Rwanda Act: Briefing for People Impacted

You may be at risk of detention/removal to Rwanda if:

• You received a decision under the inadmissibility rules (this comes after a notice of intent letter),
• You received a removal decision,
• You received removal directions which specifically mentions Rwanda.

You might be considered inadmissible, and therefore at risk of detention/removal to Rwanda if:

• You claimed asylum on or after 1st January 2022, 
• Your journey to the UK can be described as having been dangerous, 
• You do not have families with children under the age of 18.

Please see this briefing from Right to Remain for more information.

This Act became law on Friday 25th April 2024. The Home Office have announced that they will be beginning to detain people for removal to Rwanda from Monday 29th April 2024. Over the next two weeks, we expect the Home Office may detain people who are at risk at reporting centres, conduct raids and speak to individuals about voluntary returns.

Here are some steps you can take to ensure you can access the support you need:

1. It is important that you have legal representation as legal expertise might be needed to challenge the Rwanda and admissibility decisions. If you do not have legal support, you can find a solicitor at these links:
   • In Scotland,
   • In England. 
2. You should also contact other organisations that can help you access legal support. If you receive a Notice of Intent letter from the Home Office, you can contact Care4Calais on the following numbers:
   • If you are in a hotel or house, you can WhatsApp +447519 773268, 
   • If you are in detention, you can call 0800 009 6268.
3. If you have been asked by the Home Office to report at the Brand Street office in Glasgow, please contact us. We can organise for volunteers to accompany you to the reporting centre.
4. When you go to report at the Home Office reporting centre, please make sure you have charged your phone, have enough credit and data, and have phone numbers you can call if you are detained. It might be useful to have these numbers written on a piece of paper in case your phone is taken from you. If you are reporting or detained, you should tell your solicitor. You can also call your family members or friends.

If you would like to volunteer with us to support people who may be at risk of detention and removal to Rwanda, please contact iona@positiveactionh.org.