Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre students lead workshops for East London primary school parents on ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ and children’s citizenship

On 3 and 4 June 2026, six QMUL undergraduate law students prepared and facilitated two workshops for primary school parents in Ilford, in collaboration with Citizens UK and Professor Rachel Humphris, supported by QMUL’s Centre for Public Engagement and supervised by the QMLAC’s Supervising Solicitor Katy Robinson.

The first workshop focused on support available to those prevented from accessing public funds because of their immigration status, supporting participants to understand what support is in any case available to those with no recourse to public funds and providing guidance on where to go to seek legal support to regularise immigration status or to request the lifting of a ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ condition where needed.

The second workshop focused on the importance of understanding – and if necessary regularising – a child’s immigration status while they are still a minor, and outlined possible routes to British citizenship for non-British children born in the UK. The workshop included an activity for parents to fill a ‘backpack’ with all of the things they wished for their children’s future: happiness, peace, kindness, safety, love, education, stability, positivity, friendship, spirituality, independence, confidence, and many more!

The workshops had twelve participants in total, with students additionally able to raise awareness among the parents about studying law at QMUL.

Feedback from participants included:

• “I learnt about some important things I can [use to prepare] my child for the future.” (participant, Children’s Citizenship workshop)
•  “I learnt that it should be planned before [children] turn 18 what they need to have in their future. One thing that surprised me was immigration status is very important otherwise it can affect their opportunities in many fields like work, travel, housing, bank account etc.” (participant, Children’s Citizenship workshop)

Feedback from the school included:

• “Thanks so much to the team for last week…The students did a great job!”
• “It was really lovely having the students deliver the workshops and we were really impressed by them. They made the parents feel at ease and as many of the students also came from other countries, it made the parents feel relaxed. They did such a wonderful job and provided a lot of support. The parents were really happy at the end and said this is what my [own] children might go into [studying law at university].” (project evaluation with school staff)

These workshops form part of the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre’s wide range of Public Legal Education activities, led by our students. Read more: Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre’s Public Legal Education projects