Research report: No Right to Dream: The social and economic lives of young undocumented migrants in Britain

As part of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Social Justice Programme, this report is an outcome of a project that explored the social and economic lives of young undocumented migrants from their own perspectives. Based in London, the West Midlands and the Northwest of England, the study focused on the voices of young undocumented migrants through testimonies and indepth interviews to understand at first hand the complexity of their life processes, decisions and choices. The research was undertaken as a partnership between Professor Zetter and Dr Nando Sigona at the RSC, and Professor Alice Bloch at the Department of Sociology at City University, London.

The research began in early 2008 and was completed in December 2009. It comprised 75 in-depth interviews to young undocumented migrants from five countries of origin (Zimbabwe, Brazil, China, Turkey and Ukraine). The countries of origin included in the research allowed very recent and less recent migrants to be interviewed enabling a better understanding of how experiences are shaped and choices are made by young people over time. The research builds up a picture of interviewees social and economic lives in the UK and the ways in which their undocumented status impacts on their lives and choices. The countries of origin ensured that young people with different immigration histories, including student and work permit overstayers, those trafficked for indentured labour and refused asylum seekers, were included in the study.

Download the report