Many refugees have been forced to leave families behind in order to seek asylum and have often been apart from their partners and children for significant periods of time.

We provide support with the family reunion process through arranging travel and providing additional support and through providing funding for cases where we can. We hope to be able to speed up the process and make it less stressful for our client and their family.

 

What does refugee family reunion mean?

Once granted refugee status the dependants of a refugee can be given permission to come and reside in the UK. Dependants include partners and children under the age of 18.

We believe that family reunion is one of the key issues facing refugees in the UK. Many have been separated from their families for years whilst seeking asylum, with limited contact. For families who have already been through a traumatic experience this period of separation can cause further distress and prevent refugees from being able to settle properly in the UK.

Why support refugee family reunion?

For many refugees the process of getting their families to the UK can be long and problematic. The main obstacles facing people in this situation are the cost and arrangements associated with their family’s travel.

Desperate to be reunited with their families some refugees go to extreme lengths to raise the money for their family’s travel including going without food and borrowing from anyone who’ll lend it. Some are forced to bring family members over separately as they can afford it meaning children can be sent unaccompanied which can leave them vulnerable to trafficking and abuse.

Supporting refugee family reunion can help victims of persecution begin to rebuild their lives as a family unit.