Contact details
- Name:
- Professor Sarah Singer
- Qualifications:
- LLB, LLM, PhD
- Position:
- Professor of Refugee Law
- Institute:
- Refugee Law Initiative
- Location:
- Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, University of London Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU, UK
- Phone:
- +44 (0)207 862 8571
- Email address:
- sarah.singer@sas.ac.uk
Research Summary and Profile
- Research interests:
- Human rights, International Law, Law, Social Sciences
- Research keywords:
- Refugee Law, Migration, Terrorism, Asylum, Immigration
- Regions:
- Australasia, Europe, North America, United Kingdom
- Summary of research interests and expertise:
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Sarah Singer is a Professor of Refugee Law at the Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, University of London. She is an internationally recognised expert on criminality and asylum, and her contributions to the broader forced migration field include publications on European asylum law, humanitarian accountability, immigration detention and the protection of LGBT asylum seekers. She has led major collaborative interdisciplinary research projects, acted as expert commentator for various media outlets including BBC World News and Radio 4 and is a recognised expert on postgraduate online education. She is inaugural Programme Director of the distance-learning MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies and co-convenes the ‘Refugees in the 21st Century’ MOOC (Coursera).
- Publication Details
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Related publications/articles:
Publications available on SAS-space:
Date Details Feb-2017 ‘Undesirable and Unreturnable’ in the United Kingdom PeerReviewed
The issue of migrants convicted or suspected of serious criminality is one that has been high on the media and political agenda in the UK in the last two decades. This paper focuses on three categories of (suspected) criminal migrants - foreign national offenders, individuals considered to pose a security risk and those excluded from refugee status under Article 1F of the Refugee Convention - outlining the scale and demographic of these groups in the UK, governmental measures taken to facilitate their removal and the consequences for those that nevertheless remain. This examination reveals that, despite the UK’s emphasis on removal, legal obstacles and administrative problems continue to frustrate many attempts to remove such persons. As a result, large numbers of individuals are released into the community or remain in detention for often prolonged periods of time. In the case of excluded asylum-seekers, these individuals are subject to an extremely precarious form of leave. The result is these ‘undesirable’ migrants remain in a form of ‘limbo’, with no firm legal status and the prospect of removal ever present. If the emphasis remains on removal rather than looking to alternative in-country solutions that are more than temporary in nature, a viable solution to this issue is likely to remain elusive.
Oct-2021 Remote Evaluation of Feedback and Decision-Making during Save the Children’s Covid-19 Response in Bangladesh NonPeerReviewed
This research study evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on Save the Children’s use of feedback from adults and children in Bangladesh. It examines the impact of Covid-19 and the ways in which approaches to feedback inform Save the Children’s decision-making at a time of particular global challenge. The report’s findings are intended to serve as a useful, rapidly-realised tool for organisational learning and to support Save the Children as it continues to serve displaced populations in Bangladesh and globally.
- Research Projects & Supervisions
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Research projects:
Details ‘Undesirable and unreturnable’ – the migrants states can’t handle High-profile legal cases reveal governments tying themselves into legal knots trying to get rid of asylum seekers and other migrants suspected of serious criminality. Now an ambitious new international project based at the School of Advanced Study’s Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) research centre, is attempting to unravel these knots to create new policy that simultaneously upholds countries’ criminal laws and the human rights of migrants. The two-year project – Undesirable and unreturnable? Policy challenges around excluded asylum-seekers and migrants suspected of serious criminality but who cannot be removed – is funded by a research network grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Co-led by Dr David Cantor, the director of the RLI, it examines the legal and policy challenges posed by such asylum seekers and other migrants.
Exclusion from Refugee Status: the UK's interpretation and application of Article 1F of the 1951 Refugee Convention This research examines whether and in what ways ‘terrorism’ has featured in the UK’s interpretation of Article 1F, the ‘exclusion clause’ of the 1951 Refugee Convention, and how the provision is applied to suspected terrorists in the practice of decision makers. This research draws on a number of sources, including Freedom of Information requests, questionnaires and interviews conducted with immigration judges, the Home Office’s exclusion unit and legal practitioners. All reported UK cases concerning Article 1F were analysed, as were the Home Office’s asylum guidance documents, primary and secondary UK legislation and international legal sources pertaining to exclusion from refugee status. This research therefore provides an unprecedented and thorough analysis of whether and how terrorism is being employed in the interpretation and application of each of the individual limbs of Article 1F.
