Heavily backlogged family reunion visa scheme is ‘forcing relatives of UK refugees to take dangerous risks’, watchdog warns
- An immigration watchdog criticised a ‘family reunion’ visa route for UK refugees
- A backlog of 8,000 cases built up under scheme which ‘deteriorated’ since 2019
An ‘ineffective’ visa route that allows refugees to bring relatives to the UK could be leading families to take ‘dangerous’ alternatives to reach Britain, a watchdog has warned.
A report by David Neal, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, found the system had run up an 8,000-case backlog.
He said the Home Office’s performance had ‘deteriorated’ since the scheme was last scrutinised in 2019.
The ‘family reunion’ visa route allows people granted asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK to apply to bring immediate family to join them.
An ‘ineffective’ visa route that allows refugees to bring relatives to the UK could be leading families to take ‘dangerous’ alternatives to reach Britain, a watchdog has warned
‘The backlog of undecided applications stood at almost 8,000 at the time of this inspection,’ Mr Neal said.
‘There was no evidence of any prioritisation of these based on vulnerability. Applications sat in a pile and would only be expedited as a result of MP correspondence, threat of litigation or sheer luck.’
The inspection team found the backlog grew more than 60 per cent between March and October last year as staff were redeployed to deal with Homes for Ukraine applications.
Mr Neal added: ‘The lack of an effective family reunion route carries the risk that people will resort to dangerous journeys to join family members in the UK.’
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