[English] - [Cymraeg]
In September last year we were approached by the law schools of both The University of Glasgow and The University of Edinburgh about the possibility of facilitating visits from their students to observe immigration hearings.
Being keen to support students to better understand the work of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), and the way in which hearings are conducted, we agreed to assist.
We began a fact-finding mission to establish how many students would be involved, the time frame for the visits and the types of hearings they would be most interested in observing.
Each university expected around 30 students to attend and to observe at least one hearing. The University of Edinburgh hoped to have their students complete the observations between October and December. In contrast, The University of Glasgow wished to complete all the visits during one week in November.
The co-ordinating professors from both universities advised that asylum and protection hearings would be the most relevant to their course work and they felt that observing these would be of most benefit to their students.
Having completed our groundwork, we then provided each university co-ordinator with some additional information in terms of the number of courts we run each day and the maximum number of students we could accommodate in each of our court rooms.
We provided a link to the on-line court lists to allow students to check which hearings were running the following day and shared some guidance in terms of how they could identify which of these were asylum and protection cases.
Our Resident Immigration Judge was kept updated on the plans and was very supportive of the visits taking place, and our tribunal clerks were also fully briefed on the plans so that they were prepared for the influx of students and could keep the judiciary updated on who would be observing in their courts.
Where cases were adjourned or withdrawn on the day, our clerks worked hard to ensure that the students were swapped to another court where an asylum and protection hearing was due to take place.
For those that would find it difficult to make the journey to the Glasgow Tribunals Centre to watch the hearings in person, we also provided joining instructions to allow them to join the hearings remotely through Cloud Video Platform (CVP).
All in all, the observations went well, with all students managing to observe at least one hearing.
Professor Cowan from The University of Edinburgh, said:
I can tell you that the students were thrilled to be able to come and see law 'in action' since they mostly spend their time with their noses in the books of law! In attending the tribunal, they have a chance to see how the laws they learn about in the classroom are actually applied in practice.
Being able to observe the tribunal also makes the law more accessible to them. They get to see how lawyers operate inside a court room environment, and how the Home Office defend the first instance decisions they have made. They also observe the judicial process out-with a criminal trial, which is often the only example they know of how the legal system works, and in the tribunal environment they are sometimes surprised at how proceedings are less formal than a criminal trial.
Finally, they are able to witness how the system might be experienced, on the day, by an asylum claimant who wishes to be granted leave to remain in the UK. This part of the assessment is where the students find it most useful to be given the chance to relate to the ‘human’ side of the law. In the reports they write about their attendance at the tribunal, they often reflect on how they themselves feel as a visitor, observing what is a very stressful day in the life of an asylum applicant.
Over the years I have been thanked profusely by students who feel they benefit from the opportunity to see this very difficult task of how to determine claims that are often under-evidenced but have a massive impact on human lives. Many say it is one of the best experiences they have had at law school. It makes my job in assessing their final reports much more rewarding and interesting!
And there was similarly positive feedback from The University of Glasgow's Professor Fletcher:
I wanted to express again my sincere gratitude to you and your staff for your superb facilitation of our visits. This week I have received feedback for the course and the tribunal visit is mentioned by almost all students as a standout positive experience! They use words like ‘valuable’ and ‘really interesting’ and mention how it helps them to put their learning in the books and in the classroom into much better context.
They genuinely appreciate the glimpse into the ‘law in action’ and can better connect to the human experience of those going through the immigration process. My colleague had a debrief with the students after the visits and he reported that “students really enjoyed it and found it a real powerful and positive experience.
It was great to receive such positive feedback and we will no doubt be called upon again, when the next group of students reach that stage of their course later in 2024!
[English] - [Cymraeg]
Rhannu cipolwg ar waith ein tribiwnlysoedd Mewnfudo a Lloches yn yr Alban
Ym mis Medi y llynedd cysylltodd Ysgolion y Gyfraith Prifysgol Glasgow a Phrifysgol Caeredin â ni i holi ynglŷn â'r posibilrwydd o hwyluso ymweliadau gan eu myfyrwyr i arsylwi gwrandawiadau mewnfudo.
