As an exempted not-for profit charitable organisation with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC - Ref No. N200500010), CARA (Charity No. 1135610) offers free immigration advice and representation services to those who wish to live and work in the United Kingdom.

We offer our services to anyone wishing to apply for a variety of UK visas and stay permits, including the Working Holiday maker Visa for Commonwealth Citizens, UK Work Permits, Highly Skilled Migrant Programmes (UK HSMP) that allow people to live and work in the United Kingdom without the need to get a work permit from an employer.

Further, CARA has published a wide range of leaflets on immigration issues and provides its services free of charge on a full range of UK Immigration and Naturalisation services, including British Nationality and Passport, Visitor & Family visas and extensions, Spouse visa, Fiancé visas, Unmarried partners' visas, Family members and children, Dependant family member, Student Visa and extensions, Innovator, European Economic Area and family members, Entry Clearance, Indefinite leave to remain and Extension of visas. This has resulted in CARA becoming one of the most busiest charitable organisation in East London.

Providing asylum advice and support
After fleeing often-horrific experiences of persecution, refugees face the harrowing process of making their asylum application. For this reason, CARA’s caseworkers sign-post those wishing to apply for asylum to the right organisations where they can be supported and helped with professional advice and personal support throughout this ordeal.

CARA has a team of Caseworkers who provide a referral and dedicated and comprehensive services in the form of ongoing representation and outreach and advice casework for clients.

As a result of the changes in public funding and the ensuing reduction in the availability of publicly funded immigration advice, the services of CARA is much more demanded and we receive daily requests to take on new cases that we sign-post to the suitable organisations.

As ever, many of our clients suffer from HIV/AIDS pandemic and other ongoing health problems and live in dire poverty. Whilst their claims are being processed they are generally not allowed to work and are forced to live in inadequate accommodation on incomes set below the poverty line. Shamefully, the difficulties they face daily are not only a result of traumatic experiences in their countries of origin, but also a result of the British government’s policies towards asylum seekers.

Helping the most vulnerable
CARA reaches HIV/AIDS victims and many of the most vulnerable refugees by targeting advice services to those who are marginalized, including women, within the community and those having difficulties in accessing public services.

Linked to our work prioritising the most vulnerable, CARA is looking for funding in order to set up a timely and unique project aimed specifically at helping women asylum-seekers to get protection from human rights violations. We believe that women deserve more from the society because the traditional image of the refugee is of a male political activist, persecuted for his involvement in protests against the state. Women's political activities often take a different form, perhaps giving shelter or food to those in hiding or refusing to abide by restrictions such as dress codes. Women face forms of persecution that are unique to them such sexual violence or rape, sexual and domestic slavery, being forced to dress/behave in a specific way, Female Genital Mutilation, Honour Killing, Domestic Violence from which they are unable to get state protection.

As women are particularly badly affected by recent changes in legislation such as dispersal and new support arrangements resulting in isolation, poverty, lack of support, this Project shall:

* Ensure that women's asylum claims are fully considered;
* Help women to access the asylum determination process in the UK;
* Highlight problems facing women asylum seekers;
* Draw attention to procedural and evidential obstacles for women;

We shall combine research and training on the effects of asylum law and procedures on refugee women with the provision of expert and sympathetic advice to women asylum-seekers.

Challenging injustice
As many of the most deserving cases are initially refused asylum, CARA shall work very hard to challenge unfair and arbitrary refusals of asylum in order to prevent people from being returned to situations where their life may be in danger, as this would be in breach of international law.

Protecting human rights
African immigrants are one of the many groups whose rights CARA shall timelessly work to defend.

Campaigning for a fairer asylum policy
CARA campaigns for a fairer asylum policy because the rights of individual asylum-seekers and refugees fleeing from persecution can only be properly represented if attempts are made to improve an asylum system that presently works against their interests.

For this reason, CARA urgently need your support in order to continue this valuable work. By becoming a member of CARA, you can help to defend the human rights of some of the most persecuted people in the world. Click here for details if you want to help CARA in its work of providing advice and legal representation to Africans and almost everyone seeking asylum in the UK. We help asylum-seekers by referring them so that they can obtain the support they need throughout the process and eventually the safety they deserve.