Joel Mordi fled to the UK after holding Nigeria’s first Pride event. His mother and brother are still in Nigeria, but after the government suspended the family reunion scheme for asylum seekers, he says he fears for their safety back home.
Cooper said on Monday, as MPs returned to Westminster for the first time since July, that this means refugees will be subject to “the same family migration rules and conditions as everyone else".
New applications to the existing refugee family reunion route will be suspended this week, she said.
The move comes ahead of more comprehensive reforms to the family reunion route, which will be outlined in an asylum statement later this year and implemented by spring.
The home secretary said the suspension comes as ministers seek to address the “immediate pressures” on local authorities and the “risks” of smuggling gangs using family reunion as an incentive for people to make the dangerous journey across the Channel.
She added: “We continue to believe that families staying together is important, and it’s why we will seek to prioritise family groups among the applicants to come to Britain under our new deal with France.
“But reforms are needed. So, with our asylum policy statement later this year, we will set out a new system for family migration, including looking at contribution requirements, longer periods before newly granted refugees can apply, and dedicated controlled arrangements for unaccompanied children and for those fleeing persecution who have family in the UK.”
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