(1) An appellant in an Article 8 human rights appeal who argues that there is no public interest in removal because after leaving the UK he or she will be granted entry clearance must, in all cases, address the relevant considerations in Part 5A of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (‘the 2002 Act’) including section 117B(1), which stipulates that ‘the maintenance of effective immigration controls is in the public interest’. Reliance on Chikwamba v SSHD [2008] UKHL 40 does not obviate the need to do this.
(2) Section 117B(6)(b) of the 2002 Act requires a court or tribunal to assume that the child in question will leave the UK: Secretary of State for the Home Department v AB (Jamaica) and Anor [2019] EWCA Civ 661 and JG (s 117B(6): ‘reasonable to leave’ UK) Turkey [2019] UKUT 72 (IAC). However, once that assumption has been made, the court or tribunal must move from the hypothetical to the real: paragraph 19 of KO (Nigeria) and Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] UKSC 53. The length of time a child is likely to be outside the UK is part of the real world factual circumstances in which a child will find herself and is relevant to deciding, for the purpose of section 117B(6)(b), whether it would be unreasonable to expect the child to leave the UK.
(3) The assessment of whether a child, as a result of being compelled to leave the territory of the European Union, will be a deprived of his or her genuine enjoyment of the rights conferred by Article 20 TFEU in accordance with Ruiz Zambrano v Office national de l’emploi (Case C-34/09) falls to be assessed by considering the actual facts (including how long a child is likely to be outside the territory of the Union), rather than theoretical possibilities.
[2020] UKUT 129 (IAC)
Bailii
England and Wales
Immigration
Updated: 28 December 2021; Ref: scu.650792
