Legal advice
AVID is not able to give legal advice.
Legal Aid (free) advice in detention
If you are in detention, you are eligible for legal aid funded advice under what is called the Detention Duty Advice Scheme.
Under this scheme you can book a 30 minute appointment with a solicitor in the detention centre. There are certain legal aid firms that run these surgeries, and they will visit the centre on a rota basis. Different lawyers visit each week. You can find out which firms by accessing the current rotas (see below).
There are sometimes waiting lists for an appointment. To book an appointment you should contact the welfare officer or librarian.
During the appointment, the solicitor will ask you about your immigration case and establish whether they can offer you free legal advice. Their decision will be based on the 'merits' of your case: this means how strong the case is, how likely to succeed, etc). This session is free of charge. If the solicitor does decide to take your case, you won't have to pay for their advice.
Unfortunately there is no longer legal aid (free) legal advice for certain aspects of your immigration case no matter how strong (how much 'merit') your case has.
The rotas are put together by the Legal Aid Agency. You can contact them directly to request DDA rotas.
You can find information on how to apply for bail on the Home Office website here.
Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID)
BID is a charity that works with people in detention to help secure their release. They are a small organisation, independent of the government and detention centres, working to challenge detention and help people gain their freedom. They cannot help in all cases, but you will find a wealth of information on legal rights in detention and how to access bail.
