Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill [HL] 2024-26

4

Clause 1, page 1, line 6, leave out “21 days” and insert “one year”

7

Clause 1, page 1, line 11, at end insert—<br> “(b) the approximate cost per family member,<br> (c) how many people would be expected to come under the Act, and<br> (d) whether such people are to be given priority in publicly provided housing over others.”<br> (3A) The information about the cost of accommodation included under subsection (3)(b) must be itemised and must state whether the costs will be borne by the local authority, the Exchequer or both.<br> (3B) The information included under subsection (3)(d) must state whether refugees' family units will take priority over existing applicants for accommodation.<br> (3C) The figures provided under (3)(b) to (d) must be revised every six months in the light of evidence and included in a statement to Parliament.”

8

Clause 1, page 1, line 16, leave out paragraphs (c) and (d)

10

Clause 1, page 1, line 20, leave out “was” and insert “is”

11

Clause 1, page 1, line 21, leave out from “18” to end of line 22 and insert “on the day on which this Act was passed”

15

Clause 1, page 2, line 1, after “18” insert “on the day on which this Act was passed”

16

Clause 1, page 2, line 2, leave out sub-sub-paragraph (B)

17

Clause 1, page 2, line 3, leave out from the first “sibling” to the end of line 8 and insert “under the age of 18 on the day on which this Act is passed”

19

Clause 1, page 2, line 9, leave out paragraph (b)

25

Clause 1, page 2, line 21, leave out subsection (6) and insert—<br> “(6) Persons must provide proof of identity using identity documents listed in section 7 of the Identity Documents Act 2010 and proof of relationship using—<br> (a) birth certificates,<br> (b) marriage certificates, or<br> (c) adoption certificates<br> <span class="wrapped">in order to be considered a “family member” for the purposes of this section.”</span>

32

After Clause 2, insert the following new Clause—<br> <b>“National security and public order safeguards</b><br> (1) The Secretary of State must refuse an application for family reunion where there is evidence that granting the application would—<br> (a) pose a threat to national security, or<br> (b) undermine public order or safety in the United Kingdom.<br> (2) In assessing such evidence, the Secretary of State may rely on intelligence or information provided by United Kingdom security agencies.”

<p>The amendment addresses concerns about security risks and ensures that family reunification does not inadvertently compromise national safety.</p>

1

Clause 1, page 1, line 2, leave out “must, within 6 months of this section coming into force” and insert “may”

5

Clause 1, page 1, line 6, at end insert “only if the Secretary of State has considered the projected impact of the proposed statement of changes to the immigration rules and is satisfied that there is available capacity in relation to—<br> “(a) local support services and housing, and<br> (b) arrangements for the integration of refugees into local communities.”<br> (1A) If the statement of changes would, in the view of the Secretary of State, result in the cap on the number of entrants using safe and legal routes, whether that set out under section 60 of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 or any other statutory cap, being exceeded the Secretary of State must not lay the statement of changes.”

<p>The amendment requires the Secretary of State to consider the impact on local communities, the provision of services and legal migration numbers, before changing the Immigration Rules.</p>

9

Clause 1, page 1, line 20, leave out sub-paragraph (i)

<p>The amendment will bring the rules on family reunion proposed by this Bill in line with the Immigration Rules, which limit family reunion to spouses and children of a refugee.</p>

12

Clause 1, page 1, line 23, leave out “civil partner or unmarried partner”

<p>The amendment will bring the rules on family reunion proposed by this Bill in line with the Immigration Rules, which limit family reunion to spouses and children of a refugee.</p>

14

Clause 1, page 1, line 24, leave out from the first “child” to the end of line 26 on page 2

<p>The amendment will bring the rules on family reunion proposed by this Bill in line with the Immigration Rules, which limit family reunion to spouses and children of a refugee.</p>

20

Clause 1, page 2, line 15, leave out “, emotional”

24

Clause 1, page 2, line 19, leave out sub-paragraph (v)

26

Clause 1, page 2, line 23, leave out “, including de facto adoption,”

31

After Clause 2, insert the following new Clause—<br> <b>“Integration Support Review</b><br> (1) The Secretary of State must, within 12 months of this Act coming into force, lay before Parliament a report on the success of the integration of refugees and their families reunited under this Act.<br> (2) The report must consider the progress of refugees in—<br> (a) English language training,<br> (b) obtaining employment, and<br> (c) educational attainment for those under 18 years old.”