Experiences of LGBT asylum seekers in detention Consultancy for Stonewall and UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group
RECAP (Research capacity building and knowledge generation to support preparedness and response to humanitarian crises and epidemics) The £7.5m RECAP (Research capacity building and knowledge generation to support preparedness and response to humanitarian crises and epidemics) project, brings together leading international organisations to shape and improve humanitarian policies. It is funded through Research Councils UK Collective Fund, which is part of the Global Challenges Research Fund? (GCRF), and led by Professor Bayard Roberts of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. As a major international project it aims to help aid organisations improve their preparedness and responses to humanitarian crises and epidemics. Within the RECAP project, the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) leads on accountability in the protection sector and contributes to work on accountability in the health sector.
Current PhD topics supervised:
Dates Details From: 01-Sep-2019
Until:Dulani Dias Abeygunewardede (2019-) ‘An ethico-legal analysis of the future child’s right to health and normality through the lens of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (joint supervision) Joint supervision
From: 01-Sep-2016
Until: 01-Sep-2020Josepha Jacobson, (2016-) ‘Devising a Comprehensive and Enforceable Global Legal Framework to Protect Species from Extinction’ (joint supervision) Devising a Comprehensive and Enforceable Global Legal Framework to Protect Species from Extinction
Past PhD topics supervised:
Dates Details From: 01-Sep-2019
Until: 01-Sep-2023Annabel Higgins (2019-23, passed no corrections) ‘Can we women unite to stem the tide?”: situating and reconceptualising women in the construct of ‘genocide’ (joint supervision) From: 01-Sep-2017
Until: 01-Feb-2023Dean Thompson, (2017-23, passed minor corrections) ‘A risk approach to government perceptions of irregular migrants in the legal and policy frameworks of Australia and the United Kingdom’ From: 01-Jul-2022
Until:Viva Examiner: Peter Mayers, 'Do Walls Make Good Neighbours? Security, Anxieties, and the Fortification of Political Boundaries'? School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) 2022 Available for doctoral supervision: Yes
- Professional Affiliations
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Professional affiliations:
Name Activity International Association of Forced Migration Scholars (IASFM) International Association of Refugee and Migration Law Judges (IARMLJ) – Europe Chapter Refugee Law Initiative Research Affiliates Network External Examiner, LLB Law, University of East Anglia University of London Research Ethics Committee External Examiner, MA in Human Rights; MA in Gender, Violence & Conflict, Department of Global Studies, University of Sussex Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN) - Relevant Events
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Related events:
Date Details 21-Jun-2023 Conference committee and opening address: Refugee Law Initiative 7th Annual Conference, ‘Inequality and Fairness in Refugee Protection’, Senate House, 21-23 June 2023 21-Jun-2023 Panel speaker: ‘(Suspected) Criminality and the Asylum Seeker: Codification of Exclusion from Protection on Criminality and National Security Grounds in the Global South’ Panel speaker: ‘(Suspected) Criminality and the Asylum Seeker: Codification of Exclusion from Protection on Criminality and National Security Grounds in the Global South’, Refugee Law Initiative 7th Annual Conference, ‘Inequality and Fairness in Refugee Protection’, Senate House, 21 June 2023
26-May-2023 Expert commentator, ‘Burden of Proof: Experiences of LGBT+ people seeking asylum in the UK’ BBC Radio 4, 26 May 2023 23-Jan-2023 Invited panel speaker, ‘Challenges Faced by LGBTIQ+ Migrants and Asylum Seekers’, UCL Policy & Practice Seminars, UCL Department of Political Science 01-Jul-2022 Conference committee and closing address: Refugee Law Initiative 6th Annual Conference, ‘Improving the Global Refugee Regime: from Theory to Practice?’, 29 June-1 July 2022 16-Jun-2022 Panel speaker: ‘Tempering Innovation? Ensuring equity in distance-learning provision to a diverse study body: Case study of the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies’ Panel speaker: ‘Tempering Innovation? Ensuring equity in distance-learning provision to a diverse study body: Case study of the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies’, Research in Distance Education (RIDE) Conference 2022, Centre for Online and Distance Education, University of London, 16th June 2022.
25-May-2022 Panel speaker: ‘Research capacity strengthening and knowledge generation to support preparedness and response to humanitarian crises and epidemics’. Webinar Series: ‘Translating Academic Research into Effective Responses to Forced Displacement’ Panel speaker: ‘Research capacity strengthening and knowledge generation to support preparedness and response to humanitarian crises and epidemics’. Webinar Series: ‘Translating Academic Research into Effective Responses to Forced Displacement’, hosted by Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN) / UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) / University of Exeter, 25th May 2022 (100+ attendees, simultaneously translated into 5 languages as well as international sign language).
