Refugee Family Reunion

Refugee Family Reunion

Your partner or child can apply to join or stay with you in the UK if:

  • you were separated when you were forced to leave your country
  • you’ve been given asylum or 5 years’ humanitarian protection but don’t yet have British citizenship

Your partner or child can’t apply if:

  • you haven’t received a decision on your asylum application
  • 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 (‘leave’) as you.

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 can apply 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
  • going to be supported by you without using public funds
  • not married or in a civil partnership
  • not in full-time employment

Family outside the UK
If your family are outside the UK, we can help you to bring them into the UK by gaining them the necessary UK visa. We will complete an online application for them, as well as preparing all other necessary forms and paperwork. We will also fully advise you on what other documentation you will need in order to prove your family’s eligibility to join you in the UK. We will then arrange for your family to attend an appointment at a UK Visa Application Centre in whatever country they are presently residing, and where they can submit their application. We will ensure they have all the necessary paperwork and forms to take with them so that their family reunion application is successful.

Family in the UK
If your family is already in the UK, then your partner or child can apply to stay with you in the UK providing 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 pre-dates your departure from your home country because of persecution

If this is the case then we can help them to obtain a UK residence card so they gain permission to remain in the UK with you. We will complete the necessary application forms and prepare all other necessary supporting paperwork. We will fully advise you what documentation you will need to provide so that your family application can succeed.

Home Office Fees
There’s no fee charged by the Home Office for applying for family reunion for eligible family members whether inside or outside of the UK.

Lawyer’s Fees
Unfortunately the government withdrew legal aid for family reunion applications in 2013, and since that time (apart from exceptional circumstances) family reunion applications are not publically funded. This means that if your require legal help to prepare your family reunion application, you must pay for it privately.

Our fees
At Immigration Street Legal we are aware of the difficulty that refugees have in bringing their family members to the UK, and therefore can offer our family reunion service at the price below:

£249 for a main applicant
£69 for each additional family member.

(So if you are bringing your wife and 3 children it would amount to £249 plus (£69 x 3) which would equal £456.)

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