Govt to axe refugee family reunion path

Britain’s government yesterday was to announce plans to enda scheme which allowed family members to join refugees already in the country, as it tries to curb immigration levels under pressure from the far-right.

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Starmer: Toughens immigration stance

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was set to outline plans to scrap the family reunion scheme as well as automatic settlement rights for refugees at a EU leaders’ summit in Copenhagen. Applications for family reunions had already been paused last month.

“The fundamental reforms will be the basis of a fairer system where... the route to settlement should be longer, and be earned via contribution to the country,” the UK government said late on Wednesday.

Mr Starmer's Labour government has tried to take a tougher stance against record-levels of legal and irregular immigration to head off the rise of the anti-immigration, hard-right Reform UK party and quell a bitter national debate.