AMA stands for alleenstaande minderjarige asielzoeker (unaccompanied under-age asylum seeker). AMAs are usually housed in refugee centres until they are 18 when official financial support is withdrawn and they are encouraged to go back home. Many AMAs simply disappear from the system. One of the most famous AMAs is Angolan teenager Mauro who was threatened with deportation when he turned 18, despite living with a foster family for nine years. He has since been given a student visa.