Home Office First ‘Ethical Decision-Making Model' Guidance

WINDRUSH LESSONS

Following the Windrush scandal in 2018, a review was undertaken and a report Windrush Lessons Learned Review by Wendy Williams - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) was published in March 2020. The Review was critical of the immigration decision-making process, including the quality of some decisions made and the lack of engagement and empathy by Home Office casework decision makers. The review found that decisions were sometimes based on completing a checklist, rather than assessing and evaluating a case in its full context.

The criticism of the Home Office decision making does not come as a surprise for those who practice UK immigration law, or those who had their visa applications refused. The Home Office is a large organisation with limited resources, shortage of staff, complex internal structure, complicated immigration rules, and government policies to follow that not always support more immigration. All of this without a doubt impacts on the quality of