Gan ein bod yn awyddus i gefnogi myfyrwyr i gael gwell dealltwriaeth o waith y Tribiwnlys Haen Gyntaf (Siambr Mewnfudo a Lloches), a’r ffordd y cynhelir gwrandawiadau, cytunwyd i gynorthwyo.
Dechreuon ni ar genhadaeth canfod ffeithiau i sefydlu faint o fyfyrwyr fyddai'n cymryd rhan, yr amserlen ar gyfer yr ymweliadau a'r mathau o wrandawiadau y byddai ganddynt fwyaf o ddiddordeb mewn arsylwi.
Roedd pob prifysgol yn disgwyl tua 30 o fyfyrwyr i fynychu ac arsylwi o leiaf un gwrandawiad. Roedd Prifysgol Caeredin yn gobeithio cael eu myfyrwyr i gwblhau'r arsylwadau rhwng Hydref a Rhagfyr. Mewn cyferbyniad, roedd Prifysgol Glasgow yn dymuno cwblhau'r holl ymweliadau yn ystod un wythnos ym mis Tachwedd.
Dywedodd yr athrawon a oedd yn cydlynu o'r ddwy brifysgol mai gwrandawiadau lloches ac amddiffyn fyddai'r mwyaf perthnasol i'w gwaith cwrs a theimlent y byddai arsylwi'r rhain o'r budd mwyaf i'w myfyrwyr.
Ar ôl cwblhau ein gwaith sylfaen, fe wnaethom wedyn roi rhywfaint o wybodaeth ychwanegol i bob cydlynydd prifysgol o ran nifer y llysoedd rydym yn eu cynnal bob dydd ac uchafswm nifer y myfyrwyr y gallem eu cynnwys ym mhob un o'n hystafelloedd llys.
Fe wnaethom ddarparu dolen i restrau’r llysoedd ar-lein i alluogi myfyrwyr i wirio pa wrandawiadau oedd yn cael eu cynnal y diwrnod canlynol a rhannu rhywfaint o gyfarwyddyd o ran sut y gallent adnabod pa rai o’r rhain oedd yn achosion lloches ac amddiffyn.
Cafodd ein Barnwr Mewnfudo Preswyl ei ddiweddaru ar y cynlluniau ac roedd yn gefnogol iawn i’r ymweliadau a oedd yn cael eu cynnal, a chafodd ein clercod tribiwnlysoedd hefyd eu briffio’n llawn ar y cynlluniau fel eu bod yn barod ar gyfer y mewnlifiad o fyfyrwyr ac yn gallu rhoi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i’r farnwriaeth ynghylch pwy fyddai’n arsylwi yn eu llysoedd.
Pan gafodd achosion eu gohirio neu eu tynnu'n ôl ar y diwrnod, gweithiodd ein clercod yn galed i sicrhau bod y myfyrwyr yn cael eu symud i lys arall lle'r oedd gwrandawiad lloches ac amddiffyn i fod i gael ei gynnal.
I'r rhai a fyddai'n ei chael hi'n anodd teithio i Ganolfan Tribiwnlysoedd Glasgow i wylio'r gwrandawiadau wyneb yn wyneb, fe wnaethom hefyd ddarparu cyfarwyddiadau ymuno i'w galluogi i ymuno â'r gwrandawiadau o bell trwy Platfform Fideo’r Cwmwl (CVP).
Ar y cyfan, aeth yr arsylwadau yn dda, gyda phob myfyriwr yn llwyddo i arsylwi o leiaf un gwrandawiad.
