Move to allow UK citizenship for children of Calais ‘jungle’ camp

Children from the former Calais jungle camp are set to be granted the right to remain in the UK.

The Home Office has said more than 200 youngsters from the camp will be given a new status to have continued access to study, work and the NHS until they can apply for citizenship in 10 years.

More than 750 unaccompanied children were brought to the UK from the makeshift camp in France in 2016.

Around 550 went to live with family already in the UK and in the past two years most of the children were given the right to stay in the UK under existing international protections.

But a small group did not qualify for the same protections.

Immigration minister Caroline Nokes announced yesterday that the new right would allow the group to remain.

She said: “We can be proud of our record of helping refugee and other vulnerable children affected by conflict, violence and instability.

“Since the start of 2010 we have provided asylum or an alternative form of protection to over 31,000 children.

“I am determined that we continue in these efforts and that is why we are introducing a new form of leave, exclusively for children brought to the UK from the Calais camp, so that they can continue rebuilding their lives with their families in the UK.”

From this autumn Calais Leave will grant the right to study, work, access public funds and healthcare, and apply for settlement after 10 years.

It will only be available to those brought over as part of the Calais clearance between October 2016 and July 2017, who were under 18 at this time and with recognised family ties in the UK.

Picture: PA. The jungle migrant camp in Calais, France, which was cleared in 2016.