A study by the University of Wolverhampton, commissioned by the Mayor, estimated that there are around 107,000 undocumented children and 26,000 18- to 24-year-olds in London.
Living without proper documentation means young people are denied access to higher education, jobs, open a bank account or rent a home.
The London Assembly has today asked the Mayor 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.
Sian Berry AM, who proposed the motion said:
“It is clear that the 133,000 children and young people who live in London and call the UK their home, but who do not have a secure immigration status, are the latest victims of the Home Office’s institutional callousness.
“Our city should stand by these young Londoners. We cannot accept another generation forced into limbo and living under the threat of deportation to places they have never, or barely, known – this is why I have called on the Mayor to join our campaign to regularise the status of these young people.”
Len Duvall AM, who seconded the motion said:
“The staggering number of undocumented children and young adults in our capital rings alarm bells, especially with the continued uncertainty surrounding the EU Settlement Scheme.
“We simply cannot allow so many of our fellow Londoners, whose parents are struggling to get citizenship, to live in limbo or fall through the gaps, unable to access housing, education or jobs due to their insecure immigration status.
“The scale of this issue is not only a symptom of the Government’s cruel hostile environment policies, but also plays into the hands of organised criminal gangs and traffickers.
“The Mayor has stepped in to ensure that legal advice is there for Londoners with insecure status, but City Hall must continue to push the Government to ensure that children and young people who call this country their home are given a straightforward and affordable route to citizenship.”
The full text of the motion is:
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.
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast
- Sian Berry AM, who proposed the motion, is available for interviews.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
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