News and Updates
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For the latest news stories on migration, please visit the news section of our website. For the stories relating specifically to UASC from the last 6 months, please see below.
20 April 2026
- This article explores how changes to the immigration and asylum system could make life more uncertain for children. (Source: Children and Young people Now)
30 March 2026
- A new study will explore the educational journeys of children and young people who arrived in the UK unaccompanied to seek asylum, shedding light on the opportunities and challenges they face in further and higher education. (Source: University of Exeter)
- This practical guide explains how to support children with their asylum claims, focusing on identifying the right legal basis, gathering evidence, and ensuring the child’s best interests. (Source: Free movement)
- This article explores how changes to the immigration and asylum system could make life more uncertain for children. (Source: Children and Young people Now)
23 March 2026
- A leading children’s rights organisation has warned government plans to activate parts of the Immigration Act 2016 would leave many unaccompanied care leavers with no secure immigration status and without essential support when they turn 18, increasing risk of homelessness, destitution and exploitation. (Source: ECPAT UK)
16 March 2026
- Leading charities are urging the next Scottish Parliament to recognise unaccompanied children primarily as ‘looked after children’ rather than through the lens of immigration control. (Source: Morning Star)
- A recent UNICEF briefing highlights the rising number of children on the move globally and calls for stronger protection systems. (Source: UNICEF)
09 March 2026
- A young refugee who experienced homelessness and attacks following the Home Office’s 28-day move-on period was part of a legal case that successfully challenged implementation of the policy, which should allow discretion where a person is at risk of homelessness. (Source: the Guardian)
23 February 2026
- A partnership of universities urges exemptions from the international student levy for PhD students, fully funded scholars and short-term exchange visitors, arguing these measures are needed to protect research talent and minimise harm to universities. (Source: Russell Group)
- A coalition of refugee and children’s organisations has called for the Home Office National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) to be disbanded. The group argues that the NAAB is traumatising young people who seek asylum, wrongly classifying many as adults, and putting children at serious risk. (Source: the Guardian)
16 February 2026
- Lord Dubs has condemned the Home Secretary’s approach to children seeking asylum abroad who are trying to reunite with their families in the UK. (Source: the Guardian)
- The Hong Kong BN(O) visa route is expanding to allow those who were children at the time of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover to China, who do not themselves have BN(O) status, to apply for the visa independently of their eligible parents. An estimated additional 26,000 people could arrive in the UK as the result. (Source: Home Office)
02 February 2026
- The Home Office has introduced a pilot allowing eligible 16- and 17-year-old asylum seekers to proceed to a substantive interview without submitting a Statement of Evidence (SEF) form, if they have legal representation and have consented to take part. (Source: UK Visas and Immigration)
26 January 2026
- Young people who have been through the UK asylum system talk about the importance of access to education and how this impacts their prospects; the article includes the story of a young woman placed in an asylum hotel in Yorkshire. Relatedly, a Birmingham school describes how they support young refugees with an intensive English course and related activities prior to entering the mainstream system. (Source: ITV news)
- Research by a teacher in Lebanon shows supportive, high-quality education can transform the resilience and motivation of Syrian refugee students during conflict. (Source: The Northern Echo)