What measures and systems are in place in the EU Member States and Norway to provide support to unaccompanied minors becoming adults? The new EMN inform investigates the legal transition that unaccompanied minors face as they age out of care systems envisaged to protect children and adolescents deprived of parental care.
Transition to adulthood of unaccompanied minors is marked by several changes. Not only from childhood into adulthood, but also, possibly, a change to their status, which can impact on their right to stay, and the extent to which they can access education, housing, employment, services, and support.
In 2021, the number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the EU Member States and Norway significantly increased to 23 420 in comparison to 14 000 in 2019 and 2020. Data regarding the number of unaccompanied minors who did not apply for asylum is not known, however, it is estimated that it is significant, and it varies among countries.
The EU has been actively working to protect the rights of unaccompanied minors for decades. Those who apply for asylum in the EU benefit from a series of rights and procedural guarantees throughout the asylum procedure and in accordance with the result of its examination. However, the EU acquis does not lay down any guarantees or rights to support the transition to adulthood of these persons. These vary significantly across the EU and Norway.
The inform Transition of unaccompanied minors to adulthood maps the measures, structures and systems in place in the Member States to provide transitional support to unaccompanied minors reaching the age of majority. It explores the situation of all unaccompanied minors reaching adulthood. In particular, it focuses on unaccompanied minors who have been granted a residence permit, unaccompanied minors who have been issued a returned decision, unaccompanied minors who are still in a status of determination procedure as they turn 18.
Although most Member States do not have a national strategy to support the transition to adulthood of accompanied minors, more than half provide some form of ongoing support and services for a limited period after they reach the age of majority. In most cases, these services allow young adults to remain in their housing, complete their studies, or receive support to enter the labour market. Civil society organisations also play an important role in providing support, such as language courses, legal, social and psychological counselling, and other services.
You can find the inform together with its main findings here.