Immigration officials doctor documents, delegates hear

Unknown numbers of asylum seeking children are not receiving help they are entitled to because immigration officers are changing their dates of birth on documents.

The Refugee Council says it is dealing with increasing numbers of cases where immigration officials who dispute the age of an applicants are failing to include the birth date they are providing.

Judith Dennis, policy advisor at the Refugee Council, told delegates at a conference today: “We are seeing numbers of cases, particularly in the last two weeks, where immigration officers are changing the date of birth so the applicant is then treated as an adult. Nowhere does it say they are allowed to do that.”

She added that the organisation was in talks with the Home Office to address the problem.