A new study by the University of Wolverhampton has estimated that over 215,000 children are growing up in the UK without any formal immigration status. Some arrived in the UK as children and over half were born in the UK. Without their papers, children can access basic healthcare and go to school, but once they…
Coram Children’s Legal Centre is delighted to announce the appointment of Rosalyn Akar Grams as the new head of our Legal Practice Unit. Rosalyn succeeds Noel Arnold, who held the position for the last seven years. Rosalyn is an experienced solicitor specialising in asylum, immigration and human rights cases and is an accredited supervisor under…
Over a year after the policy change was announced, CCLC welcomes the formal reintroduction of legal aid for immigration and nationality law for unaccompanied and separated children in care. Since the passage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), CCLC has highlighted the negative impact of the removal of legal…
We are pleased to announce that CCLC’s Qaisar Sheikh has been ranked in leading legal directory Chambers and Partners 2020 in the category of Education Law, alongside other leading solicitors in this area. Chambers and Partners comments: Qaisar Sheikh is well known in the market for his work in various types of cases, particularly EHC…
Today’s Times carries a major investigation into the huge profits made by the Home Office under the current system requiring undocumented young people to pay thousands of pounds seeking to regularise their status in the UK. The piece includes analysis by Marianne Lagrue, Policy Manager in Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) who describes the system as ‘a…
New guidance from charities working with separated migrant children has been published, outlining how to access legal aid for this group.
Essex County Council has admitted turning homeless children away from care in breach of section 20 of the Children Act 1989, following a legal challenge by Coram Children’s Legal Centre.
After many years of concerns being raised by NGOs working with asylum seekers, the Home Office has significantly revised its age assessment guidance following a Court of Appeal finding that its policy regarding age disputes was unlawful. Age disputes are a significant problem facing young migrants. Many children seeking protection in the UK are unable…
The Home Affairs Select Committee has published a report on the EU settlement scheme in which it calls for better legal protection for applicants, especially vulnerable people like children. The report is based on expert evidence from charities, local authorities and legal experts, as well as evidence from the Home Office and Home secretary. Coram…
Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) has today welcomed this week’s judgment from the Court of Appeal finding Home Office policy regarding young asylum seekers and age disputes to be unlawful. Age disputes are a significant problem facing young migrants and Kamena Dorling of CCLC, as co-chair of the Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium, provided a…
The Court of Justice of the European Union in this case considered the position of children placed under guardianship in the Algerian Kafalah system. The Court decided that such a child can be treated as a family member for the purpose of EU free movement law. SM, known as Susana in the UK courts, is…
Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) has today joined Citizens UK, Let Us Learn and others to call for the Home Office to stop making a profit on children’s immigration and citizenship applications, on the day the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) publishes his report on fees. CCLC welcomes the ICIBI’s report and…