Abstract
Between 2014 and 2017, some 219,575 minors came to the EU plus Norway unaccompanied, i.e. without a parent or another adult responsible for them, to seek asylum. At the same time, at least another 48,591 minors came unaccompanied for other reasons, though the number of those outside the asylum system remains largely unknown.
The study aims to explore the situation of unaccompanied minors who, following status determination, are entitled to a residence permit or issued a return decision, and the approaches put in place by the EU Member States plus Norway to ensure their integration or (voluntary) return.
The study examines how Member States deal with UAMs who cannot be returned immediately, or who turn 18 years and the cases of UAMs’ disappearances.
The study covers the period 2014-2017 and aims to follow up on previous EMN work on unaccompanied minors. However, this study does not cover the asylum or other status determination procedures in which the right of an unaccompanied minor to stay in a (Member) State is examined and decided upon.
Comparable data is provided on the scale of unaccompanied minors in Member States at present, as well as over time (2014-2017), supplementing it with national statistics where available.
This Synthesis Report was prepared on the basis of national contributions from 26 EMN National Contact Points[1]. The study covers the period 2014-2017.
See also:
- Approaches to Unaccompanied Minors Following Status Determination in the EU plus Norway: EMN Inform
- What happens to unaccompanied children on arrival in Europe following status determination? EMN Flash 1/2018
[1] (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and Norway)
