Tommaso Poli

Senior Caseworker

As a Senior Immigration and Asylum Caseworker, I work under the directory of Bahar Ata within the Immigration department in the City of London office. I deal with private and publicly funded international protection and human rights claims. I regularly represent clients in appeal and judicial review proceedings. I have managed to secure a positive outcome in extremely complex/low-chance cases in many occasions recurring to either judicial review proceedings or further submissions. In one occasion, a human trafficking case, the victim (from Albania) turned to me following a certified refusal of further submissions related to an asylum claim as a victim of human trafficking. Prior to the certified refusal of further submissions, the victim had a negative conclusive grounds assessment, a refusal of asylum claim, and a First-tier Tribunal determination dismissing her appeal. First, I applied for brining judicial review against the Home Office’s certification as ‘clearly unfounded’ claim; that was refused on papers, but oral hearing was allowed. Following the oral hearing, the Upper Tribunal Judge directed the Home Office to reconsider their decision. The Home Office confirmed their refusal but lifted the certification and granted right to appeal. Then, I appealed against the refusal of further submissions. Meanwhile, I instructed a Human Trafficking expert to produce a report on the Competent Authority’s conclusive grounds assessment which underpinned all the other negative decisions. I drafted compelling grounds of appeal and prepared a hearing bundle containing both a Human Trafficking expert’s report and Country Expert’ report; and thanks to the invaluable help of my counsel from Garden Court Chambers at the hearing, the appeal was allowed on asylum and human rights grounds. Few weeks later I received the Home Office’s letter granting her refugee status.