Arabic phrases, becoming a refugee in the UK, Algerian surnames and Forensic science

I don't claim any knowledge of UK immigration law or forensic science, but my inlaws are Algerian Kabyles so I can lend a hand with that.

Some Arabic phrases:
mum: yema
dad: baba
how are you? i'm fine. : ouchrak? labes.
hi: sabah elher.
bye-bye: ilalika

Some common Algerian surnames:
Sid Said
Adan
Ait Amar
Lagab
Bin Dahman
Amrouche
Bin Djalouli
Laiche

You're right; Arabic is the most common first language in Algeria (~70%). It is spoken and understood by nearly everyone in the country because it is the language used for official government/army/police business and for lessons in the state schools. Berber is really a collection of Tamazight dialects (including Kabyle - the most common, Tuareg, and many others) that are widely spoken within specific regions but not much outside them. Native arabophones almost never speak any Berber, and young Berbers are almost always bilingual (though they may resist speaking Arabic unless absolutely necessary). French is widely taught as a foreign language in schools and used on signs and in advertisements. Most people can understand it, but it is not frequently spoken on the street.

I hope that helped. Best of luck!

That's so helpful! Thankyou!

Bumping this up-the information about Algeria is really helpful, but I'm still after information about the British system of immigration in 1992 (or thereabouts) and about forensic science. Please help :)

The asylum immigration system is a bit chaotic, but it is clear that if people are in France (and from a former French colony) they do not need asylum in England - they are already out of Algeria, and we don't normally count France as a place one is entitled to asylum from. So they should be seeking asylum in France, not the UK.

But the point of the French establishing a refugee camp in Calais (Sangatte) was to house all those people who did not qualify for asylum in the UK but wanted to come here anyway, even if it was illegal, because our benefits systems were better (or at least, that is what they believed.) They would gather round the terminals for the tunnel, or for the ferries, and try to smuggle themselves aboard a lorry and get into the UK that way. Once in, if caught they would ask for asylum (and the lorry driver, who knew nothing, might find himself fined, possibly even imprisoned, and his lorry - his livelihood - confiscated) and be allowed to stay.

So if your Algerian family is going to be in the UK as asylum seekers, after living for some time in France, then I'm afraid that they were probably illegal immigrants in the first place. You will need to explain why they so desperately wanted to live in Britain that they entered the country illegally instead of claiming asylum in France (they would probably speak French rather than English).

Thanks for your help-the refugee camp is kind of optional, as it doersn't happen during the book nor is it the main point, so I will cut that out. Part of the point of my book is that my characters are actually perfectly legal-they're supposed to be suffering from people's prejudice towards illegal immigrants whilst not actually being illegal themselves.

Thanks again for your help.

I have known people who work in immigration, though I don't myself. This is not official advice or anything, just what I've heard.

Firstly, do you want to claim asylum in the UK, or live there illegally? Your biggest problem is the camp in Calais - if you can be proved to have been there, you will be sent back to France as you are required to claim asylum in the first safe country you travel to and France is not considered a reasonable nation to claim asylum from. If your characters want to claim in the UK they should deny having been in France, but claim to have come direct from Algeria. As the above poster, there are reasons for wanting to do this - the UK gives better benefits and believes in a higher minimum standard of living, for example, or your characters might find it easier to get a job here.

Whichever you go with, think about how they enter the country. It's illegal to come in without passing immigration checks and if they're seen to come from France, they'd be sent back there. So they'll probably want to enter the country illegally, which will be mentioned if the authorities talk to them about it, either because of claiming asylum or being caught living illegally. There was a loophole then which has now been closed, which meant that it used to be legal to enter illegally via Ireland on foot (they forgot that Britain had a land border). There have been a few amnesties - ie If you've been living here illegally since X time you automatically qualify for indefinite leave to remain, but I don't know when they were or what time periods they cover.

Second, their asylum claim. If they do choose to claim asylum, they will need to give reasonable grounds, such as percecution by the state on the grounds of religion, nationality etc. There are official grounds for asylum guidelines, I just don't know them. If their claim fails, they can appeal. If the appeal fails, they will be deported, assuming that Algeria is considered a safe locale to deport to - the British government don't deport people back to warzones, for example, but if half the country is a warzone and the other half isn't, they would be sent back. Practically they try to give you a choice as to where in the country they send you if they can, though they're not required to.

