12 Can’t Stay. Can’t Go. Refused asylum seekers who cannot be returned > Semi-structured interviews with refused asylum was not meant as a legal analysis or fact-checking seekers who cannot be returned and Red Cross exercise. The amount of information available for refugee support staff who work with them. each individual varied. > An interview with a legal professional. Some of our refused asylum seekers are disputed nationality cases. Where the country of origin is We also asked our refused asylum seekers for noted for our refused asylum seekers, this is their their permission to review their case records, self-reported country of origin. The names of all where available. This allowed us to gather a more participants have been changed and none of the detailed understanding of their situations. This photos in the report are of actual participants. SOME OF OUR REFUSED ASYLUM SEEKERS Faheem’s story Faheem is 44 years old and comes from Palestine. Faheem has been in the UK for nine years and has no ID documents. The Palestinian mission has no record of him and refuses to recognise him as a Palestinian. Faheem has applied for assisted voluntary return (AVR) to Palestine three times. However, since he is unable to get a travel document from the Palestinian mission, his first two applications expired. Faheem’s third application was rejected due to lack of documentation. The Home Office stressed it was unacceptable that Faheem had no new evidence to assist AVR in obtaining a travel document for him. Faheem is unable to obtain a Palestinian passport, so he cannot be returned. He is currently gathering evidence to apply for leave to remain as a stateless person. Faheem is without a home and without a country. He says: “I have missed my chance of a proper life; I have no home, I have no partner, I have no job, my age is going up. My situation is miserable.” Kasim’s story Walid’s story Kasim is 29 years old; he does not have an Walid is 44 years old and comes from Iraqi passport or other form of ID. The Iraqi Algeria; he has been in the UK for nearly 17 embassy has advised that it cannot assist years. He left Algeria during the war. Walid him with documents. For Kasim to obtain lost his passport a long time ago, before a travel document, he needs to have a arriving in the UK. Walid has applied for laissez-passer, a valid or expired passport, assisted voluntary return (AVR) to Algeria or the family record number in the local civil but, without a travel document, he cannot registration office. The Home Office expect be returned. He has been to the Algerian Kasim to get assistance from his family in Iraq embassy twice to try to get re-documented. and follow procedures that permit a family However, as he has been out of the country member to obtain an ID on his behalf. Kasim for so long, they refuse to recognise him is from Mosul and he has lost contact with as an Algerian national. Walid is stuck in his family; he cannot get their help. He is very no man’s land, and has suffered two heart worried about his family and is desperate to attacks since he has been in the UK. He is be in touch with his mother. Kasim has tried seeking advice on whether he can apply tracing his family through the Red Cross, for leave to remain as a stateless person. but was told the situation in Mosul is too However, Walid does not see this as a good dangerous for International Committee of the solution; he sees it as a very last resort. Red Cross (ICRC) presence.