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Thousands of families will be torn apart under Labour’s asylum crackdown, which prevents refugees from being reunited with loved ones in Britain, Independent Can reveal.
a temp Ban on new applications of refugees It was announced in September by the then Home Secretary to bring their loved ones back to Britain safely Yvette CooperWho said the scheme was putting pressure on council housing and was being manipulated by people trafficking gangs.
But it can now be revealed that thousands of parents and children will be separated from each other as a result of the temporary ban, according to new analysis. The real impact of this step is revealed.
British Red Cross It is estimated that at least 4,900 families will be affected between September 2025 and April 2026, based on previous data. home office data. It can accommodate 6,300 children, of whom 1,500 are unaccompanied.
Writing in their new report published on Tuesday, the charity warned that unaccompanied children would be left at risk if the scheme was halted.
It was also found that most of the people benefited from refugee The family reunification scheme included women and children, who accounted for 91 per cent of visas granted by the Home Office since 2010.
New requirements for refugees It is expected to be announced next spring and will introduce financial requirements that many will struggle to meet. Charities have already called for action Could lead to more dangerous channel crossings As women and children left behind in war zones attempt to be reunited with their families in Britain.
The British Red Cross has called on ministers to exempt unaccompanied children trying to reunite with parents in the UK from any future financial requirements.
In the case of one family supported by the charity, a Sudanese man was able to be reunited with his children in the UK, but only as they approached the tragedy. He says: “I applied immediately for my family because the situation in Sudan was dire. My children, if they were one day late, they would have died. Just one day. But they left early in the morning. They left the village at 7 in the morning. At 10 in the morning, [the fighters] Raid the village. many people died.”
Another Afghan man told the charity that, before he was able to be reunited with his family, he was “always worried that maybe someone would kidnap my children”. He adds: “I was always thinking about them, about their safety, about their living conditions, because they were alone there. I’ve got family there, but still, when the father is not there, it is not enough.”
One Ethiopian computer science student Omar Hei explains Independent He was heartbroken when he missed the deadline to apply to bring his wife and two-year-old son to the UK.
Omar received his refugee grant on 4 September and tried to start an application for his family, but the scheme closed at 3pm that day.
Speaking about his son, he says: “If I can’t save him, if I can’t protect him, then what do I have?
“We just want the opportunity to save our lives and not be isolated.”
With the refugee family reunification scheme closed, people settled in the UK can only sponsor immediate family members to come to the UK if they meet the annual salary threshold of £29,000.
Umar, who has a degree in computer science, is currently pursuing a course in cyber security so that he can get work in the UK.
Olivia Field, Head of Policy British Red CrossSaid: “We know that reuniting with family is vital for well-being and reintegration.
“The Government’s proposed changes to refugee family reunification risk leaving children alone in dangerous situations and will increase the anxiety of people already living in the UK as they fear for the safety of their loved ones.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: ,Recognizing the pressures on local authorities and public services, we have recently taken the step to suspend the refugee family reunification route.
“We understand the devastating circumstances some families face, which is why there are other pathways individuals may be eligible to apply to be reunited with family.”