One Stop Services

This page explains what advice is available from One Stop Services, and where to find them.

One Stop Services are run by charitable organisations to offer advice and help with the asylum process and life in the United Kingdom. The UK Border Agency gives them money to provide this support to asylum applicants and refugees, but they are not involved in making decisions on your application and will not tell us anything about you without your permission.

One Stop Services normally offer advice to asylum applicants who have newly arrived in the United Kingdom, those who have just received the decision on their application, and successful applicants who are starting to build their new life in this country.

They are there to help you with:

• housing problems;
• contacting agencies such as social services'
• finding and joining English-language classes;
• questions about asylum support;
• advice about legal representation;
• finding schools for your children to go to;
• building a life in the United Kingdom if you are given permission to stay; and
• information about returning home and the voluntary scheme that can help you do that.

As well as providing advice about the asylum process and adapting to life in the United Kingdom, they may be able to help if you have problems, such as if you are:

• threatened or harmed by someone because of your race (see Racial harassment for more information);
• threatened or harmed by a member of your family (see Domestic violence for more information); or
• the victim of a crime or witness a crime (see Reporting a crime for more information).

Contact your nearest One Stop Service to find out what it offers. The contact details below were last updated in July 2007 and were correct at that time.