LABOUR are looking to make it harder for refugees to bring their family members to the UK.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will tell MPs on Monday she plans to make a number of changes to the way asylum cases are treated, including to the family reunion policy which allows people to bring their partners and children to the country once they are granted refugee status.
The number of people who entered on such visas has risen sharply since 2022, with just over 20,000 being granted in the year to June 2025 – a 30% rise on the previous 12 months.
Officials say the rise in refugee numbers is in part to blame, but they also believe the UK now has a more lax regime than many nearby countries.
The Home Secretary will say: “Our action to strengthen border security, increase returns and overhaul the broken asylum system are putting much stronger foundations in place so we can fix the chaos we inherited and end costly asylum hotels.
“That means ensuring we have the powers we need to pursue the criminal smuggling gangs profiting from small boat crossings that other parties have voted against, but also new firm rules in place to manage the asylum system so we can close hotels.”
In Denmark, refugees must prove financial stability before being allowed to bring over family members.
Cooper is understood to be looking at similar changes to the UK system, as well as setting a minimum period refugees must be settled before being allowed to invite their families.
It comes after new visa restrictions came into effect at the end of July that mean overseas workers will now generally need a degree-level qualification to apply for the main skilled worker visa.
A dedicated visa for social care workers introduced during the Covid pandemic has also now closed to new applicants.
The Home Secretary will also confirm changes to the asylum process which will remove the power of judges to hear appeals, handing them to a select panel of trained experts.
Cooper will also highlight the number of “disruptions” law enforcement officials are making to people smuggling gangs, whether through arrests, asset seizures or action to close communication networks when she makes a statement to the Commons on Monday.
In response to anti-migrant protests that have been taking place across the UK, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced a series of policy proposals to bar most asylum seekers from the country.
The Reform UK leader described his “Operation Restoring Justice” as a five-year emergency programme where his party would seek to secure deals with countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea and Iran to return migrants.
Reform UK’s programme would see up to five deportation flights a day, resulting in around 500,000 to 600,000 people being forced to leave the UK in a bid to deter future arrivals if the party were to gain power, according to former Reform chair Zia Yusuf.
Reform’s leadership also said they would repeal the Human Rights Act, leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and disapply the 1951 refugee convention and UN convention against torture.
