But what will become of European children placed across the Channel? The consequences of Brexit could indeed be dramatic for them. They live in the UK where they have been placed in homes or foster families. Some of these children are now at risk of becoming undocumented.
“This means that they will not have the right to live in the United Kingdom”, warns Marianne Lagrue, an official of the association Coram Children’s Legal Center which helps them. “They will not be able to access free health care, work, receive benefits, rent housing, learn to drive and have a bank account,” she explains.
Complex procedures for children
At 18, they also risk deportation from a country where they reside. Because since the United Kingdom definitively left the EU on January 1, it is no longer possible to settle there freely or to continue to reside there without special procedures. If the migration rules have been tightened for new arrivals from the EU, those who were already present on December 31, 2020 can keep their rights provided they register, by June 30 at the latest, via the settlement scheme. This program is considered a “success” by the government, with some five million temporary or permanent residence permits granted, far more than the number of European nationals previously estimated at more than three million.
But it also has its drop-outs. “It’s simple if you have a job, you are doing well with digital technologies (applications are mainly made online) and you have all your documents,” says Azmina Siddique, of The Children’s Society. On the other hand, it is much more complex for children in care or young adults who have been placed in care: some find it difficult to prove their identity or obtain the necessary support for their procedures, which are the responsibility of their legal guardian.
The number of children concerned can only be estimated
In addition, it is difficult to know their exact number, as the nationalities of children in care are not collected in the United Kingdom, where the identity card does not exist. According to the Interior Ministry, 3,660 vulnerable young people (up to 25 years old) have been identified as eligible for residency status, 67% of whom had submitted an application at the end of April. A figure largely underestimated according to associations which evoke up to 9,000.
The ministry ensures to work “closely” with these associations with in particular a support of 22 million pounds (25.6 million euros). He also promised to accept late requests if there are “reasonable grounds.” This is insufficient, regrets Azmina Siddique: from July 1, children who have missed the deadline will be “without protection” until a request for regularization has been submitted and then accepted. There are now very few days left to find a solution.