Stopping refugees from being able to bring their close family to the UK will leave people in grave danger and hamper integration for those already here, the home secretary has been warned.
A temporary ban on new applications from refugees wanting to bring their loved ones to the UK was announced in September. The move was condemned by charities at the time who warned closing the family reunion route would push people into the arms of people smugglers.
New requirements for refugees are expected to be announced next Spring, and these could introduce new financial or language requirements – mirroring changes to other legal migration routes.
Now new research from charity The Helen Bamber Foundation, who have supported refugees with past applications, warns that thousands of families, including children, have been left in grave danger by the closure of the scheme.
Before the scheme was suspended, the charity had supported at least three clients whose children died, in some cases mere days, before they were able to be reunited.
In one case, a father fleeing persecution and torture in Ethiopia saw his eldest son kidnapped while he was waiting for a decision on his reunion application.
Before the pause was announced, people could apply to bring their immediate family members, such as a wife or young child, to the UK when they received a grant of refugee status.
Kamena Dorling, head of policy at the Helen Bamber Foundation, said: “With every pass day, the risk of being harmed, killed, or abducted grows. Extending the suspension until next Spring and the tightening of rules thereafter threatens to turn temporary separation into permanent loss for parents, children, spouses and siblings”.
Another refugee described the experience of being separated, saying: “I live in constant anguish knowing [my family] face daily threats and extreme hardship. The emotional toll on me has been enormous: my mental health has deteriorated, I suffer from severe anxiety and depression, and I now have high blood pressure caused by ongoing stress and worry for their safety”.
The charity is warning that the suspension of the scheme will worsen refugee’s mental health and exacerbate symptoms of depression and PTSD.
Ms Dorling added: “Many of our clients, though desperately in need of therapy, find it nearly impossible to engage in treatment while their families remain in danger. They often express intense guilt for being safe when their loved ones are not, and feel undeserving of recovery or stability.
“This emotional distress can severely hinder their ability to rebuild their lives, to learn a new language, pursue education or work, and become part of their communities”.
Announcing the pause when she was home secretary, Yvette Cooper said that people-smuggling gangs were using family reunion rules to promote illegal crossings to the UK.
In the year to June 2025, there were 20,817 refugee family reunion visas issued. However charities argued that the spike in applications could be partially explained by the fact that the Home Office has been working quickly through the asylum backlog, resulting in more refugee grants and family applications.
Over the past decade, 92 per cent of these visas were issued to women and children who are family of refugees.
Ms Cooper argued that newly granted refugees were apply to bring their families over too quickly, with some making the applications while still in hotel accommodation.
While the pause is in place, refugees can in theory use other family routes, however this requires a minimum income of the sponsor of £29,000 per year, adequate accommodation and an English language requirement.
Data shows that, of those refugees in employment, the average annual earnings were £20,000 for men and £18,000 for women.
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