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<p>The Illegal Migration Act received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act seeks
to ensure the only way to come to the UK for protection will be through safe and legal
routes and will take power out of the hands of the criminal gangs and protect vulnerable
people, including children.</p><p>Following the High Court ECPAT judgment and Supreme
Court judgment on Rwanda, the Government is carefully reflecting on commencement of
the powers in the Act, including those relating to the accommodation and transfer
of unaccompanied children.</p><p>These powers have not yet been commenced and a decision
will be made in due course. The Act does not change a local authority’s statutory
obligations to children from the date of arrival and that the best place for an unaccompanied
child is in the care of a local authority. This is something the Government was consistently
clear about during the Illegal Migration Act’s passage through Parliament.</p><p>We
are working at pace with Kent County Council, other government departments and local
authorities across the UK to ensure suitable local authority placements are provided
for unaccompanied asylum seeking children urgently and sustainably.</p>
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