January 2018: SAFE BUT NOT SETTLED
Write to your MP: The launch of our report comes ahead of a crucial debate in Parliament in March where MPs will consider changing these rules. We need at least 100 MPs to attend and vote to allow refugees in the UK to be joined by their families. You can help by making sure that your MP is one of them.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This is a fundamental issue for Parliament and the UK Government, which has
a duty to consider not only the welfare of refugees but also the consequences
for social cohesion in the UK. The Refugee Council and Oxfam are calling on
the UK Government to:
1. Expand the criteria for who qualifies as a ‘family member’ for the purposes
of refugee family reunion to include:
o young relatives who are reliant on the family unit for their well-being at
the time of application, including stepchildren and de-facto adopted
children;
o adult sons and daughters who had not formed their own family prior to
the refugee fleeing their country of origin;
o adult siblings who had not formed their own family prior to the refugee
fleeing their country of origin;
o parents;
o post-flight spouses and their children who are part of the family unit;
o any dependent relative, including where being separated presents risks
to their safety and security;
o any person of whom the person granted refugee leave or humanitarian
protection is a dependent relative.
2. Reintroduce legal aid for refugee family reunion cases.