Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 1, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe UK has suspended refugee family reunion applications to revise immigration rules, responding to increased asylum seeker arrivals and public pressure.
By Muvija M
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Monday it would suspend applications from registered refugees to bring family members into the country in order to give the government time to toughen the rules, its latest attempt to cut the number of arrivals.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government is under mounting pressure to reduce the number of asylum seekers reaching Britain from France in small boats, after hotels housing migrants became a focal point for weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper told parliament that more and more refugees had applied to bring in family members, placing pressure on housing across the country.
Many were applying to bring over families within about a month whereas, as recently as 2019, they were waiting one or two years or more.
Cooper said she would suspend the system while the government looked to toughen the rules.
"The system has to be controlled and managed based on fair and properly enforced rules, not chaos and exploitation driven by criminal smuggler gangs," she said.
Accused of moving too slowly, the government says it is tackling a problem left by previous Conservative-led administrations by trying to speed up the processing of asylum claims and brokering return deals with other nations.
But the public discontent has handed Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party a consistent lead in opinion polls, prompting the government to go further.
Under the current system, an asylum seeker granted indefinite leave to remain can bring their partner if they can prove they have been in a relationship for at least two years, and children under the age of 18.
Just over 29,000 people have come to Britain unofficially on small boats so far this year, up 38% on the comparable period in 2024.
(Reporting by Muvija M; editing by Elizabeth Piper and Kevin Liffey)
The UK government suspended applications to allow time to toughen the rules, as the number of refugees applying to bring family members has increased, putting pressure on housing.
Public discontent has led to a rise in support for Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, indicating that the government is under pressure to take more decisive action.
Currently, an asylum seeker granted indefinite leave to remain can bring their partner if they prove a two-year relationship and can bring children under certain conditions.
Just over 29,000 people have arrived in the UK unofficially on small boats this year, marking a 38% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper announced the suspension of family reunion applications while addressing the pressures on housing from increasing refugee applications.
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