01-Dec-2021 Panel convenor and speaker: ‘Accountability to refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the Humanitarian Response in Uganda and Bangladesh’ Panel convenor and speaker: ‘Accountability to refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the Humanitarian Response in Uganda and Bangladesh’, 1st December 2021, RECAP webinar series.
25-Nov-2021 ‘Using Education Technology for Online Learning’ ‘Using Education Technology for Online Learning’, School of Advanced Study Best Practice Forum, 25th November 2021
11-Jun-2021 Conference committee and closing address: Refugee Law Initiative 5th Annual Conference, ‘Ageing Gracefully? The 1951 Convention at 70’, 9-11 June 2021 13-Aug-2020 Public engagement: expert commentator, 'UK: Anti-Asylum policies in the spotlight' Indus Lahore News
10-Mar-2020 Invited speaker: ‘Fostering an online student community’ Supporting Student Success through High Quality ODL: planning, practice and researching, University of London Centre for Distance Education (CDE) and Nigerian National Universities Commission (NUC), Senate House
15-Jan-2020 Co-convenor, 2020 Seminar Series: ‘Humanitarian Accountability in Displacement Contexts’ Featuring Marc DuBois, (Senior Fellow at SOAS), Prof Kristin Bergtora Sandvik, (University of Oslo) and Alice Obrecht, (Senior Research Fellow at ALNAP), University of London, January-April 2020
14-Nov-2019 Training, ‘Forced migration and Refugees’ International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS), London, 14th November 2019. Training session for government ministries and international and regional organisations (INTERSOS, IOM, UNHCR, World Food Programme, EASO, HOST International).
05-Jun-2019 Conference committee and closing address: Refugee Law Initiative 4th Annual Conference, ‘Rethinking the ‘Regional’ in Refugee Law and Policy’, 3-5 June 2019 04-Jun-2019 Panel convenor and speaker: ‘Humanitarian responses to refugee crises’, Refugee Law Initiative 4th Annual Conference, ‘Rethinking the ‘Regional’ in Refugee Law and Policy’ 31-May-2019 Invited plenary speaker, ‘Symposium on Serious International Crimes, Human Rights and Forced Migration’, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, 31st May 2019 (remotely). 15-Mar-2019 Co-convenor, 2019 Seminar Series: ‘Humanitarian Accountability in Displacement Contexts’ Featuring Nick Van Pragg (Executive Director and Founder, Ground Truth Solutions), Professor Dorothea Hilhorst (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Dr Naohiko Omata (University of Oxford), University of London, March-June 2019
16-Jan-2019 Presenter and discussion chair: ‘Accountability, protection and health’, RECAP Annual Meeting: Research capacity building and knowledge generation to support preparedness and response to humanitarian crises and epidemics, American University of Beirut 20-Nov-2018 Public engagement: invited expert commentator, BBC World News, Impact: ‘Trump Migrant Order Halted’ BBC World News, 20th November 2018 (live in studio)
20-Nov-2018 Public engagement: invited expert commentator, BBC World News, Impact: ‘Trump Migrant Order Halted’, BBC World News, 20th November 2018 (live in studio) Public engagement: invited expert commentator, BBC World News, Impact: ‘Trump Migrant Order Halted’, BBC World News, 20th November 2018 (live in studio)
11-Dec-2017 Speaker, ‘The MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies’, The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, Global Forum, London 08-Dec-2017 Convenor and panel speaker, Terrorism and Asylum Workshop, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London 29-Nov-2017 Invited seminar speaker: 'Refugee Protection and the War on Terror', Newcastle Forum for Human Rights and Social Justice (NHRSJ), Newcastle University 22-Nov-2017 Chair and discussant, ‘Nationalism, Sedentary Bias and Bordering’, Refugee Studies Reading Group, University of London 17-Nov-2017 Public engagement: co-convenor and expert speaker, ‘Lost rights, found justice? Refugee and Migrant Rights photo competition, exhibition and workshop’ Being Human Festival, Senate House
17-Nov-2017 Invited panel speaker: ‘Solving the refugee crisis’, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London 16-Nov-2017 Chair, Christina Oelgemoller, ‘The Evolution of Migration Management in the Global North’, Refugee Law Initiative International Refugee Law Seminar Series, Senate House, London 13-Nov-2017 Invited seminar speaker: ‘Refugees and Forced Migration: The ‘deserving’ refugee’, Associate of King's College Seminar Series, King’s College London 02-Oct-2017 Public engagement: invited expert panel speaker, ‘Roundtable: Refugee Crisis - Are rich nations shirking responsibility?’ TRT World News, 2nd October 2017
