Europe's Dreamers

Arrived from West Africa, Amadou has been offered a place at Sciences Po Paris, the training ground for France political and business elite. But his asylum application was rejected twice, and what should have been a triumphant arrival leaves him at an agonising crossroads. If his final asylum appeal fails, he will not be able to enrol, and lose the chance of a lifetime. This is the second article from a series on young undocumented Europeans at times of Covid-19, in association with Lighthouse Reports and the Guardian.

Almost a million people born in Italy are currently unable to become citizens, either because they’re under 18, or didn’t meet the strict criteria and time limitations. Like Luca Neves, if they’re not able to keep on renewing their permit of stay for family or work reasons, they could easily fall into irregularity. Second article from a series on young undocumented Europeans at times of Covid-19, in association with Lighthouse Reports and the Guardian.

Across Europe, millions of young people who grew up feeling British or French or Italian or just European, live in a state of limbo, the threat of deportation hanging over them. In the US, they are known as the “dreamers.” Europe has its own “dreamer” generation, but their stories are largely unknown. Over the coming weeks, in partnership with Lighthouse Reports and The Guardian, we will profile these European dreamers and investigate the policies that trap them in an undocumented limbo.