Wrapping up 2024: Highlights, reflections and changes

As the year comes to an end, we’re taking a moment to look back on what’s been a busy and rewarding 2024 at Seraphus. This year has been about growth, new challenges, and making a real impact for the people and communities we support.

One significant milestone this year was finalising our project with St Mungo’s which has been running for 3 years. Seraphus has provided free at the point of access legal advice to service users. In 2024, we’ve provided 120 free advice appointments to homeless clients, helping them navigate complex immigration and asylum issues. In total, across partnerships with St Mungo’s, Kanlungan, Latin American House, and others, we delivered around 250 free, at-the-point-of-access advice sessions to those who would otherwise be unable to afford immigration advice, or experience other barriers to accessing services. Whether it was supporting EU nationals with post-Brexit challenges or advising destitute asylum seekers, our team was there to help.

Ensuring that EU citizens and their family members remain protected from the fallout of Brexit continues to be a significant challenge. The EU Settlement Scheme and the full implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement are presenting increasingly intricate and complex scenarios for EU citizens. This growing complexity has resulted in a year-on-year increase in our legal and policy work throughout 2024. We have reached over 100,000 people through citizens’ rights events, answered more than 12,000 individual queries, and supported the NGO sector in their vital work.

On top of this, our partnership with the Scottish Government hit an exciting new stage with the launch of Scotland’s Migration Service. This initiative provides comprehensive online legal guidance, webinars and free legal advice appointments for employers and investors working in Scotland. It’s been rewarding to see this project come to life and to contribute to something that will have a lasting impact – welcoming migrants to live and settle in Scotland. Welcome is important, especially given the ongoing immigration rhetoric in England. We were delighted to support the Scottish Government, who continue to drive a positive narrative on migration. 

As always, the work we do with our clients remains at the heart of everything. A few cases this year stood out for us;

We supported a client living with a medical condition to stay in the UK with their family where they can receive help to manage their condition, improving their quality of life as a result. 

Two successful Windrush cases reminded us of why we work to challenge hostile policies that deny individuals their rights. These were tough cases that took time and persistence, but the outcomes were worth every effort. 

And lastly, another standout was a long-term case involving a homeless client with a complex history. After years of waiting on a decision and contributions from several of our lawyers, he finally secured settled status.

All these cases remind us why we do what we do — helping people rebuild their lives when it feels like the odds are stacked against them.

We know that economic pressures are being felt by everyone right now, and we’re no exception. To ensure we can continue offering high-quality and accessible legal advice, we’ve had to make the decision to increase the prices of some of our services. This is the first adjustment in eight years for our online advice services and we do this in light of the current economic climate to continue providing the exceptional service you expect. 

Our legal services and the cases we take on go beyond individual cases. They are the backbone of our ability to influence policy, support civil society groups, and, most importantly, provide expert advice to vulnerable people who need it most. We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we navigate these changes.

This year also marked the start of our work on legal aid cases, providing free advice for complex immigration and asylum matters. With 45 cases taken on so far, we’re proud to be providing this vital service.

As we step into 2025, we’re excited to keep building on our successes. Whether through our ongoing collaborations with charities, our Scottish Government partnership, or our dedication to empowering individuals through expert advice, we remain committed to making a real difference in people’s lives.

To our clients, partners, and supporters: thank you for being part of this journey. Whether it’s trusting us with your case, working with us on a project, or simply following our work, your support is invaluable. Here’s to another year of progress, impact, and working to make meaningful change.

We hope you enjoy the festive period and wish you a Happy New Year from all of us at Seraphus!