Those of us without experience of the asylum and refugee system in the UK might not be aware of the refugee family reunion scheme. This explainer covers some of the basics about how the scheme used to work, how the government is seeking to change it and why church, and other faith leaders, should speak out on this topic.
It’s important to remember that behind every statistic and figure is a real, human story. A story of a family desperate to be reunited with their loved ones and begin rebuilding their lives together. Like this story of a father desperately hoping to be reunited with his partner and children.
What is refugee family reunion?
Refugee family reunion is a long-standing component of the UK refugee system that allows those who are granted refugee status in the UK to apply for their immediate family members (spouses, partners and children) to join them.
The scheme stands as one of the few ‘safe routes’ into the UK. The vast majority of those granted refugee status through this route are women or children (92% over the last five years). From October 2024 to September 2025 refugee family reunion visas represented less than 3 percent of all medium and long-term visas (excluding visitor visas).
What changes are the UK Government proposing?
In September 2025 the Home Office announced an abrupt pause to the refugee family reunion scheme. Almost overnight they closed the application process. There is currently no route available for refugee family reunion, aside from the family sponsorship schemes available to all migrants, which typically have prohibitively high application fees and minimum earning requirements that make them difficult to access for many refugees.
The Home Office says it expects to reopen the scheme in the spring with additional, stricter criteria that more closely align with the family sponsorship schemes for other migrants.
In November, the government announced plans to create a new “Core Protection” category for newly arrived refugees. While in this category, they would not be able to apply for family reunion, only becoming eligible to do so once they had transferred onto an “in country Protection Work and Study” route. The exact requirements to transfer onto one of these routes has not yet been specified, but the Home Office has indicated that there will be a fee for this application and it’s possible that they will introduce minimum earning criteria. The time taken to meet the eligibility criteria and transfer onto these schemes would be on top of the time refugees already have to wait for their asylum claims to be reviewed, which can take many months or even years, during which they cannot access family reunion and have no right to work.
How will these changes impact children?
Over the last five years, 54% of those accepted into the UK under the existing scheme have been children. The availability of this route means that fewer people fleeing conflict or persecution have had to consider taking their young children with them on long, dangerous journeys.
The British Red Cross estimates that the pause to the scheme alone between September 2025 and April 2026 could impact 6,300 children, 1,500 of whom are unaccompanied. Countless more would be impacted by the proposed changes.
In a separate consultation, the Home Office is seeking responses on a proposal that would see dependents (spouses, partners and children) treated separately from their family members when it comes to achieving settled status (the point from which you are allowed to remain in the UK indefinitely without the need to reapply for visas). They are consulting on how this should apply to children, but there is a scenario in which an adult refugee obtains settled status, but their child is never able to because they do not meet the high bar of newly introduced criteria.
What about the court case?
Safe Passage International have initiated a judicial review of the suspension of family reunion. They argue that the suspension is unlawful on the basis that “the decision breaches the Home Office’s duty to have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children”. We welcome the review, and hope that its findings may have an impact on the implementation of further restrictive policies. This doesn’t, however, mean that this campaign is won. Rather, it reenforces the need for pressure to ensure that the safety and welfare of children is prioritised. You can read more about the planned judicial review here.
How has JPIT campaigned on this before?
In the past JPIT has joined campaigns that would expand the definition of refugee family reunion to allow a wider definition of immediate family, particularly when it comes to unaccompanied children. We are therefore disappointed to see the government actively restricting this scheme.
You or your church, faith, or community leader may have signed our last letter on the Nationality and Borders Bill in 2022 or the Illegal Migration Bill in 2023. The 2022 letter was quoted in parliamentary debates on the bill. We have also spoken out against other similar so-called ‘deterrent measures’ proposed by the UK government such as those contained in the November 2025 proposals for updates to the asylum system.
What can leaders do about this?
JPIT is asking local, regional and national church leaders from all denominations to sign an open letter, alongside other faith leaders. This is addressed the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and urges her to reconsider the changes to the refugee family reunion scheme. We hope to communicate how strongly Christians and those of other faiths across the UK feel about the importance of protecting the rights of refugees to live in safety without having to worry about the safety of their closest loved ones.
Why is it important for leaders to speak up?
For people of faith, family is foundational to human belonging, resilience, and hope. For many refugees, the presence and safety of close family is essential for their stability, wellbeing and integration.
We’re seeing increasing division in our country, communities and congregations over the topic of refugees. However, when questioned, four in five members of the British public said that they support the right of children to reunite with their parents in the UK.