Accessing justice in a super-diverse city? The experiences of undocumented female migrants in London.

My research will elucidate undocumented female migrants' (UFMs) experiences of accessing justice in London, and how gender, immigration status, and the condition of 'illegality' shape their intersectional encounters with the British legal environment. This study will inform public debate and policymaking on timely questions around migration in the UK. 'Access to justice' will be explored in more detail in my thesis but is broadly taken to mean considering practical ability to enforce theoretical rights.

Such research is paramount for two reasons. First, the entrenchment of the government's 'Hostile Environment' policy in recent years has restricted UFMs' rights, while successive Legal Aid cuts have made realising them financially unviable, complex, and often traumatic. Second, relatively little data or research exists on UFMs, partly because their very status encourages living under the radar. Access to such data via the migrant support service where I volunteer (both qualitative and a quantitative database of N=1,000), and where I will locate my fieldwork, therefore offers a unique research opportunity. I will draw on my practical understanding and connections in the NGO and legal sectors to produce research at the nexus of academia and policy practice.

Using ethnographic methods - participation observations and qualitative interviews - and quantitative data analysis, I will explore the barriers UFMs face in actualising their rights. Focusing on women and adopting a gender perspective is crucial given UFMs' differentiated experiences in their countries of origin and during the migration process, which impact subsequent experiences in the UK.

Basing my research in London as a 'super-diverse' city with the UK's highest population of undocumented migrants will help me reflect the group's complexity and take an intersectional approach, exploring how gender and other traits interact to affect UFMs' experiences. My approach aligns with the DTP's values in terms of its interdisciplinary nature and exploration of London's diversity.