Matthew Howarth Successfully Secures Appeal to the First Tier Tribunal

On 8th August 2017, Mr Howarth successfully appealed a refusal by the Home Office to grant refugee and humanitarian protection for an Asylum Seeker from Ethiopia.

As with the majority of Asylum cases, it usually falls upon the credibility of the Appellant when giving their evidence.  In this case, Mr Howarth was able to navigate a number of useful documents on behalf of an Asylum Seeker during examination. The Appellant in this case was active with a party that opposed the current government of Ethiopia.

The Appellant was able to show, through expert evidence, that he was indeed linked to a political organization he felt strongly about due to the archaic Ethiopian government regime.  Mr Howarth was able to bring the Court’s attention to a number of authorities and guidance notes demonstrating that an individual such as the Appellant was at a grave risk upon return. A skeleton argument in this case assisted the court.

It is useful in these cases to seek expert evidence, as it can be a deciding factor when representing an individual in the First Tier Tribunal. Anything that can support an Asylum Seeker to demonstrate their nationality, or indeed any risk they face, will assist the court in reviewing their case.

Mr Howarth accepts a wide range of immigration cases and it is something he feels passionate about following his international ProBono work with Baker & McKenzie.