Over 200 unaccompanied children have arrived in the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and transfers are ongoing.

The Government is fully committed to delivering our commitment to transfer the specified number of 480 children under section 67. We are working very closely with Member States, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and NGO partners to identify and transfer children to the UK in line with each individual Member State’s national laws.

There are currently seven routes through which asylum seeking and refugee children can legally enter the UK. To access the UK resettlement schemes, individuals register with UNHCR. Under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, over 8,500 individuals have been resettled to the UK, around half of whom are children. Our strategy is to resettle the most vulnerable children directly from conflict regions, with their family members, so they do not have to make perilous journeys alone.

Within the EU, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children lies with the Member State in which they are present. We work closely with EU partners and organisations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to identify and transfer children to the UK in line with each individual Member State’s national laws. In 2016, over 900 children were transferred from the Europe to the UK.

In March, the Government published the basis upon which further referrals under section 67 will be made: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-section-67-of-the-immigration-act-2016. We have invited referrals of children who meet the eligibility criteria that they were present in Europe before 20 March 2016 and transfer is in their best interests. In deciding which children to refer, Member States have been asked to prioritise those likely to qualify for refugee status and/or the most vulnerable. Vulnerability can be defined by factors which include, but are not limited to, the UNHCR’s Children at Risk factors. It is for Member States to decide which children to refer.

More broadly, we continue to work with our European partners to manage migration and ensure our collective security. Intelligence exchange between UK law enforcement and Europol is well-established and routine, including on human trafficking. The National Crime Agency also support Europol with seconded staff, including within the European Migrant Smuggling Centre. This cooperation has and continues to assist UK efforts to tackle trafficking in human beings, including children.

According to Eurostat data, 63,300 unaccompanied children claimed asylum in the EU in 2016:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8016696/3-11052017-AP-EN.pdf/30ca2206-0db9-4076-a681-e069a4bc5290.

This includes a breakdown of asylum applications by EU Member State.

The Dublin III Regulation is a long-standing mechanism between EU Member States to determine responsibility for examining asylum claims. It is not an application route for transfer to the UK. At present we do not publish data on cases covered by the Dublin Regulation. Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, regularly publishes Member State figures, which can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Dublin_statistics_on_countries_responsible_for_asylum_application

The Government has committed to publishing regular updates on the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children transferred to the UK from Europe, including those transferred under the Dublin III Regulation. This data will be published in the coming months.

Under the Dublin III Regulation, the UK has two months from receiving a request from another participating Member State to accept or reject responsibility for processing the asylum claim. Within this two month period, the Home Office will undertake a number of mandatory checks, including security and a local authority assessment. Where possible, the Home Office will decide cases ahead of the two month deadline.

Once a Dublin request has been accepted, the Regulation provides that the sending Member State has six months to enact the transfer. The Home Office works closely with EU Member State partners to enact transfers as soon as possible and ahead of the six month timeframe.

The Dublin III Regulation is a long-standing mechanism between EU Member States to determine responsibility for examining asylum claims. It is not an application route for transfer to the UK. At present we do not publish data on cases covered by the Dublin Regulation. Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, regularly publishes Member State figures, which can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Dublin_statistics_on_countries_responsible_for_asylum_application

The Government has committed to publishing regular updates on the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children transferred to the UK from Europe, including those transferred under the Dublin III Regulation. This data will be published in the coming months.

Under the Dublin III Regulation, the UK has two months from receiving a request from another participating Member State to accept or reject responsibility for processing the asylum claim. Within this two month period, the Home Office will undertake a number of mandatory checks, including security and a local authority assessment. Where possible, the Home Office will decide cases ahead of the two month deadline.

Once a Dublin request has been accepted, the Regulation provides that the sending Member State has six months to enact the transfer. The Home Office works closely with EU Member State partners to enact transfers as soon as possible and ahead of the six month timeframe.

The UK strongly supports the principle of family unity and there are already legal routes for families to be reunited safely that are not dependent on our EU membership. The UK’s family reunion policy is generous, and we have and continue to reunite refugees with their immediate family, including granting over 23,000 family reunion visas over the last five years.

The EU Dublin Regulation determines the Member State with responsibility for assessing an asylum claim. Under the Regulation unaccompanied children present in another EU Member State can be transferred to the UK to have their asylum claim assessed where they have a qualifying family member or relative legally present and transfer is in their best interests. We expect cooperation on asylum and migration with our European partners to continue after the UK leaves the EU, and will discuss the exact nature of this cooperation in the negotiations.

The Government has noted the report by the Human Trafficking Foundation into the independent inquiry into the situation of separated and unaccompanied minors in parts of Europe and is considering its recommendations. We are already working on a number of the areas addressed in the report.

The UK is working very closely with France and other EU Member States in respect of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. This includes ensuring the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin Regulation, to allow children with qualifying family in the UK to be transferred here for consideration of their asylum claim, where it is in the child’s best interests. We also remain fully committed to implementing section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, and are working with Member State authorities and other partners to identify and transfer children to the UK quickly and safely. However, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children lies with the authorities in the country in which children are present. The UK government does not have the authority to operate unauthorised on the territory of another sovereign state.

The Department for Education and Home Office continue to work together with local authorities and NGOs to ensure that vulnerable children are safe, and their welfare promoted once they arrive in the UK. A joint safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children is due to be published in the Autumn.

Safe travel routes from unaccompanied children from Europe to the UK are already in place. Our family reunion policy allows a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country.

In addition, the Dublin Regulation allows unaccompanied children who have claimed asylum in another Member State to be transferred here to have their asylum claim assessed if they have a qualifying family member legally present in the UK and transfer would be in their best interests. In order for the Dublin Regulation to apply, an unaccompanied child must first claim asylum in the Member State in which they are located and that Member State must issue a Take Charge Request to the UK. The UK is working closely with other Member States as well as intergovernmental organisations and NGOs to ensure the effective operation of the Dublin Regulation.