Original title: UK suspends refugee family reunion applications
UK suspends refugee family reunion applications 5 hours ago Share Save Sam Francis Political reporter Share Save PA Media 55 small boats were recorded crossing the Channel in August, the lowest August figure since 2019 The government is temporarily suspending new applications for a scheme allowing refugees to bring their family members to the UK. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the move, in force from this week, would mean refugees face the same restrictions as other migrants hoping to bring family to join them in the UK. This generally means someone must earn at least £29,000 a year and provide suitable accommodation, while their family member may need to demonstrate a basic level of English. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said “tweaking the family reunion rules are not enough” to deal with the scale of the UK’s “border security crisis”. It comes on the day Parliament returned after a summer dominated by criticism over the use of hotels for migrants arriving on small