05-Jul-2017 Conference committee and closing address: Refugee Law Initiative 2nd Annual Conference ‘Mass Influx? Law, Policy and Large-Scale Movements of Refugees and Migrants’, Refugee Law Initiative 2nd Annual Conference, Senate House, London, 5th-7th June 2017 06-Mar-2017 Invited keynote speaker; 'Re-centralising the migrant debate around human rights: the Global compact on refugees and migrants', Queen Mary, University of London, 6th March 2017. 28-Nov-2016 Invited keynote speaker: ‘The Humanitarian Crisis: Refugees, Rights and Resilience’, International Programmes, University of London 11-Nov-2016 Chair, ‘Protecting the Rights of People on the Move’, Human Rights Research Students’ Conference, London (hosted by University of London, University of Essex and University of Glasgow) 15-Jul-2016 Panel speaker: International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), ‘Rethinking Forced Migration and Displacement: Theory, Policy, and Praxis’, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland, 15th July 2016 29-Jun-2016 Conference Committee: Refugee Law Initiative, Annual Conference ‘The Future of Refugee Law?’, University of London, 29th June-1st July 2016. 29-Jun-2016 Panel speaker: ‘Immigration Detention in the UK: Navigating the Labyrinth’, Refugee Law Initiative, Annual Conference: ‘The Future of Refugee Law?’, University of London, 29th June 2016 09-Jun-2016 Panel speaker, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, Annual International Symposium on Interdisciplinary Human Rights, University of London, 9th June 2016 08-Jun-2016 Paper: ‘Desert Island Detention: how detention affects asylum seekers’ ability to present and support their asylum claims’, Re-Interpreting the Refugee Definition: Global Displacement in 2016, University of Sheffield, 8th June 2016 12-May-2016 Paper: Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), ‘Exploring a Path from Armed Conflict, Persecution, and Forced Migration to Conflict Resolution, Human Rights, and Development’, Winnipeg, Canada 12th May 2016 16-Mar-2016 Keynote speaker: ‘Alternative Assessment in Practice’, University of London International Programmes, ‘Examination: Enhancing students’ learning through alternative assessment methods’, Senate House, University of London, Wednesday 16th March 2016 29-Feb-2016 Seminar: ‘Terrorism and Exclusion from Refugee Status in the UK: Asylum Seekers Suspected of Serious Criminality’, RLI Seminar Series, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, 29th February 2016 19-Feb-2016 Co-convenor: Panel event and book launch ‘Seeking Asylum in the European Union’, Senate House, London, 19th February 2016. 19-Feb-2016 Panel speaker: ‘Seeking Asylum in the European Union’, Book launch, Senate House, London, 19th February 2016. 26-Jan-2016 Paper: UK country paper: ‘Undesirable and Unreturnable?' Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London 25-Jan-2016 Conference Committee: ‘Undesirable and Unreturnable? Policy Challenges around Excluded Asylum Seekers and Other Migrants Suspected of Serious Criminality but Who Cannot be Removed’, University of London, 25th-26th January 2016 27-Nov-2015 Keynote speaker: ‘A Tide of Humanity: Discussing the Migrant Crisis’, LCSS, SOAS, London, 27th November 2015 04-Sep-2015 Paper: Queen Mary Reflection Group on Terrorism and Human Rights, Joint Seminar: Law and Politics, London, 4th September 2015 27-Mar-2015 Paper: ‘Undesirable and Unreturnable? Policy Challenges around Excluded Asylum Seekers and Other Migrants Suspected of Serious Criminality Who Cannot be Removed’, Preliminary Workshop, VU University Amsterdam, 23-Oct-2014 Paper: ‘Undesirable and unreturnable: the UK’s response to excluded asylum seekers and other migrants suspected of serious criminality’, Senate House, London, 23rd October 2014. 23-Oct-2014 Convenor: Refugee Law Initiative, ‘Undesirable and unreturnable: the UK’s response to excluded asylum seekers and other migrants suspected of serious criminality’, Senate House, London, 23rd October 2014. 23-Oct-2014 Panel speaker: ‘Undesirable and unreturnable: the UK’s response to excluded asylum seekers and other migrants suspected of serious criminality’, Senate House, London, 23rd October 2014 29-Sep-2014 Paper: Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI), ‘Human Rights under Pressure: Exploring norms, institutions and policies’, University of Copenhagan, Denmark, 29th September 2014 (forthcoming) 09-May-2014 Paper: Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), ‘Coherence and Incoherence in Migration Management and Integration: Policies, Practices and Perspectives’, University of Montreal, Montreal, 8th May 2014 25-Apr-2014 Co-convenor: Refugee Law Initiative, Second Postgraduate Conference on International Refugee Law 19-Feb-2014 Panel speaker: Human Rights Consortium, ‘Key Questions in Human Rights: Debates for the next generation of advocates’, Senate House, London, 19th February 2014. 