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Friends Without Borders
About Us
We are a completely independent charity which has supported people seeking asylum and refugees in Portsmouth for the last 30 years. We have no government contracts and rely entirely on the contributions of local people. We aim to give relief to immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees who are suffering hardships or distress or in need, particularly, but not exclusively, in the city of Portsmouth, by the provision of financial and other assistance and raising the awareness of the general public.
Our Story
Friends Without Borders was formerly known as Haslar Visitors Group, which was started in 1994 by local people concerned by the detention of foreign nationals at Haslar in Gosport. Haslar was used for the detention of foreign nationals from 1989 and was designated an Immigration Removal Centre in 2002. Haslar closed in 2015 but there are current plans to re-open it and expand the capacity to detain 600 people. Friends Without Borders became a CIO in 2021 and provides support for people seeking asylum, refugees and vulnerable migrants within the Portsmouth area.
Access To Justice
Access to Justice started in 2014 and are the only completely free providers of high-level immigration law advice in Portsmouth.
In 2023 the project moved from All Saints to the University of Portsmouth and is run by Dr Leddy-Owen along with two advisers. The project is a collaboration between Friends Without Borders and the University of Portsmouth's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Business and Law.
Most of the work involves clients experiencing homelessness and/or domestic abuse. The majority of clients’ applications rely on article 8 of the European Convention on Rights; that is, the right to a family or private life. Applications are highly demanding in terms of the quantity of information and documents provided, and a great deal of. Access to Justice’s work revolves around collating these documents and putting together legal arguments that must make reference to the UK’s various rules and laws.
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