Asylum Processes

Policy and Guidance 

• Home Office provides a factsheet explaining impact of Illegal Migration Act on children. You may find useful also Migration Yorkshire’s briefing on the Illegal Migration Act.

• Home Office provides guidance on temporary changes to streamline children’s asylum processing. (recent version released August 2023)

• Home Office provides full guidance on how they process and assess asylum claims from unaccompanied asylum seeking children (recent version released June 2022)

• Home Office provides a report on legal routes from the EU for protection claimants, including family reunion of unaccompanied children (recent version released March 2022). 

• Department of Education (DfE) releases guidance that sets out the government’s strategy to safeguard and promote the welfare of unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children. (recent version released November 2017) 

• CORAM Children’s Legal Centre provides guidance on legal aid for unaccompanied and separated children on immigration and nationality cases. This form of legal aid will also cover children in the care system who might be struggling to get through the EU Settlement Scheme due to the complexity of their situation. (recent version released October 2019) 

• This briefing informs local authorities when applying for citizenship for children in care. (recent version released January 2021) 

• Home Office provides EU settlement guidance for looked-after children and care leavers. (recent version released December 2024)  

Resources 

You can find below a range of resources that help in supporting asylum seeking and refugees’ children. 

• Right to Remain have a toolkit made especially for children and young people to explain the key stages of the UK asylum process that young people will go through. You can access the toolkit here: Right to Remain - Asylum Journey (youngasylumguide.org.uk). They have a guide to help you better understand how to use the toolkit. They also have an interactive ‘People Who Can Help’ section to help young people meet those who are involved in their journey to settlement.
• Right to Remain also have a toolkit for adults who want to learn more about the legal process, or a particular part of the legal process. You can access the toolkit here: Right to Remain Toolkit – Right to Remain They also have a guide to help you better understand how to use the toolkit.

• Children Society’s Refugee Toolkit offers resources that informs the needs, rights and entitlements of young refugees and asylum seekers.

• English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) toolkit provides useful guidance and current effective practice for refugees and asylum seekers. Learning English also offers an online application to find your nearest ESOL class.  

• A friendly handbook from the Council of Europe helps front line professionals working with migrants. 

• Migration Yorkshire provides a data dashboard about unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Yorkshire and Humber.  

• A range of resources on asylum support for unaccompanied children provided by CORAM Children’s Legal Centre 

• The Migrant and Refugees Children’s Legal Unit provides a ‘Who is who guide’ that explains the roles of professionals involved in the lives of UASC and is translated in different languages.  

• Missing Children Europe provides ‘Miniila app’ which supports unaccompanied children to find child friendly information about services available in their area.  

• IOM developed leaflets about foster care which is translated in 7 languages spoken by other unaccompanied children. 

• Young Money provides a range of resources around understanding finances both for young people and professionals supporting them.  

• Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA) provides a regional contact for regional asylum safeguarding hubs across the UK. 

• Migration Yorkshire provides a list of solicitors available to support young people with their asylum claim 

Training  

We offer a range of training where we discuss asylum processes and their impact on children and young people. Please check our Events & Training page for updated training courses. If you would like to commission us to deliver our 'Welcoming & Supporting Young Refugees training' please contact us on: wyr@migrationyorkshire.org.uk