You were there for me during a very difficult time

Inara* had an arranged marriage in her home country. Her husband was violent towards her, forced her to have an abortion and took a second wife. She managed to flee with a family member and they travelled to the UK on student visas. Fearing she would be subject to an honour killing if she returned to her country, as had happened to one of their relatives, they lodged separate claims for asylum in the UK. These were refused as were their joint appeals. Inara was represented by three different fee-paying solicitors during this process.

She eventually came to the Law Centre where our immigration solicitor took on her case. By this point, the family member was no longer able to support her, she became homeless and was suffering from various physical and psychological conditions.

Our solicitor submitted a fresh claim with new evidence, including a psychological assessment, background country evidence and witness statements. The case went to judicial review and Inara was finally granted refugee status earlier this year, eleven years after first arriving in the UK.

Inara said:

“You were there for me during a very difficult time. I will never forget what you have done. At this difficult time it’s so nice to feel appreciated.”

*name has been changed