Youth homelessness charity Step by Step, backed by EveryYouth, are urgently calling for Government clarification on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.   

This legislation could see unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), also referred to as separated children, permanently denied British citizenship, we told BBC’s Nikki Mitchell. 

Under the proposed legislation, refugees who enter the UK illegally will be barred from ever becoming British citizens. Recent reports, including coverage in i newspaper, suggest that some children may be exempt—if their means of entry is deemed outside their control. However, there is no explicit exemption for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, leaving those who arrive in the UK alone at serious risk of lifelong legal limbo. 

Young Refugees Facing an Uncertain Future 

Step by Step has seen a surge in the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children using their services in the past five years.  

Step by Step provides Supported Lodgings and specialist accommodation for young people, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children fleeing war, persecution, and trafficking.  

The number of UASC supported by Step by Step has drastically risen, with 31 recorded in 2020 and 75 in 2024.  

Ahmad, 18, fled Syria via a small boat and lorry. He travelled through Libya, Italy and France before arriving in the UK. His father was taken away into prison by the Assad regime and didn’t survive the treatment. He died in prison.  

“I left my country because there was war. We didn’t have something to live for, everything is war. You don’t feel safe and you don’t feel at peace,” he said.

“When I arrived here, [Step by Step] supported me and they helped me. They found a house for me to live and enlisted me at Reading College. I study English and Maths.  

“I want to achieve my goal of becoming a chemical engineer. That’s my goal, that’s my dream.”   

Ahmad is worried that he could be denied citizenship under the Bill.  

“It’s quite stressed and I’m scared of what will happen. What are the rules, are they going to change in the future? I want to stay in the UK forever.” 

“I’m scared of what will happen. What are the rules?”

One young woman, whose identity has remained anonymous for safety reasons, fled the Middle East with her sister.

“If I did come out as non-Muslim in my country, there is a really high chance that they could kill me, because it’s illegal in my country not to be Muslim,” she said.

Through Step by Step, she was matched with hosts Mark and Beverley Landreth-Smith in West Berkshire. Now aged 19, she is working at a café and studying health, social care and childcare at college. 

“[If I don’t get citizenship] I will be upset because I came here to start a new life and I want to build my life here,” she said.  

Her host, Mark Landreth-Smith, said: “Our plea would be for the Government to bring some real clarity for the most vulnerable who are under 18.” 

These young people arrive in the UK seeking safety, yet under the new bill, they may never be able to secure a permanent future here. 

“These children are alone, often traumatised, and have no parent or guardian to advocate for them. They are supported, accommodated, and integrated into society through host families and services across the UK. If they are excluded from the proposed exemption, they could be denied citizenship indefinitely, rendering them unable to work or build a stable future, despite having built lives in their communities,” says Step by Step CEO Debbie Moreton. 

“Our plea would be for the Government to bring some real clarity for the most vulnerable who are under 18.”

A Critical Gap in the Law 

The bill’s wording leaves Home Office caseworkers with discretion to decide whether a child’s illegal entry was outside their control. However, the recent reports do not explicitly state whether unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will qualify under this exemption. It is clear that parents bringing children into the country would be outside the child’s control; however, it leaves a significant question mark over whether unaccompanied children, who make the journey alone—sometimes with no real alternative—would be judged to have had control over their entry. 

Many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have no choice in how they enter the UK—they are fleeing war, persecution, or exploitation. Some are trafficked, some are smuggled, and others make dangerous journeys because they have no other option. Despite this, the bill’s wording suggests that unless they were physically brought into the country by a parent or guardian, their means of entry could be deemed within their control. This interpretation risks leaving thousands of vulnerable young people without a legal pathway to citizenship. 

Without clear guidance, caseworkers may make inconsistent or unfair decisions, preventing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children from ever becoming British citizens. These children risk being denied opportunities to study, work, and contribute to British society, despite having no safe alternatives. 

Step by Step, backed by the EveryYouth Network of which it is part, are urging the Government to: 

• Explicitly confirm that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) will be able to claim British Citizenship. 
• Provide clear guidance for caseworkers to prevent inconsistent or unfair rulings on young refugees’ futures. 

The charities are also calling on MPs, policymakers, and the public to support amendments ensuring all children seeking asylum, whether accompanied or unaccompanied, are protected. 

“This yet another example where Government policy is insufficiently nuanced to give young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness the support they need,” EveryYouth CEO Nick Connolly says.  

Step by Step and the EveryYouth Network continue to advocate for young people seeking asylum and provide them with the support they need.  

But urgent action is required to ensure the Government’s new citizenship rules do not leave some of the most vulnerable children in limbo.