Seeking Refuge? - Rights of Women

Voluntary Return and Assisted
Voluntary Return
Voluntary return is when a person chooses to
return to their country, rather than being returned
there by the UK Border Agency 28 .
There may be benefits to returning to your
country voluntarily, including:
• control over when, where and how you leave
the UK;
• being able to return to the UK sooner than you
could if you were removed (this relates to reentry
bans, see below for more information);
and
• financial support for travel arrangements, and
to help you resettle in your country.
There are two ways in which you can return to
your country voluntarily:
• Voluntary Return: this is when you arrange and
pay for your return to your country.
• Assisted Voluntary Return: this is when you chose
to return to your country, but you are given
financial or other support to enable you to do this.
There are organisations that help people who
want to return to their country.
Choices, which is run by Refugee Action, provides
confidential, independent advice to those who are
thinking about returning to their country. They
also have female advisors who you can talk to in
confidence. This means that they will not tell
anyone, including any of your family members or
the Home Office, what you tell them.
) 8
For information about
Choices and their services for women see:
www.refugee-action.org.uk/ourwork/
choices/default.aspx
For general information about Choices,
please telephone 020 7654 7713 or email:
choices@refugee-action.org.uk
The International Organisation for Migration
(the IOM) is an independent international
organisation which helps people who want to
return to their country. The IOM provides
information and support, as well as arranging
Assisted Voluntary Returns.
The IOM works closely with the UK Border Agency
and they will check with them whether or not you
are eligible for assisted voluntary return. They will
also inform the UK Border Agency that you have
taken their assistance to return to your country.
To find out more about the
International Organisation for Migration
visit: www.iomlondon.org or telephone:
0800 783 2332.
Can I return to the UK after I
have left? Re-entry bans and
voluntary departure
It is important to get legal advice on the
implications of returning home either voluntarily,
or under an Assisted Voluntary Return Programme
(like those organised by the International
Organisation for Migration). This is because under
recently introduced rules, people who leave the
UK following a refused asylum claim can, in some
circumstances, be prevented from returning to
the UK for certain periods of time. This is called a
re-entry ban. These rules will apply to you if you
have ever:
• been an overstayer in the UK;
• been treated as an illegal entrant;
)
• breached a condition of your stay in the UK;
• used deception to seek entry into the UK; or
• used deception to seek leave to remain in the
UK.
Even if you fall into one of these categories, these
rules do not apply if you are applying to return to
the UK to be with your husband, partner or other
family members, in certain circumstances.
If you leave the UK on an Assisted Voluntary
Return Programme, you may be prevented from
coming back to the UK for up to five years. The
number of years that you cannot return to the UK
for will depend on your individual circumstances.
If you leave the UK voluntarily at your own
expense, you will only be prevented from
returning to the UK for up to twelve months
(although, again, this will depend on your own
personal circumstances).
28
It used to be called the Border and Immigration Agency (the BIA) and before that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate
(the IND).
57