Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
BOOK REVIEW
MIGRANT SUPPORT HANDBOOK
By Shu Shin Luh and Connor Johnston
ISBN: 978 1 913648 53 4 (book)
978 1 913648 54 1 (e-book)
LEGAL ACTION GROUP
The access to justice charity
lag.org.uk
AN INDISPENSABLE HANDBOOK FOR SPECIALISTS IN IMMIGRATION LAW, YET ACCESSIBLE TO ALL INTERESTED READERS
An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister”, and Mediator
Is there a new law text out there that is more topical than this? Not to mention more vital than this? Probably not -- although many may well argue the point. It is indisputable, however, that mass migration, whether legal or illegal, has become an international problem, particularly for the UK -- and in the view of many -- it is a problem that is well-nigh insoluble.
It is fair to say, however, that immigration lawyers in particular -- as well as anyone involved in, or committed to, achieving viable solutions to the problems inherent in migrant support -- will welcome the publication of this book by the Legal Action Group.
Authors Shu Shin Luh and Connor Johnston have noted that the book (conceived some six years ago) was painstakingly researched and written to ‘replace the irreplaceable’ “Support For Asylum-Seekers” by Sue Willman and Steve Knaffer QC, published by LAG in 2009.
It is sobering to recall how much and how quickly and relentlessly the world has changed since then -- making the problem of asylum seekers ever more acute. The publication of this book is therefore all the timelier.
And certainly, the almost insoluble complexity of its subject matter is reflected in its more than 1,200 pages of scholarly and thorough research presented (in the tradition of the LAG) in a clear, accessible style; accessible, that is, not only to lawyers, but to anyone interested in, or involved with, this detailed and certainly controversial and difficult subject, which has occasioned so much debate.
With its focus on the welfare and legal rights of migrants, the book provides in-depth coverage of, for example, housing and welfare, benefits, NHS access and provision and social services, as well as support for failed asylum seekers with reference to special cases; notably unaccompanied children and -- most heart-rending of all -- the victims of human trafficking.
This is a handbook you could almost call encyclopedic. Certainly, it offers specialists in this wide-ranging and many-faceted and complex area of law, a gateway to further research. Note that the first 150 or so pages contain tables of cases... statutes... statutory instruments... immigration rules... and a table of European and international legislation.
Also, for the volume of its size, it is remarkably easy to navigate, containing copious footnotes, a detailed table of contents and an even more minutely detailed index of at least 115 pages.
A handy handbook? Absolutely. As immigration -- both legal and illegal -- will undoubtedly emerge as a prime issue during elections and beyond, this scholarly yet eminently readable volume will prove indispensable, not only to practitioners, but to anyone interested in the wide-ranging issues inherent in this undeniably difficult area of law.
The date of publication is stated as December 2023.
BOOK REVIEW
MIGRANT SUPPORT HANDBOOK
By Shu Shin Luh and Connor Johnston
ISBN: 978 1 913648 53 4 (book)
978 1 913648 54 1 (e-book)
LEGAL ACTION GROUP
The access to justice charity
lag.org.uk
AN INDISPENSABLE HANDBOOK FOR SPECIALISTS IN IMMIGRATION LAW, YET ACCESSIBLE TO ALL INTERESTED READERS
An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor MA of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers, Reviews Editor, “The Barrister”, and Mediator
Is there a new law text out there that is more topical than this? Not to mention more vital than this? Probably not -- although many may well argue the point. It is indisputable, however, that mass migration, whether legal or illegal, has become an international problem, particularly for the UK -- and in the view of many -- it is a problem that is well-nigh insoluble.
It is fair to say, however, that immigration lawyers in particular -- as well as anyone involved in, or committed to, achieving viable solutions to the problems inherent in migrant support -- will welcome the publication of this book by the Legal Action Group.
Authors Shu Shin Luh and Connor Johnston have noted that the book (conceived some six years ago) was painstakingly researched and written to ‘replace the irreplaceable’ “Support For Asylum-Seekers” by Sue Willman and Steve Knaffer QC, published by LAG in 2009.
It is sobering to recall how much and how quickly and relentlessly the world has changed since then -- making the problem of asylum seekers ever more acute. The publication of this book is therefore all the timelier.
And certainly, the almost insoluble complexity of its subject matter is reflected in its more than 1,200 pages of scholarly and thorough research presented (in the tradition of the LAG) in a clear, accessible style; accessible, that is, not only to lawyers, but to anyone interested in, or involved with, this detailed and certainly controversial and difficult subject, which has occasioned so much debate.
With its focus on the welfare and legal rights of migrants, the book provides in-depth coverage of, for example, housing and welfare, benefits, NHS access and provision and social services, as well as support for failed asylum seekers with reference to special cases; notably unaccompanied children and -- most heart-rending of all -- the victims of human trafficking.
This is a handbook you could almost call encyclopedic. Certainly, it offers specialists in this wide-ranging and many-faceted and complex area of law, a gateway to further research. Note that the first 150 or so pages contain tables of cases... statutes... statutory instruments... immigration rules... and a table of European and international legislation.
Also, for the volume of its size, it is remarkably easy to navigate, containing copious footnotes, a detailed table of contents and an even more minutely detailed index of at least 115 pages.
A handy handbook? Absolutely. As immigration -- both legal and illegal -- will undoubtedly emerge as a prime issue during elections and beyond, this scholarly yet eminently readable volume will prove indispensable, not only to practitioners, but to anyone interested in the wide-ranging issues inherent in this undeniably difficult area of law.
The date of publication is stated as December 2023.
