UK suspend refugee family reunion applications

UK govment dey temporarily suspend new applications for one scheme wey dey allow refugees bring dia family members come di kontri.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper tok say di move, wey go take effect from dis week, mean say refugees go face di same restrictions wey oda migrants wey hope to bring dia family to join dem for UK dey face.

Dis one generally mean say pesin gatz earn at least £29,000 a year and provide suitable accommodation, and dia family member gatz demonstrate say dem sabi basic level of English.

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp say "tweaking di family reunion rules no dey enough" to deal wit di scale of di UK "border security crisis".

E dey come on di day Parliament return afta summer wey dey dominated by criticism over di use of hotels for migrants arriving on small boats.

On Monday, 1 September, Cooper bin announce say govment go temporarily suspend new applications under di existing dedicated refugee family reunion route wey dey allow dose wey UK grant asylum to bring dia family wit "no conditions" come di kontri.

Cooper tok say "dem design di rules many years ago to help families wey war, conflict and persecution separate" but now dose tins no dey work again wit UK neighbours and dem need restrictions.

European kontris like Denmark and Switzerland dey make refugees wait two years bifor dem apply to reunite wit family, wey give dem time to find work and housing to support loved ones wen dem land, Cooper tok.

In contrast, for UK "dose applications dey come in on average in around a month", most times bifor di refugee even comot asylum housing, she tok.

As a result, Cooper tok say many refugee families dey apply to councils for help so dat dem no go dey homeless – wey make up more dan one quarter of homelessness cases for some local authorities.

Regular immigration rules go cover refugees wey dey apply to bring family members come UK, and dis path set several restrictions.

Di govment say dem go outline further reforms to family reunion routes later dis year, wit di aim of introducing changes by di spring.

Di govment bin dey under pressure afta summer as tori around small boat crossings and protests ova asylum-seeker hotels make headlines.

Responding to di rule changes, Philp say govment "failure" to tackle di border crisis dey drive "protests up and down di kontri".

"Wia di protests dey peaceful, I support dem," e add.

"If dis govment bin dey serious about fixing dis problem, dem go know say little tweaks here and dia no dey enough," e tok.

Philp advise di govment to revive di scrapped Rwanda plan, wey bin aim to stop small boats crossings for di Channel by sending some pipo wey land UK illegally to di east African kontri.

Di govment don promise to end di use of hotels to house asylum seekers by 2029.

However, for one interview wit di BBC earlier, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer say im "go like to bring am forward".

E tell BBC Radio 5Live Matt Chorley: "Local pipo by and large no want dis hotels for dia towns, for dia place, and nor do I."

But e say di only way to empty dem na by working through asylum cases in an "orderly" way, as quickly as possible, and pipo wey dey return no suppose dey UK.

Cooper also say govment dey plan to change di "interpretation" of di European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), one international human rights treaty wey lawyers dey use stop di deportations of failed asylum seekers.

In recent weeks, growing calls don dey - no be only from dose on di right, but also from some former Labour ministers - to either withdraw from di convention, or suspend some elements wey dey inside.

Di govment say dem go review how di treaty rights to family life apply to immigration cases.

Di Conservatives don call for dem to "disapply" ECHR from immigration matters and dem dey reason weda make UK comot di treaty entirely.

Meanwhile, Reform UK support leaving di treaty.

Cooper also say di govment dey expect di first migrant return under di UK deal wit France to take place "later dis month".

More dan 28,000 migrants bin land for UK inside small boats so far dis year, e high pass di same period for 2024.

For August, 55 small boats cross di Channel. Na di lowest figure for di month since 2019.

Yet, e be like say di smuggling gangs dey put more pipo on each boat - last month, average of 65 individuals per vessel dey recorded.