Young unaccompanied asylum seekers in the camps in Calais reunited with their families in the UK

As part of their work with young unaccompanied asylum seekers living in the camps in Calais, Islington Law Centre (ILC) has successfully reunited one young person with their family in the UK. Regulations state that asylum seekers must make an initial asylum claim in the first country they reach but they can have their application examined in another country if they have relatives living there.

However, the system operating between the two countries is both complicated and slow and is preventing young asylum seekers from being reunited with their families in the UK. Following representations from ILC in early March 2016, the Home Office accepted a transfer request for a young person living in the camp. This is the first ever ‘take charge’ request accepted by the UK from France of a young person and represents a significant development.

The SLF grant funded ILC to develop legal arguments which seek to ensure that the UK government complies with its obligations in relation to young people and children living in the ‘jungle’ in Calais who wish to join their family members in the UK.