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Interpol And Immigration: How Bad-Faith Red Notices Derail Good-Faith Asylum Applications

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  In the United Kingdom asylum applications are subject to rigorous examination by the Home Office to uphold national security imperatives. Applications are checked against the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) and the Interpol database. The issuance of an Interpol Red Notice against an individual prompts heightened scrutiny and could lead to the Home Office rejecting the application on the grounds that the applicant’s good character is tarnished or that there are serious reasons for considering that the applicant has committed a serious non-political criminal offence in another country. This article looks at how a Red Notice can derail a genuine asylum application in the UK on the basis that the applicant has committed a serious non-political crime. The next article in this series in this series will look at the ways a Red Notice can derail an application for UK citizenship on the basis that an applicant is not of good character. To stay in the UK as a r...

Reforming Interpol's Commission For The Control Of Files - Red Notice Monitor

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  Interpol's Commission for the Control of Files (CCF) is facing significant challenges due to delays in processing requests for deletion or removal of data. According to Interpol's rules and constitution, it should take approximately four months to confirm the presence of data on an individual and nine months to decide if the data should be maintained or removed. However, the reality is a backlog so severe that cases now take well over a year for proper consideration. The CCF has made improvements under the new administration introduced in March 2022, with decisions becoming more detailed and better reasoned. Nevertheless, the meticulousness required for each case adds to the delay. The CCF consists of only seven part-time members, assisted by around ten lawyers who prepare cases for review. This setup is similar to that of the European Court of Human Rights, where lawyers in the registry summarize key issues and facts for the judges. With a significant backlog of cases ...