Action for Refugees in Lewisham(AFRIL) supports asylum seekers, vulnerable migrants, and refugees across South East London. As demand for immigration advice has grown, AFRIL has taken significant steps to expand its regulated advice service while maintaining its broader frontline community support, including a foodbank and children’s supplementary school.
Based in Lewisham, where there was only one non-fee charging IAA registered organization in July 2024, AFRIL has now strengthened its advice capacity and has 3 advisers registered at Level 1 in Asylum and Protection and Immigration, and 2 advisers at Level 2 Asylum and Protection, enabling AFRIL to further expand its complex casework.
The Challenge
Demand for immigration advice within South East London has consistently exceeded available capacity. As Sarah Evans, Casework Manager at AFRIL explained:
“Our members have been telling us they need more access to immigration advice time and time again - now we have been able to say we listened and responded.”
At the same time, AFRIL has had to carefully manage growth to ensure quality and sustainability:
“There is a lot of need out there and we are being really boundaried about what we take on. We have to constantly decide what we can do safely and sustainably over time.”
Frequent policy and regulatory changes have added further complexity:
“Another constant challenge is the frequent changes [introduced by the Government] - we make a plan, then we have to make a new plan, then another new plan” says Sarah.
Building Capacity and Expanding Services
AFRIL’s advice service has grown steadily, supported by targeted funding, supervision, and sector expertise. Delivering around 15 hours of IAA-regulated advice per month, AFRIL expects to increase this to 20–25 hours per month from April 2026 with four registered advisers.
The organisation’s Advice and Advocacy service focuses on key areas of need, including; long-residence routes to leave to remain, naturalisation applications, housing and homelessness support, as well as welfare benefits advice.
A key factor in the expansion of AFRIL’s advice service has been access to supervision and technical support. Chloe White, Executive Director at AFRIL notes that:
“The supervision through [FIAP’s] Migrant Justice Greater London Programme was a ‘game changer’ when moving into give advice and the oversight from Praxis has been really helpful when taking those steps, especially on more complex cases.”
The Role of Funding
Subgrant funding has played a critical role in enabling AFRIL to embed immigration advice into its services. It has supported both direct service delivery and the infrastructure required for accreditation. Sarah highlights that:
“The funding has been imperative in allowing AFRIL, as a busy frontline organisation, to invest in upskilling staff and expanding our casework offerings to embed much needed immigration advice. Additionally, the contribution to the core costs associated with accreditation… have been crucial in allowing AFRIL, as a small organisation with limited income, to commit to the process…”
This financial support has allowed AFRIL to balance growth with organisational stability and governance confidence.
Ongoing Support and Learning
Guidance from the Migrant Justice Greater London Programme has also been instrumental in shaping AFRIL’s approach, Chloe notes that:
“The Partner Development Coordinator explained different advice models, the common pitfalls and how the other organizations found the process. He encouraged us to take it slowly and gradually build up the advice service…”
This support helped AFRIL adopt a phased, sustainable model for expansion, avoiding the risks of over extension in a high-demand environment.
Impact in Practice: Ramatu’s Story
The impact of AFRIL’s expanded advice service is illustrated by the case of Ramatu*, a long-term community member.
After arriving in the UK from Sierra Leone due to a threat of persecution, Ramatu lived in the UK for 20 years without regular status and experienced homelessness. Ramatu approached AFRIL in crisis after a friend that she was staying with suddenly asked her to leave. She had previously paid an unregulated advisor that she met through a local community organisation, who failed to act on her case.
An AFRIL caseworker, who recently completed their IAA Level 2 training, was able to quickly assess her situation and, under the supervision of Praxis, supported her to secure emergency accommodation through AFRIL’s destitution fund, submit a successful fee waiver application, apply for Leave to Remain under the long-residence route and access Home Office accommodation through a Schedule 10 application.
Within one month, Ramatu was granted Leave to Remain and AFRIL was able to support her to access an eVisa, National Insurance Number and Pension Credit. With continued support, she now has stable housing and access to financial support, enabling her to rebuild her life after years of insecurity.
This is just one story of AFRIL’s impact on its clients. There are many others which attest to the benefits of the support of FIAP’s MJGL programme and the expansion of immigration advice services across organizations.
This demonstrates how small, community-based organisations can sustainably grow specialist provision in response to need. Through a combination of funding, supervision, and strategic development, AFRIL has increased both its capacity and the complexity of cases it can handle.
Crucially, this growth has been carefully managed, ensuring that services remain safe, effective, and responsive to their clients’ needs, making a significant difference to the lives of the people it supports and the wider community.
For more information on Action for Refugees in Lewisham, please visit AFRIL –Action for Refugees in Lewisham – A charity for refugees in Lewisham
Photo credit: AFRIL