Not for All : The conditional right to family life and the access to it for unaccompanied minors in Greece

The enormous increase in the immigration of unaccompanied minors over the last few decades has prompted scholars and policymakers to devote special attention to them. Nonetheless, this study identifies a category of unaccompanied minors who have been overlooked in previous research. In particular, this paper analyzes the family reunification of unaccompanied minors residing in Greece, who aim to move in Sweden and Germany. The factors determining access to family using Lockwood’s theory of civic stratification have been analyzed. The analysis is based on desk research and semi-constructed interviews with workers in several Greek organizations. The results of this paper indicate that current legislation turns out to create an unequal distribution of unaccompanied minors due to the lack of several resources and lead the majority of them to follow unlawful routes in order to accomplish their aspirations.