What is legal aid? Legal aid is money from the government that will pay a solicitor or a legal representative to act on your behalf. In some cases, you may have to contribute to the cost of a solicitor, but only when you have the money to do so. Criminal legal aid If you are arrested and held in custody …
Not from UK: education
Not from UK: education Education is not a ‘public fund’ – you are not normally prevented from studying if you have no immigration status or have ‘no recourse to public funds’. However, your immigration status may have an impact on what education you can access and what funding you can get to study. If you have no immigration status or …
Not from UK: finance
Bank accounts Having a bank account is really important but not everyone is allowed to open or hold a bank account in the UK. Young asylum seekers and undocumented migrants have always found it difficult to open a bank account in the UK – usually due to lack of documentation. Since 2014, the UK government has put restrictions on who …
Not from UK: immigration issues
Immigration issues The immigration system in the UK is very complicated. Children and young people with an immigration issue need to get legal advice. They should only get legal advice from a lawyer (a solicitor, barrister or a qualified immigration adviser). Legal aid is government funded for some kinds of cases (for example, asylum) – it means that you don’t …
Not from UK: support
What support can you get from your social worker if you are under 18? Children’s Services in the area where you live have a duty to look after all young people in their area who are under 18 and who need help. This includes children who have nowhere to live in the UK and those with no parents to look …
Not from UK: useful links
Legal advice Migrant Children’s Project provides free legal advice on all aspects of the rights of children and young people affected by UK immigration. You might be able to receive advice at [email protected]. General Support organisations Refugee Council gives non-legal support to asylum-seekers and refugees. There is a special team working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Scottish Refugee Council gives non-legal support to …
Not from UK: work and training
Can I work in the UK? If you have permission to stay in the UK – for example, you are in the UK on a work visa, have refugee status, humanitarian protection, limited/discretionary leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain – then you can do paid work in the UK. If you apply for an extension of your leave …
Not from UK: your status
What does ‘Immigration Status’ mean? If you are not from the UK or from certain countries in Europe, you will need permission to stay in the UK. Your ‘Immigration status’ is the kind of permission you have to be here (this is often called ‘leave’ or ‘leave to remain’). The type of permission you have changes how long you can …