UK suspends refugee family reunion applications

The United Kingdom announced on Monday that it is temporarily suspending new family reunification applications for refugees on its soil, as part of a tightening of its asylum policies.

The Labor government, facing record numbers of migrants arriving via small boats, said it plans to begin returning the first group of migrants to France “later this month” under a treaty signed this summer with Paris.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament that she will introduce reforms to the refugee family reunification system before the end of the year.

“In the meantime, we must address the immediate pressures on local authorities and the risks posed by criminal gangs exploiting family reunification to encourage more people to undertake dangerous journeys,” Cooper said, announcing “new rules… to temporarily suspend new applications” from refugee families.

According to the Home Office, 21,000 family reunion visas were granted to relatives of refugees between June 2024 and June 2025, most of them women and children.

The British Refugee Council warned that the move could push “more desperate people to turn to smugglers.” Council chief Enver Solomon said, “Until now, family reunification was one of the only safe and legal pathways for refugees fleeing war and persecution to bring their spouses and children.”

More than 111,000 people applied for asylum in the UK between June 2024 and June 2025, the highest number since records began in 2001, according to the latest Home Office figures. Over 50,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel since Labor leader Keir Starmer became Prime Minister in July 2024.

Cooper also highlighted the August treaty with Paris, under which migrants arriving via small boats in the UK will be returned to France in exchange for the UK accepting a similar number of migrants from France. She noted that the first group of migrants was detained in Dover in early August under this agreement, adding, “We expect the first returns to begin later this month.”

The Home Office is currently reviewing initial applications from migrants in France wishing to move to the UK, with “strict security checks” in place.