Zilan arrived in the UK in 2000, at the age of 22, using what she described as “forged documents” supplied by the shebeke. She applied for asylum at the border but her case was refused after appeal and so she is now living as an undocumented migrant. She has two sisters in London and was living with them at the time of her interview. Both sisters, like Zilan, had been active in Kurdish nationalist politics but, unlike Zilan, had been granted leave to remain in the UK. In the 11 years since her arrival, Zilan had worked both as a community advisor and also in the restaurant sector. At the time of her interview she was unemployed and, as a consequence, dependent on her sisters for housing and subsistence. In the above quote Zilan expresses the feelings of many whom we interviewed in relation to their networks which acknowledge the crucial role that networks play, while at the same time pointing to the restrictions they impose. These restrictions relate to the ways in which she has submerged herself within the micro social networks of other Kurds, making it almost impossible to move away and create links with people from outside the immediate community.

Previous research suggests that undocumented migrants, due to their status, are more reliant on social networks than are other migrants (van Meeteren, 2010). The extent to which these networks of family, friends and acquaintances offer help and/or are based on self-interest will vary, but they are nevertheless central in the lives of many without status (Ambrosini, 2012).