we will not be able to answer specific questions about individual cases. We will however give you general information and practical tools that will help you to support people with more awareness and skill.

Why is this session important? 

As part of the current Labour government’s pledge to “clear the asylum backlog” the Home Office have been making asylum decisions at a very high volume. In the year ending September 2025, over 130,000 initial decisions were made of which over 75,000 were refusals. At the same time, the appeal system is under enormous pressure. By the end of September 2025, the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber) had 121,000 cases outstanding – this number is nearly twice as many as at the same point the year before. 

We know from listening to our communities (and the Home Office’s own internal quality checks) that Home Office asylum decisions are frequently inconsistent and poor. For example, evidence may not be properly considered and interviews can be cut short, pushing more cases into appeal. We also know that people are not able to get lawyers. At the same time, the legal aid crisis has been deepening for years. Many people are still unable to find a lawyer, and that reality is unlikely to change any time soon. While this workshop cannot replace legal advice, we have to be honest about the context people are navigating. 

This workshop is designed to respond to that reality. We will look at how to read and respond to a refusal letter, how to prepare a clear and consistent witness statement, how to organise supporting evidence, and how to approach the hearing day with greater confidence.

How to join the session

You can purchase tickets for the session below.

We have a maximum of 35 participants at this online workshop. We also have a maximum of 2 people per organisation, to spread the knowledge more widely. You will receive a Zoom link after you book your place.

Ticket prices are dependent on the income of your organisation.

For organisations of income more than £1 million – £50

Organisations with income less than £1 million – £30

For organisations with no funding at all, and no paid staff members, we have a limited number of free tickets. For people currently in the asylum or immigration system, tickets are also free.

Please email Esther – esther@righttoremain.org.uk – to request a free ticket.