As part of her work representing Afghan interpreters who assisted and served UK Armed Forces when deployed in Helmand, Afghanistan, Sarah Pinder, a senior member of the immigration and public law team, was invited to join CJ McKinney, Editor of Free Movement and Jamie Bell, Solicitor – Duncan Lewis Solicitors.
Readers can catch up on the podcast ‘What now for Afghan refugees?’ here. The podcast was recorded on 26th August 2021, at the height of the emergency evacuations from Kabul effected by the UK and many other nations, following the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan.
Sarah and Jamie, together with CJ McKinney, discuss the two existing resettlement programmes for Afghan formerly/locally employed staff of the British government and what was then known about the additional Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme announced on 18th August 2021. Both Sarah and Jamie also explored what has been happening with those who are already in the UK with pending asylum cases or cases that have not yet been successful.
This podcast is a must-listen for those with an interest in current affairs and in representing Afghans who are in need of international protection. The recording of this podcast also followed on from Sarah’s recent success with the case of an Afghan interpreter, granted under the Afghanistan Relocation and Assistance Programme.
Sarah was also quoted in the BBC News article ‘Afghanistan: How many asylum seekers has the UK taken in?’ by Rachel Schraer and Nicholas Barrett published on 2nd September 2021:
Immigration lawyer Sarah Pinder said resettlement schemes were often too slow for crises such as the one unfolding in Afghanistan.
“The idea that people can queue up to make an application by staying put… in reality, it’s difficult to put into practice,” she said.
And their criteria were often narrow, leaving people “stuck in a loop” between different schemes.
One of Ms Pinder’s clients, an Afghan interpreter, had his application refused under an earlier iteration of the schemes because he had already left Afghanistan – but he had fled the country only because working for the UK had left him in danger.
Related barristers: Sarah Pinder
Related practice areas: Immigration and Public Law
