Undocumented Young Londoners

Sian Berry AM moved and Len Duvall AM seconded the following motion, which was agreed by 11 votes in favour and 4 votes against. 

“This Assembly notes the recent study by the University of Wolverhampton, commissioned by the Mayor, that estimated there are around 107,000 undocumented children and 26,000 18- to 24-year-olds in London.

The report also cautioned that the number of undocumented young people could rise dramatically after Brexit if the estimated 350,000 young European nationals in the UK are not helped to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme.

A young person’s irregular status could arise in variety of situations, including being trafficked, unaccompanied minors whose temporary leave to remain has been withdrawn when they turned 18, arriving without proper documentation or being born in the UK to parents without proper documentation.

Living without proper documentation means young people who are denied access to higher education, jobs, open a bank account or rent a home. They get left in limbo while their peers continue to progress. Living in fear of deportation, often to a country they have never known, is the cruel reality of the Government’s hostile environment policies. Children and young people who call the UK their home should be given access to a secure, and inexpensive, route to regularisation their status.

We recognise that efforts the Mayor has made to provide legal advice for Londoners with insecure status, and EU nationals, and ask him to call on the Government to support the regularisation of young people with insecure statuses, the majority of whom live and work in our city."