Dywedodd yr Athro Cowan o Brifysgol Caeredin:
Gallaf ddweud wrthych chi fod y myfyrwyr wrth eu bodd yn gallu dod i weld y gyfraith 'ar waith' gan eu bod yn treulio'u hamser gyda'u trwynau yn llyfrau'r gyfraith yn bennaf! Wrth fynychu'r tribiwnlys, cânt gyfle i weld sut mae'r cyfreithiau y maent yn dysgu amdanynt yn yr ystafell ddosbarth yn cael eu cymhwyso'n ymarferol.
Mae gallu arsylwi’r tribiwnlys hefyd yn gwneud y gyfraith yn fwy hygyrch iddyn nhw. Maen nhw'n cael gweld sut mae cyfreithwyr yn gweithredu o fewn amgylchedd ystafell llys, a sut mae'r Swyddfa Gartref yn amddiffyn y penderfyniadau achos cyntaf y maen nhw wedi'u gwneud. Maen nhw hefyd yn arsylwi’r broses farnwrol y tu allan i dreial troseddol, sef yr unig enghraifft y maen nhw’n ei gwybod yn aml ynghylch sut mae’r system gyfreithiol yn gweithio, ac yn amgylchedd y tribiwnlys maen nhw weithiau’n synnu bod achosion yn llai ffurfiol na threial troseddol.
Yn olaf, maen nhw’n gallu gweld sut y gallai hawlydd lloches sy’n dymuno cael caniatâd i aros yn y DU brofi’r system, ar y diwrnod. Y rhan hon o’r asesiad yw lle mae’r myfyrwyr yn ei chael hi’n fwyaf defnyddiol i gael y cyfle i uniaethu ag ochr ‘ddynol’ y gyfraith. Yn yr adroddiadau y maen nhw’n eu hysgrifennu am eu hamser yn y tribiwnlys, maen nhw’n aml yn myfyrio ar sut y maen nhw eu hunain yn teimlo fel ymwelydd, gan arsylwi ar ddiwrnod dirdynnol iawn ym mywyd ceisydd lloches.
Dros y blynyddoedd dwi wedi cael llawer o ddiolch gan fyfyrwyr sy’n teimlo eu bod yn elwa o’r cyfle i weld y dasg anodd iawn hon o sut i benderfynu ar honiadau sy’n aml heb ddigon o dystiolaeth ond sy’n cael effaith aruthrol ar fywydau dynol. Mae llawer yn dweud ei fod yn un o'r profiadau gorau a gawsant yn ysgol y gyfraith. Mae’n gwneud fy ngwaith o asesu eu hadroddiadau terfynol yn llawer mwy boddhaus a diddorol!
Cafwyd adborth cadarnhaol tebyg hefyd gan yr Athro Fletcher o Brifysgol Glasgow:
Roeddwn i eisiau mynegi fy niolch diffuant eto i chi a'ch staff am hwyluso ein hymweliadau yn wych. Yr wythnos hon dwi wedi cael adborth ar y cwrs ac mae bron pob myfyriwr yn crybwyll yr ymweliad tribiwnlys fel profiad cadarnhaol nodedig! Maen nhw’n defnyddio geiriau fel ‘gwerthfawr’ a ‘diddorol iawn’ ac yn sôn am sut mae’n eu helpu i roi beth maen nhw wedi’i ddysgu o’r llyfrau ac yn yr ystafell ddosbarth mewn cyd-destun dipyn gwell.
Maen nhw wir yn gwerthfawrogi’r cipolwg ar y ‘gyfraith ar waith’ a gallan nhw uniaethu’n well â phrofiad dynol y rhai sy’n mynd drwy’r broses fewnfudo. Cafodd fy nghydweithiwr ôl-drafodaeth gyda’r myfyrwyr ar ôl yr ymweliadau a dywedodd fod “myfyrwyr wedi mwynhau’n fawr a’i fod yn brofiad pwerus a chadarnhaol iawn.
Roedd yn wych cael adborth mor gadarnhaol ac mae’n siŵr y byddant yn galw arnom eto, pan fydd y grŵp nesaf o fyfyrwyr yn cyrraedd y cam hwnnw o’u cwrs yn ddiweddarach yn 2024!
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