‘I’m missing so much of my son’s life’: the families split by Labour’s asylum crackdown | Immigration and asylum
“My son said, ‘I miss you, when will I see you?’ he says. Sometimes I lie to give him false hope. “There’s a growing disconnect there because he knows I’m lying to him.”
Kim is an asylum seeker living in Yorkshire, England. The 35-year-old man, who asked to use only a pseudonym out of fear for his safety, is among those in the UK who do not know when or if they will be able to see their children again as the Labor government puts pressure on the asylum system.
On Monday, the government released a statement. policy document The Prime Minister said these changes aim to “remove serious pressure on both our asylum system and our wider social contract”.
The changes will formally end the automatic right to family reunification for refugees, which allows people’s relatives to join them in the UK after their asylum claim has been accepted.
Instead, once the asylum seeker receives refugee status, they will have to switch to a fee-for-fee visa, which the government calls the new “protection work and study” visa, “if they find employment or begin education at an appropriate level.”
They may then “be eligible to sponsor family members to come to the UK”, but refugees do not know whether they will face a minimum income requirement of £29,000 a year before sponsoring a loved one to join them, as the government has warned that “the same conditions may apply” to refugees as “other legal immigrants and UK nationals”.
UK citizens need to earn at least £29,000 a year to sponsor a family visa, and most students in the UK are unable to bring dependents.
Kim is on track to enter nursing training while awaiting the decision on her asylum case.
It means it will be four years before she can hope to win £29,000 even if her asylum case is successful, and until the government gives more details she has no idea when she can expect to see her 13-year-old son again. Kim was four years old when she saw her son in person.
She said: “I’m grateful for the sanctuary I have here, but I’m missing so much of my son’s life and I fear for his safety. I try to convey my values to him over the phone. I have a three-year-old daughter who was born here. I feel guilty for giving him so much attention when I have another child who doesn’t get that attention.”
Kim said he visited Britain nine years ago to raise awareness of political repression in Zimbabwe, but when he returned home he was identified as a critic of the government, making it unsafe for him to return.
He hoped to be reunited with his son as soon as possible in England. But the Home Office has rejected all attempts to bring him in while he awaits a decision on the case, and even if there is a possibility of traveling abroad to see him, he cannot leave the UK while awaiting an asylum decision.
“People like me want to contribute,” he said. “I want to work with older people like we did in Africa, providing comfort to people in their last days.
“The decision to abandon your culture is not a decision people make lightly. Every country can face war or political problems. Zimbabwe may not be safe for me, but many people moved there to seek refuge.
“Anyone can find themselves in a position where they need help; and the UK isn’t the only country providing help to people; it’s what people do for other people.”
The government suspended automatic family reunification in September and Monday’s policy document outlined plans for “stricter requirements”, including plans for “internal reform of the implementation of Article 8 (The right to respect for family and private life) of the ECHR”.
The policy document also proposes reducing the stay permit for refugees to two and a half years and waiting 20 years for eligibility for settled status.
Nick Beales, of the Refugee and Immigrant Forum for Essex and Greater London, said: “It is clear that Labour’s disgraceful decision to suspend family reunification for recognized refugees is only the first shot in their battle over asylum rights. The human cost of keeping vulnerable people separated from their loved ones is enormous.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “This government has taken action to suspend refugee families being reunited, recognizing the pressure this is putting on local authorities and public services.
“We understand the devastating circumstances some families are in, so there are other avenues individuals can take to reunite with their families.”
