Refugee misses chance to apply to bring family to the UK by 13 minutes after visa route closes
Umer Heyi was delighted when he received the news from the Ministry of Internal Affairs that he had been granted asylum in the UK.
Caseworkers had acknowledged that the 28-year-old had a “well-founded fear of persecution” and was unable to return to his native Ethiopia, where they said he was imprisoned for his support of the opposition party Oromo Liberation Front.
The decision meant he had a stable future in the UK for at least the next five years. But more importantly for Umer, it also meant the promise of security for his wife Habiba and two-year-old son Kena; He believed they would now be allowed to come to Britain under the government’s plan to reunite families.
“If I bring them here, I can protect them. If I can save my life, but I can’t, why should I live?” he says.
However, a few hours after receiving the good news, Umer’s hope that he would one day be reunited with his loved ones disappeared.
The day he received refugee status, 4 September, was also the last day refugees could apply to bring immediate family members to the UK following the government’s dramatic policy change.
Umer, who wanted to start the process of bringing his wife and son to England as soon as possible, got the phone number of a lawyer through an Ethiopian friend and his phone rang at 15.13. But what he didn’t know was that the program closed for new applications just 13 minutes ago, at 15:00.
The then interior minister, Yvette Cooper, announced three days ago that new applications in parliament were suspended. He claimed people smuggling gangs were using family reunification rules to encourage illegal crossings into the UK. Charities condemned the decision, saying it would actually push people into the hands of traffickers.
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The pause on the family reunification plan is expected to last until spring 2026, when new conditions for refugees are expected to be announced. Meanwhile, those relocating to the UK can sponsor immediate family members to come here, provided they meet the £29,000-a-year minimum salary threshold and can pay thousands in application fees.
Umer arrived in the UK on a small boat in May 2025. He graduated from university in Ethiopia with a computer science degree and speaks fluent English, but has struggled to find work in the industry since receiving refugee status. He is currently taking a cyber security course in Norwich to gain a suitable UK qualification which will help him find work.
Unfortunately, Umer was never able to meet his two-year-old son in person. “I was arrested and imprisoned by the government a week before my son was born,” he says.
“I supported the opposition party and participated in a number of protests. The authorities arrested me and imprisoned me for 1 year and 4 months without trial.
“I managed to escape after my family paid bribes for my release, but I had to leave the country immediately without seeing my wife or son. This was in November 2024 and it took me around six months to get to the UK.”
Umer was able to talk to his wife again for the first time on the phone he borrowed while he was in Italy in April this year.
“He has had to move house many times since my arrest. He was running from place to place and the militia were harassing our family. I want to do everything I can to get them out of that country and when I arrived in the UK it was explained to me that I could bring them here if I applied for asylum,” he says.
“The officer who met with me on my first day in the United Kingdom told me that I could apply to them. So, on the day I received refugee status, I called the lawyer and applied.
“He explained to me that [the reunion scheme] He had stopped and there was nothing he could do for me.
He adds that he is “heartbroken.”
“I haven’t even seen my son in person, all we can do is video chat. If I can’t save him, if I can’t protect him, what do I have?”
“We just want an opportunity to save our lives and not be separated.”
Umer speaks regularly with his wife and son, but has to wait for them to call him for security reasons. His son, Kena, enjoys playing games and listening to music while on video calls together.
Umer explains that he likes when Kena sings Oromo music. “He keeps telling me to sing and he’ll dance. He keeps telling me to sing and sing again,” she says.
“Then, while he was playing with other little kids, he tells my wife to bring the phone and tells them, ‘This is my dad.’ Every time he tells me to come, I say, ‘Why don’t you come?'”
Nick Beales, of refugee charity Ramfel, which supports Umer, said: “Labour’s decision to suspend meeting with refugee families is not only cruel but counterproductive.
“Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood say they want refugees to go to safe routes, but on the other hand they cannot afford to take one of the few safe routes available. They cannot insist that refugees settle immediately in their new communities, while at the same time ensuring that their spouses and children are stranded abroad.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “Recognising the pressure this is placing on local authorities and public services, we have recently taken action to suspend the means of reuniting refugee families.
“We understand the devastating circumstances some families are in, so there are other avenues individuals can take to reunite with their families.”