06-Jun-2013 Paper: Nordic Asylum Law Seminar, University of Bergen, Norway, 6-7th June 2013. 05-Dec-2012 Paper: RLI Postgraduate Workshop on Refugee Law, Refugee Law Initiative, Senate House, University of London, 5th December 2012. 12-Sep-2012 Paper: SLS Annual Postgraduate Conference: ‘Pressing Problems in the Law and Legal Education’, Society of Legal Scholars, University of Bristol, 11-14th September 2012 11-Jun-2012 Paper: MRU Student Conference: ‘Migration, Human Rights and Security in Europe’, Migration Research Unit, University College London, 11th June 2012 22-May-2012 Paper: QMUL Postgraduate Law Conference: ‘Taking Risks and Challenging Legal Thought’, Queen Mary, University of London, 22nd May 2012 26-Apr-2012 Keynote speaker: CCHJR Postgraduate Conference: ‘Transformation and Reform: Structures and Mechanisms for Rights-Based Protections’, Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, University College Cork, Ireland, 26th April 2012 (awarded best paper) 04-Apr-2012 Paper: SLSA Postgraduate Conference, Socio-legal Studies Association, De Montford University, Leicester, 3-5th April 2012 Other editing/publishing activities:
Date Details Managing Editor - International Community Law Review, Brill; Martinus Nijhoff Book Series Editor – Queen Mary Studies in International Law, Brill; Martinus Nijhoff Knowledge transfer activities:
Details Practitioner teaching: Save the Children Practitioner teaching: Developed training materials and delivered training on research methods to 30+ Save the Children staff in Bangladesh, Laos, the Philippines and the UK. The remote training included development of pre-recorded materials and live training sessions. Training resources are now also available on Save the Children intranet for use by staff globally.
Expert commentator: Rivkah Brown, ‘Under ‘Extreme’ New Immigration Rules, Britain Can Deport Asylum Seekers to Any Country That Will Take Them’, Expert commentator: Rivkah Brown, ‘Under ‘Extreme’ New Immigration Rules, Britain Can Deport Asylum Seekers to Any Country That Will Take Them’, Novara Media, 20th January 2021.
Expert adviser: ‘Can people can legitimately make a claim for asylum in the UK after passing through other “safe” countries?’ Expert adviser: ‘Can people can legitimately make a claim for asylum in the UK after passing through other “safe” countries?’, Full fact, the UK’s independent fact checking organisation (September 2020)
Public engagement: expert commentator, cited in ‘De uønskede’ (‘The Undesirables’) Public engagement: expert commentator, cited in ‘De uønskede’ (‘The Undesirables’), Nikolaj Arve and Gunver Lystbaek, Weekendavisen (Danish broadsheet newspaper), 3rd February 2019.
Practitioner teaching: ‘Forced migration and Refugees’, International Centre for Parliamentary Studies Practitioner teaching: ‘Forced migration and Refugees’, International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS), London, 14th November 2019. Training session for government ministries and international and regional organisations (INTERSOS, IOM, UNHCR, World Food Programme, EASO, HOST International).
Invited expert commentator, BBC World News, Impact: ‘Trump Migrant Order Halted’ (live in studio) Public engagement: invited expert commentator, BBC World News, Impact: ‘Trump Migrant Order Halted’, BBC World News, 20th November 2018 (live in studio)
Public engagement: co-convenor and expert speaker, ‘Lost rights, found justice? Refugee and Migrant Rights photo competition, exhibition and workshop’, Being Human Festival, Senate House, 17th November 2017 Public engagement: invited expert panel speaker, ‘Roundtable: Refugee Crisis - Are rich nations shirking responsibility?’, TRT World News, 2nd October 2017 Policy-engagement launch event, panel speaker: ‘Undesirable and Unreturnable: the treatment of excluded asylum seekers and other migrants’, Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees - IGC, Geneva, 27th September 2016 Public engagement, academic commentator, Australia and regional processing, Talk Media News, United Nations Bureau, New York, 4th February 2016 Public engagement speaker: ‘Who Gets to be Human?’ Being Human, Bloomsbury Festival, Senate House, London, 24th October 2015 Practitioner engagement: presented doctoral research to senior immigration judges of the First-tier and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Field House, London, 24th March 2014 - Consultancy & Media
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- Available for consultancy:
- Yes
- Media experience:
- Yes