July 21, 2021
On Monday the 19th and Tuesday the 20th of July, a parliamentary debate took place concerning the proposed changes to the UK asylum system laid out in the Nationality and Borders bill. At the close of yesterday’s debate, 366 MPs voted in favour of the bill, with 265 MPs voting against. The proposed legislation outlined…
View ArticleJuly 9, 2021
This template has been created to enable you to write to your MP to voice your concern around the restrictions to family reunion rights for refugees announced in the Nationality and Borders Bill. If you have personal experience of family reunion, feel free to add your own story to this template and describe how you…
View ArticleJuly 8, 2021
On the 6th of July 2021, the Home Office published the Nationality and Borders Bill, outlining proposed changes to the UK’s immigration and asylum systems. We are deeply concerned that the Bill seeks to cement many of the harmful proposals outlined in the New Plan for Immigration into UK law. The proposed legislation outlined in…
View ArticleJuly 5, 2021
In 2018, my ex-husband came to the UK as asylum seeker. Because of the conflict in Syria we first escaped to Kuwait. My partner was wanted by the Syrian government and we had to flee to find security and safety. He continued his asylum journey to find safety and he travelled from Kuwait to Greece…
View ArticleJuly 2, 2021
A new report released today by the Refugee Council exposes the colossal surge in asylum decision backlogs over the last number of years. The report states that by the end of March 2021, there were a staggering 66,185 people awaiting an initial decision from the Home Office. Of these, three quarters, over 50,000 people had…
View ArticleJune 21, 2021
With the prospect of all COVID restrictions being lifted in the UK in the next 4 weeks, families across the country are looking forward to being able to reunite with one another, to see the return of birthday parties, school graduation celebrations, Sunday afternoon family dinners. Yet, for many refugee’s living in the UK there…
View ArticleJune 10, 2021
Liberal Democrat peer Sarah Ludford is tabling new legislation that would mean more refugee children, torn apart by war, conflict and persecution, are able to reunite safely in the UK. Baroness Ludford introduced the Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill in the House of Lords on Tuesday 8th June. Backed by the Families Together Coalition[1], a group…
View ArticleApril 30, 2021
This guide has been created by the Families Together coalition. It includes how the Families Together coalition plans to respond to each section of the consultation which relates to family reunification. We are aware that some questions in the consultation relating to family reunion are not covered in this guide (E.g. question 9). This is…
View ArticleApril 28, 2021
On the 24 March 2021, the UK government published The New Plan for Immigration; a series of proposals including sweeping changes that undermine how the UK fulfils its international obligations to those seeking asylum, most notably by proposing differential treatment according to the way a refugee arrived in the UK. This will include restricted family…
View ArticleApril 22, 2021
I came to the UK as an asylum seeker, was granted refugee status in 2016, and reunited with my family in 2018, four years after I fled Eritrea. I fled Eritrea in 2014 because of political problems in the country. At the time, I was in the military service. For fear of my safety and…
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