Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced that the government will tighten restrictions around refugees who seek to bring family members with them to the United Kingdom.
In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday 1 September, Cooper announced a number of reforms that make it more difficult for families of asylum seekers to come to the UK.
Under the current system, refugees who are granted asylum in the UK can apply to bring their family with them.
Cooper said that these family members would now need to meet stricter criteria to qualify for entry into the country, including demonstrating a higher standard of English literacy and access to sufficient funds.
The specific route for refugees’ family migration applications will also be suspended until a new framework is implemented.
She added that while the UK has a proud history of providing refuge and sanctuary to those fleeing violence and persecution, the system needs to be properly managed and controlled, which is why the government is implementing these stricter controls the asylum system.
She also said that the first deportations of migrants to France would take place in the coming weeks, a result of the recent migration treaty signed by the UK and France to address small boat arrivals.
“When we came into the government, we found an asylum and immigration system in chaos. The previous government had lost control of the system and as a result had opened many hundreds of asylum hotels across the country, and returns were a third lower than in 2010,” Cooper said.
“It is the British way to do our bit alongside other countries to help those who need sanctuary, but the system has to be controlled and managed, based on fair and properly enforced rules.”
“We continue to believe that families staying together is important, and it’s why we will seek to prioritise family groups under the applicants to come to Britain under our new deal with France. But reforms are needed,” she said.
“We are bringing forward new immigration rules this week to temporarily suspend new applications under the existing dedicated refugee family reunion route. Until the new framework is introduced, refugees will be covered by the same family migration rules and conditions as everyone else.”
Immigration and asylum are at the forefront of the national discussion, with these measures only the latest in a series of reforms announced by the government to overhaul the asylum system, clear the backlog of cases, and control the number of refugees crossing the channel to the UK from France in small boats.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also recently detailed his position on the asylum system and immigration, stating that if his party were to come to power, he would take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights and begin mass deporting illegal migrants from the country.
Referring to the ECHR, Cooper said the UK government would continue to respect international law, although it may change the way it interprets this law to help modernise its immigration system.
“We should be clear – international law is important,” Cooper said.
“It is because other countries know that we abide by it that we have been able to make these new agreements with France to return people who arrive on small boats, to make new agreements with Germany to stopt the warehousing of small boats by criminal gangs, and to explore returns hubs partnerships with other European countries.”
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