Sign the #FamiliesTogether Petition
Ask the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, to change the rules keeping refugee families apart in the UK
Where would you be without your family?
Remember those wonderful moments of family life that so many of us cherish? Restrictive rules in the UK are forcing refugee families apart.
The stroke of a pen could reunite these families. Tell the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, to change these rules. Sign the petition and support keeping refugee families together.
About the #FamiliesTogether campaign
Current rules in the UK prevent refugees from being reunited with many family members - anyone other than their partners or children under 18. These restrictive rules mean that people fleeing war and persecution are being forced make an impossible decision between being with their family or seeking safety.
The #FamiliesTogether coalition
UNHCR has come together alongside a coalition of organisations to support a Refugee Family Reunion Bill in the House of Commons, which would change the rules that currently restrict refugees from reuniting with their loved ones.The Bill calls for:
- Child refugees in the UK having the right to sponsor their close family so they can rebuild their lives together and help them integrate in their new community
- An expansion of who qualifies as family so that young people who have turned 18 and elderly parents can live in safety with their families in the UK
- The reintroduction of legal aid so refugees who have lost everything have the support they need to afford and navigate the complicated process of being reunited with their families.
Voices in support
In March 2018, the Refugee Family Reunion Bill passed its second reading in Parliament, with the support of MPs from across the political divide.
There is still more to be done. And we need your help.
Ask Sajid Javid to change the rules, and help keep refugee families together.