Immigration Status Of Over 100,000 Children In London Not Secure

The University of Wolverhampton has estimated that more than 133,000 children and young people in London are living without a secure immigration status, meaning they are restricted from accessing higher education, employment and housing.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called it a ‘national disgrace’ and a potential ‘new Windrush’ scandal.

The UK has an estimated 674,000 undocumented children and adults, which includes those who were born in the UK, have spent the majority of their life in the UK and those who are able to apply for citizenship, but the fees prohibit them.

Due to Government policies have left 107,000 children and 26,000 young people who are undocumented, are unable to do simple things like open a bank account or apply for a driving license. Those over the age of 18 are also then at risk of being deported, despite some only knowing the UK as their home.

Urging the Government to take action, Sadiq Khan has warned of the potential crisis that may be taken further on the exit of the UK from Europe. There are over 350,000 European-national children and young people, living in London, that may suffer the same consequences if they are not given support in applying to the EU Settlement Scheme or UK citizenship.

In light of the Windrush scandal, the problems people face, who have lived in the UK for many years, have been exposed when applying for citizenship. The cuts to legal aid, a lack of awareness and a long and complex application process, as well as the high cost of applying, means many are at risk of the UK’s ‘hostile immigration policies’.

Towards the end of 2019, the High Court found that the government decision to charge £1,012 to register a child as a British Citizen was unlawful. The fee, described by Amnesty International as “shameless profiteering” was found by the Court to affect tens of thousands of children in the UK. The Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens (PRCBC), brought the case against the Home Office, estimates that there are 120,000, children without citizenship, over half of whom were thought to be born in the UK.

Finding a “mass of evidence” that showed the high fees to register for British citizenship, left them feeling “alienated, excluded, ‘second-best’, insecure and not fully assimilated into the culture and social fabric of the UK”.

Following the judgement, the PRCBC stated:

“The harms done to children if they are unable to register as British citizens are similar to those suffered by people of the Windrush generation. The harms include harm to children’s identity, sense of belonging and security. The harms include more tangible things including the risk of being removed from the UK…The harms can also cross generations. A child unable to register as a British citizen may later be the parent of a child who for that reason is not born British.”

Solange Valdez-Symonds of PRCBC, solicitor for two children involved in the court case said:

“It is significant that the court has recognised British citizenship is the right of these and thousands of children and that the consequences of blocking their registration rights is alienating and harmful.”

The University of Wolverhampton, who’s report was commissioned by Sadiq Khan, has stated the Mayor is “committed to helping Londoners of all backgrounds secure their status so they may participate full in the life of the city”. Having provided funding for access to legal advice for those with insecure immigration status, Mr Khan also “donated £20,000 to the Windrush Justice Fund and provided extensive support to EU Londoners through free legal advice, guidance and grants to community organisations.”

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