Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have made to the British Red Cross campaign Torn Apart; and in particular whether they now plan to widen family reunion rules to include children over 18 years of age who previously lived with their parents.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There are no plans to extend the family reunion criteria. The current policy meets our international obligations and strikes the right balance. Where family members cannot meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules, such as in the case of an 18 year old applying to join their refugee parents in the UK, we consider whether there are exceptional circumstances or compassionate reasons to justify granting entry clearance outside the Rules.