Catherine Cosgrave

The work of the NGO’s independent law centre is highlighted in its Impact Report 2019, which was launched yesterday in a morning webinar which also heard from Carolann Minnock, pro bono associate at Arthur Cox, which works closely with the Immigrant Council along with A&L Goodbody.

The Immigrant Council opened 199 legal cases in 2019, up from 169 in 2018, according to the report. Its immigration helpline responded to more than 5,000 calls.

Catherine Cosgrave, managing solicitor at the Immigrant Council, said: “We provide specialised support to both children and women made vulnerable by abuse and violence, including victims of trafficking.

“As well as providing legal advice and support to 27 victims of trafficking during 2019, our Independent Law Centre also took five High Court cases.

“One of these cases was for a seven-year-old who was denied citizenship because her estranged father failed the ‘good character’ test. While we won the case in July 2019, we are still awaiting positive action from the Department of Justice and Equality.”