The British government announced on Monday that it has suspended the scheme allowing families of refugees already in the UK to join their relatives, as part of efforts to curb irregular immigration.
Labour is under pressure to reduce record numbers of undocumented migrants arriving by small boats, a trend fuelling fierce national debate and boosting support for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed she had “temporarily” stopped new applications under the refugee family reunion route while reforms are drawn up.
“We must address immediate pressures on local authorities and prevent criminal gangs exploiting family reunion as a pull factor to drive more people onto dangerous boats,” she told parliament.
Home Office data showed almost 21,000 refugee family reunion visas were issued in the year to June 2025, most granted to women and children.
Cooper explained that the suspension precedes further reforms due later this year, including potential “contribution requirements” for family members and longer waiting periods before newly recognised refugees can apply.
“Until the new framework is in place, refugees will fall under the same family migration rules as everyone else,” she said.
Immigration currently ranks above the economy and the NHS as Britons’ top concern, according to an Ipsos survey last month.
Over 111,000 people applied for asylum in the year to June 2025—the highest number since records began in 2001—while more than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Sir Keir Starmer became prime minister in July 2024.
The government expects to begin returning migrants to France under a new bilateral deal later this month. Under the “one-in, one-out” arrangement, Britain will send some Channel arrivals back to France while admitting an equal number of migrants from France via an online visa platform, prioritising vulnerable groups and those with family ties in the UK.
Applications for the reciprocal route have already opened and are under strict security review, Cooper said.
Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, continues to outpace Labour in national opinion polls, despite the next general election not being due until 2029.