Refugee family reunion was axed by home secretary Shabana Mahmood as part of her sweeping changes to the immigration system that were announced in November.
The visa route, which allows refugees to apply for their immediate family members to come to safety, was paused to new applications under Yvette Cooper but Ms Mahmood went further in November – confirming that it will be only be available in “the most exceptional circumstances”.
Under her plans, refugees no longer have an automatic right to family reunion. Instead only those who successfully enter a work and study visa route will become eligible. Even then they are likely to face high income requirements and English language tests.
The British Red Cross have been campaigning to reverse the changes, and a new Christmas campaign has re-enacted the iconic opening scene of Love Actually to show the pain separated families experience.
Lending his voice to the campaign, actor Hugh Grant said: “Christmas is when most of us hope to be with the people we love. It’s heartbreaking that so many who’ve fled conflict and disaster remain separated from their families without knowing when they might see each other again.
“Every family deserves the chance to be together safely”.
Director and writer Richard Curtis said: “The desire to be with your loved ones and see your family safe is something everyone can relate to. For more than a century, the British Red Cross has been working to bring families back together.
“Proposed changes could effectively cut off a vital route to safety and increase the risk of people making dangerous journeys to reach family and sanctuary”.
Conflict and political turmoil in Sudan led to Omer and Hiba having to flee the country. They were forced to leave Sudan at different times, tearing their family apart. (British Red Cross)
At least 4,900 families – and 6,300 children – will be impacted by the suspension of the visa route between September 2025 and April 2026, according to analysis from Red Cross.
The charity, which has years of experience supporting refugee families to reunite in the UK, has previously warned that the crackdown may fuel more dangerous Channel crossings as women and children left languishing in war zones attempt to reunite with their loved ones in Britain.
One family supported by the charity, Omer, 33, and Hiba, 26, were able to reunite with their baby son in Heathrow Airport last year. Forced to flee conflict in Sudan, Omen and Hiba had to leave their son with Omer’s grandmother.
Omer said that, after the family were reunited, “for the next two or three days we didn’t leave our home, we just stayed inside with him and spent time with our child”.
He added: “Our home was filled with toys and we just played with him. It was an amazing day for us”.
One Ethiopian computer science student, Umer Heyi, told The Independent of his heartbreak at missing the deadline to apply to bring his wife and two-year-old son to the UK.
Umer 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 have I got?
“We just want the opportunity to save our lives and not stay separated.”
Béatrice Butsana-Sita, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, said: “No one wants to leave their family behind, but sadly many are forced to due to conflict and other crises. Family reunion has long been a cornerstone of the UK’s refugee protection system – offering a vital, safe and managed route for refugees to reunite with the people they love.
“We want family reunion to continue to be accessed by people separated by conflict, violence and persecution”.
