Governments in the UK and Greece are making it harder than ever for people on the move to find safety. Legal support is one of the most powerful ways to fight back, but only if people can access it.  

Together, we can stand alongside people seeking safety as they face an increasingly hostile asylum system.  

“I’ve had lawyers before, but they can’t compare. It’s a miracle for me, she gave me hope.” RLS client speaking about her lawyer, Artemis  

The situation: policies designed to exclude 

Rather than strengthening protection for those fleeing persecution, the latest changes to the asylum system make it harder for people to find safety in the UK, and harder still to stay safe once they’re here.  

• Refugee Family Reunion applications have been suspended since October 2025, leaving families in limbo
• There are now almost no safe routes to the UK for Afghans, following a brake on student and work visas for Afghan applicants
• Refugee protection has been cut from five years to just 30 months, leaving people unable to make decisions about their future
• The government will no longer be legally required to provide financial or housing support to some asylum seekers, risking pushing more people into homelessness

In Greece, people face criminalisation and exclusion from the asylum process. New laws have put hundreds of people in jail, and with the online asylum registration platform out of action, many can’t even access the process without a lawyer.  

These are deliberate choices, designed to deter, to exclude, and to make life harder for people who have already endured so much.  

Every day at RLS, we push back against hostile policies. We provide free legal advice and information so that people can exercise their rights, and we fight for change through our advocacy work.  

Legal support is vital  

As governments keep changing the rules, the asylum system has become almost impossible to understand without expert help. 

But the legal support we provide can mean someone is no longer facing the system alone. It helps people understand their rights, navigate complex rules, reunite with their family, and start rebuilding their lives.  

With your support, we can continue standing alongside people as they navigate a system designed to shut them out.  

1. We help people find a route to safety

Safe, legal and accessible routes to the UK are extremely limited. We help people navigate the few that exist. 

• We’re supporting our clients with existing Refugee Family Reunion applications to reunite with their loved ones, and we’ll help clients to understand the new rules when they’re announced.
• Our new asylum clinic is designed to support people who would otherwise be left without representation. Currently, the clinic supports people from Afghanistan, Sudan and Eritrea with their asylum claims.

2. We work with communities

We work in solidarity with the communities we support by:  

• Partnering with local authorities and other grassroots organisations to ensure people in under-served communities can accessvital information
• Helping them have their voices heard, so they can take back their power

3. We reach places others don’t

As a grassroots organisation, we provide legal support where there’s often no other help available:  

• In Northern France, we’re the only organisation with UK legal expertise supporting people on the move. This is particularly important following the introduction of the “one in, one out” scheme, which left many people at the border without information or support. 
• In the UK, we support people who are in prison for arriving in the UK on a small boat
• In Greece, we offer expert legal support and information when many of our colleagues are being forced to shrink or close their services

How you can help  

We’re raising £7,000 to continue this work through 2026. Every contribution makes a difference and helps us towards our goal. 

• £25 could help our Outreach Officer to visit a community space in the UK to provide legal advice and support for people who have no other access to legal help
• £50 could help us to visit a refugee camp in Greece to bring legal information to people who urgently need it
• £100 could help us prepare someone for their asylum interview

Please donate today and stand with people seeking safety.  

Thank you,  

The RLS Team 

Photo credit: Booker Photos