Between 2014 and 2017, some 219 575 minors came to the EU plus Norway unaccompanied, i.e. without a parent or another adult responsible for them, to seek asylum. At the same time, at least another 48 591 minors came unaccompanied for other reasons,1 though the number of those outside the asylum system remains largely unknown.
This inform summarises the results of the EMN study of the same title which explores the situation of unaccompanied minors (UAMs) who have been granted a residence permit or issued a return decision, and the approaches established by the (Member) States to their integration or return during the period 2014-2017. The study also examines how the States deals with UAMs who cannot be returned immediately, or who turned to 18 years and the cases of UAMs’ disappearances. To the extent possible, the study also presents comparable data on the scale of unaccompanied minors in the (Member) States at present, as well as over time (2014-2017), supplementing it with national statistics where available.