If they are granted asylum status or indefinite leave to remain (which is more likely), they are entitled to state benefits and to live and work in the UK. Without this, they are not entitled to work, though many people do. If they are officially given a deportation order, they are not entitled to return to the UK for 75 years. Often people are deported without this formality though, so they are able to return if they get the right visas. If you are granted asylum or indefinite leave to remain in an EU country, you can travel freely to other EU countries, but if you return to the country you claimed from (ie Algeria) your claim will be revoked since you've proven yourself not in fear of your life there.

Hope this helps, but PM me if there's anything else I might be able to help with.

Ah, missed that bit about them being legit. There's no reason why this shouldn't be possible, it's just harder for them to achieve since asylum is by its nature a state of flux. If you want legit cause to live in the UK, some reasons:

- They have been granted asylum. You may want to look into what kind of people they are to have legitimate fear of the Algerian government in 93.
- They have indefinite right to remain in the UK, either through an amnesty or other means.
- They have asylum/right to remain in an EU country, through which they've got EU citizenship and so have the right to live and work in any EU country. Don't know when this was established though, might not go as far back as 1993.
- They have a parent or grandparent who is a citizen of the UK or the EU and so have a right to live in the UK through ancestral visas.
- They are dependents or spouses of a UK or EU citizen.
- They were married to a UK citizen but it broke up after more than 4 years, so they were able to get right to remain. Don't know if this applies in the EU, I expect it varies by country.
- They are skilled migrants (skilled migrant visa) or have a work visa: the latter is only valid so long as they continue to work at the same place, so if they change job or become unemployed they'll have to apply again.
- They are students - bear in mind they can then only legally work under 20 hours a week or under 6 months in the year.
- If they came from the British commonwealth instead of Algeria, they would be able to get a 4 year visitors visa which it's then often possible to upgrade to a permanant one.

For the record, a few dodgy/illegal routes that might not have been caught yet:
- They have married a UK or EU citizen: the marriage was a sham/broke up quickly, but immigration never caught this.
- They bought a dead infant's identity - this is now easily catchable, but wasn't possible a while ago and so still comes up if people with dead identities haven't been flagged up previously.
- They had a valid visa, but it's expired or circumstances have changed so they no longer fit the terms and no one's caught this.

I'm sure there's plenty more in both categories that I don't know about though. If they are dodgy or illegal the most common routes to getting caught are either being grassed up by a neighbour, being done for an unrelated crime (eg speeding, drink driving etc) which leads to their records being checked, or the place they work being raided by immigration.

I work for the Border and Immigration Agency in the UK. Firstly, the earlier posters are correct - if your characters travelled through France before coming to the UK, then they would be returned there by the UK authorities in order to have their asylum claim considered there.

Based on the information you've provided, whether your characters could obtain refugee status in the UK would depend on why they fled Algeria and the current state of affairs over there. Any deception they've used in the past will count against them. If they do not qualify for refugee status, then they may qualify for humanitarian protection or discretionary leave to remain which would then be subject to review after a few years to see if they still qualify. Your characters' best bet would be to apply for indefinite leave to remain on the basis of long residence. If a person can prove he has lived lawfully in the UK for ten years, or a mixture of lawfully and unlawfully for fourteen years, then he MAY be eligible for indefinite leave to remain, which would essentially give him the same entitlements as a person with refugee status. If you decide that you want your characters to claim asylum and want more information on the process, then please let me know.

However, I should point out that some of the information provided by Marianne Wells is misleading (sorry Marianne!). It is extremely unlikely that a person would be deported, as this is usually reserved for people who have committed serious crimes. Your characters would most likely be subject to removal, not deportation. Also, deportation orders do not last for 75 years. They are usually three years, after which you can apply to have the order revoked, or occasionally ten years.

EEA nationals only have the right to live in other EEA countries if they are exercising their Treaty rights, i.e. working, and this is fairly new. Just because a person has a British grandparent, it doesn't mean he is necessarily entitled to live here. He would have to make an application under the category of the Immigration Rules pertaining to UK Ancestry, which involves full-time employment. Also just because a person is a dependants of a UK or EU citizen, it doesn't automatically mean he's entitled to live here.

