Refugee family reunions are paused as home secretary seeks to quell asylum anger

Yvette Cooper has announced plans to suspend all new applications under the refugee family reunion route as part of a series of measures to clear the asylum backlog and clamp down on the number of people crossing the Channel.

- MILLIE COOKE HOLLY BANCROFT ALICJA HAGOPIAN

The changes mean that refugees will be covered by the same family migration rules and conditions as everyone else while a new, tougher framework for family reunions is drawn up.

Refugees will now have to apply through the standard family scheme, which applies to British citizens. This requires them to demonstrate a minimum joint income of £29,000 per year before their foreign partner can join them in the UK.

Giving a statement in the Commons yesterday, the first day back after a summer recess that was marred by growing public anger over migration, the home secretary said that a new independent body would be created to speed up asylum appeals, as well as announcing that the first returns of those who come to the UK on small boats will begin later this month under the deal with France.

More comprehensive reforms to family reunion will be outlined in an asylum statement later this year and implemented by spring, she said, arguing that people-smuggling gangs were using family reunion rules to promote illegal crossings to the UK.

But refugee charities condemned the changes, warning they would “push more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones”.

In the year to June 2025, there were 20,817 refugee family reunion visas issued. Over the past decade, 92 per cent of these were issued to women and children, who are family of refugees.

Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said: “We are forever hearing cries that refugees seeking protection should do so through official channels, but here we have the government restricting the last available safe route for women and children.

“Shutting off the hope of family reunification will only force more women and children to take dangerous journeys to seek sanctuary, including risking their lives by crossing the Channel.”