Asylum: Children

Home Office written question – answered at on 11 February 2015.

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Photo of Sarah Teather Sarah Teather Liberal Democrat, Brent Central

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children granted discretionary leave to remain were subject to an enforced removal after turning 18 in each of the last five years.

Photo of James Brokenshire James Brokenshire Minister of State (Home Office) (Security and Immigration)

The Home Office does not return Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) whose claims have been refused, unless adequate reception arrangements are in place in the country to which the child is to be returned. If adequate

reception arrangements are absent, most unaccompanied children are granted UASC Leave (formally known as UASC discretionary leave) which usually lasts until their 18th birthday.

When a child passes the age of 18 and UASC Leave expires, they are no longer considered to be a UASC and are therefore required to take steps to voluntarily return or seek further leave to remain. If the individual does not seek to

regularise their stay through further applications or leave is not granted they may be removed in accordance with the Immigration Rules and Published Home Office policy should they fail to leave voluntarily.The table below outlines the number of individuals removed in each of the last five years who had previously been granted discretionary leave to remain as an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child but has since passed the age of 18 and had

not regularised their leave or left the UK voluntarily.

Year

Total

2009

3

2010

43

2011

119

2012

57

2013

88

2014

40

Grand Total

350

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