The bit about being married to a UK citizen but breaking up after more than four years - I don't know where this idea has come from. Also students can work up to (not under) 20 hours per week during term-time, and people from the British Commonwealth cannot get four year visitors visas - visit visas only last for six months at a time, even if you get a multiple entrty visa that lasts two or five years. You can't get a visit visa for four years, and it's certainly not possible to upgrade to a permanent one. I suspect that by four year visit visa, you mean a UK Ancestry, which used to last for four years and now lasts for five.

It's also important to remember that most categories of the Immigration Rules require a person to obtain the correct entry clearance - i.e. you can't switch into the visa if you're already in the UK; you have to leave, make an application at an Embassy or High Commission abroad, and then travel to the UK with the appropriate visa. You may also want to note that there are more than 50 categories of the Immigration Rules, so your characters have plenty of routes to consider.

I just went through a three week forensics course; it's not how it looks on TV.
-Each person does one and only one job, and they are very good at it.
-The integrity of the evidence is maintained as well as humanly possible.
-The chain of custody is strictly maintained (a piece of evidence is sealed in a container with the name of the processor, date, place found, case #, and brief description. The processor signs across the yellow evidence tape so that the beginning and end are on either side on the actual container. The evidence is watched 24/7 until it can be locked up. Any person who wants to examine the evidence opens the container from the other end and uses more yellow tape and signs across like the original.)
-Gloves are always /ALWAYS/ used when handling evidence.
-Only the necessary people are allowed on the scene.
-Everying is photographed
+After a picture of the crime scene card has been taken, a large photo of the scene with an identifying land mark like a street sign or famous statue is taken so that the scene can be verified.
+Pictures of all the footprints of the people working the scene are taken.
+A scale of some kind (like a ruler) is in all pictures so that it can be read.
+A digital camera is used and no photos are ever deleted (It's easy to tell if the photographer did and it's illegal)
-Systematical searches are used to locate evidence; no seek and find.
-The sketcher does a rough sketch of the scene at the scene with all entry and exit points, pieces of evidence, and important measurements marked.
-The sketcher later makes a final sketch that is to scale and includes all information from the rough.
-The note taker (a.k.a. narrator) records who's on the scene when, what each piece of evidence is and what it's number or letter is, a brief description of what each photo is of, and all other important information
-The forensic entomologist makes a rough estimation of time of death based on insect life, surroundings, and temperature (temp affects the life cycle of the insects present)
+Live and dead samples are taken of the insect life present on the scene (usually flies and maggots, then beetles and ants that feed on maggots, then dermestid beetles that eat hardened tissues)
-The forensic anthropologist tries to identify race, age, where the bones have been and for how long, and cause (not manner) of death based on bones so that the victim can be identified and suspects may be eliminated.
-The forensic odentologist tries to identify a body based on it's teeth; they can request dental records.

Got to leave for dinner; will return after.

-Paper, not plastic, bags are used for evidence, unless it is charred by a fire, in which case plastic bags really are used.
-The people on the scene do NOT try to figure out what happened, that's not their job and they don't do it.
-Fingerprint experts dust for prints and use special fingerprint lifting tape to lift the prints and place them on the back of special fingerprint cards that are then filled out with case number, date, place found, description of item dusted, and a very rough sketch of the item it was found on that includes an X for where on the item the print was found and an up arrow that is also placed on the back of the card so that the top of the print is identifiable at a latter time.
-Toxocoligists identify chemicals in samples such as blood and semen stains.
-There are lots of "guys at the lab" and there are lots of labs.
-Anybody examining evidence observes chain of custody and wares gloves at all times.
-Computer forensics is a growing trade that I know next to nothing about.
-Gun experts can identify what gun a bullet or bullets were fired from by grooves left by the firing pin.
-People at the labs don't try to figure out what happened, that's also not their job and they don't do it.
-CODIS is a national directory of DNA used in the US that crime labs can access.
-PCR (pulmerized chain reaction) machines are used to amplify (make more of) DNA.
-All of these guys spend /a lot/ of time in court testifying as expert witnesses.
Remember; Criminalistics and Forensics are two different things, related, but not the same. :-) Hope that helps.