Family Reunion for Family Members of a Person with Refugee Status/ Humanitarian Protection in the UK
If you have been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK, your family members may be able to join or stay with you in the UK under the Family Reunion Policy.
Your partner or child may be able to join or stay with you in the UK if:
- you were part of a family before you were forced to leave your country
- you have refugee status, 5 years’ humanitarian protection or settlement on protection grounds but do not yet have British citizenship
Your partner or child cannot join you if:
- you have not received a decision on your asylum claim
- you’re under 18
If their application is successful, your family members will be allowed to come to or stay in the UK with the same permission as you have.
Eligibility
Your partner and any children must meet the following requirements.
Partner
Your partner is someone you’re in a genuine relationship with. You must be able to prove one of the following:
- you’re married
- you’re in a civil partnership
If you’re not married or in a civil partnership, your partner may be able to join you if:
- you were given refugee status or humanitarian protection on or after 9 October 2006
- you’ve lived together in a relationship like in a marriage or civil partnership for 2 years and you’ve been given asylum or humanitarian protection after 9 October 2006
You and your partner must intend to live together and continue your relationship after they apply.
Children
Your child is:
- under the age of 18
- going to live with you and your partner
- not married or in a civil partnership
Other dependent relatives
Some of your other family members may be eligible to join you in the UK if they are your parent, grandparent or other qualifying dependent relative. You must be able to prove the following:
- That your family member is related to you in one of the following ways:
(a) parent or grandparent who is divorced, widowed, single or separated aged 65 years or over; or
(b) parents or grandparents travelling together of whom at least one is aged 65 or over; or
(c) a parent or grandparent aged 65 or over who has entered into a second relationship of marriage or civil partnership but cannot look to the spouse, civil partner or children of that second relationship for financial support; and you are able and willing to maintain the parent or grandparent and any spouse or civil partner or child of the second relationship who would be admissible as a dependant; or
(d) a parent or grandparent under the age of 65 if living alone outside the UK in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances; or
(e) parents or grandparents travelling together who are both under the age of 65 if living in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances; or
(f) the son, daughter, sister, brother, uncle or aunt over the age of 18 if living alone outside the United Kingdom in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances;
- That your family member is financially wholly or mainly dependent on you;
- That your family member can, and will, be maintained and accommodated adequately, together with any dependants, without recourse to public funds, in accommodation which you own or occupy exclusively;
- That your family member has no other close relatives in their own country to whom they could turn for financial support
If their application is successful, your family members will be allowed to come to or stay in the UK with the same permission as you.
Apply outside the UK
Your family member must apply online for family reunion. They’ll need to have their fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken at a visa application centre as part of their application.
Apply in the UK
Your partner or child can apply to stay with you in the UK if all the following are true:
- you have refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK
- they’re making their first application to stay with you and they’re already in the UK
- they can prove their relationship predates your departure from your home country because of persecution
This application will need to be made by post to the Home Office. When your family member applies, they’ll be asked to make an appointment at a Service and Support Centre to provide their biometric information (their fingerprints and a photo) and have their supporting documents checked.
Fees
There’s no application fee for partners and children under 18.
There is an application fee of £388.00 per person for any other eligible family member.
If you think your family member could be eligible to join you or stay with you in the UK, please speak to one of our case workers who will be able to advise you as to the merits of your application.
Makka Solicitors provides comprehensive immigration advice on Family Reunion applications. Please refer to our Fees page for full details of all of our fees for immigration applications.