Zoe - The legal dilemma

In 2016, 16-year-old Zoe and her family applied for asylum in Greece. After two rejections, they appealed twice against the negative decisions. The hearing of their second appeal was postponed six times and is still pending today, eight years after their arrival. In the meantime, Zoe and her brother have integrated into Greek schools and have succeeded in continuing their education. But there’s still no decision in their case, and Zoe remains an asylum seeker in a precarious and uncertain situation, unable to make any plans for her future. Zoe faces a legal dilemma: Her asylum case is still pending after 8 years, and she’s now eligible for a residence permit. To apply for it, she’d have to abandon her asylum procedure, and she’d be prohibited to work for a year, hence losing her livelihood. Under these conditions, she’d be unable to continue her university studies.