A new documentary on the challenges for young people in securing the right to remain in the UK will air on BBC on 5 May 2021.

BBC Panorama's "Am I British?" looks at the reasons why so many people, many of whom were born in the UK and have never lived anywhere else, are being denied their rights to vote, to attend university, to work and may even face deportation. 

We are so pleased our client Sam is featured, alongside our friends and partners at We Belong and Praxis.

Watch "Am I British?" on iPlayer

At JCWI we believe every child born and raised in the UK should have an automatic right to British citizenship

A baby born in the UK is not automatically a British citizen - instead, since 1981, citizenship depends on the nationality and immigration status of the baby's parents.

For people who were not British citizens at birth, but live in the UK for their whole life, the route to register as British is complex, expensive, and not guaranteed. Many people are not aware the route exists or is needed.

Since many of these children and young people are not migrants, but do not have British citizenship or legal status in the UK, they are considered by the Government to be 'undocumented'. The Greater London Authority estimates that 215,000 children in the UK are undocumented, and half of these children were born in the UK. 

What does it mean to be undocumented?

Undocumented people do not have the legal right to work, can be charged thousands of pounds to use the NHS, cannot vote, cannot go to university and may face deportation. The Government spends hundreds of millions of pounds enforcing rules that make life as difficult as possible, but refuses to reform the system which leaves people undocumented.

Join our campaign for affordable, accessible routes to status, and the reintroduction of birthright citizenship.

Join us to campaign for rights to status

Read more about the campaign