<p>This amendment seeks to ensure that family reunion aligns with a broader strategy to promote successful integration into British society.</p>

None

After Clause 1, insert the following new Clause- "National security and public order safeguards (1) The Secretary of State must refuse an application for family reunion where there is evidence that granting the application would (a) pose a threat to national security, or (b) undermine public order or safety in the United Kingdom. (2) In assessing such evidence, the Secretary of State may rely on intelligence or information provided by United Kingdom security agencies.”

29

After Clause 2, insert the following new Clause—<br> <b>“Decision relating to a person’s age</b><br> Any changes under section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971 made in accordance with section 1 of this Act must ensure that a family member’s leave to enter and remain cannot be granted unless—<br> (a) an age assessment, made under section 50 or 51 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 has been undertaken within a period of 48 hours of an application for family reunion status being made, under section 1 of this Act, and where the relevant authority, as noted in that Act, has reasonable grounds for doubting the stated age of the person seeking such status, and<br> (b) such a relevant authority deems the assessment to be satisfactory for the purposes of accurately assessing that person’s age on the day of the assessment.”

30

After Clause 2, insert the following new Clause—<br> <b>“Duty to collect data on family reunion status recipients</b><br> The Secretary of State must report on a quarterly basis and lay before Parliament anonymised details of each person granted family reunion status in the previous 12 months, specifically but not exclusively to include—<br> (a) country of origin;<br> (b) age when the claim was first made;<br> (c) accommodation status;<br> (d) current geographical location by local authority area;<br> (e) financial cost to the public purse of housing and other public services provision;<br> (f) criminal record where applicable;<br> (g) progress on immigration status, including issue of Refugee Travel Document;<br> (h) progress on integration status where applicable, including those persons seeking permission to work and study and those on volunteer programmes.”

2

Clause 1, page 1, line 2, leave out “6 months” and insert “one month”

3

Clause 1, page 1, line 6, leave out “21 days” and insert “three months”

6

Clause 1, page 1, line 8, leave out “persons they deem appropriate” and insert “—<br> (a) relevant local authorities;<br> (b) Home Office police forces;<br> (c) the National Crime Agency;<br> (d) UK Border Force;<br> (e) Royal Navy;<br> (f) the Security Services;<br> (g) the Secret Intelligence Service;<br> (h) HM Coastguard;<br> (i) HM Revenue and Customs;<br> (j) lnterpol;<br> (k) European Union Frontex.”

18

Clause 1, page 2, line 5, leave out “25” and insert “21”

21

Clause 1, page 2, line 16, leave out from “status,” to “or” on line 18

27

Clause 1, page 2, line 26, at end insert—<br> “(7) The Secretary of State must make arrangements for each applicant under subsection (1) to undergo a medical health assessment within a reasonable period after their application for family reunion status is made and no such application should be approved until such an assessment is undertaken.”

28

After Clause 2, insert the following new Clause—<br> <b>“Cases where family reunion status must not be granted</b><br> Notwithstanding the provisions in section 1(5)(a), the Secretary of State must not grant family reunion status to any person, who, within a period of the last ten years, has been removed from the United Kingdom by and after due legal process for any of the following grounds—<br> (a) breach of immigration conditions;<br> (b) overstaying a visa;<br> (c) illegal entry;<br> (d) criminal conviction(s);<br> (e) being deemed not conducive to the public good.”

13

Clause 1, page 1, line 23, leave out “or unmarried partner”

23

Clause 1, page 2, line 18, at end insert—<br> “(iva) intelligence or other information supplied in each individual case where provided by—<br> (A) the National Crime Agency;<br> (B) HM Coastguard;<br> (C) the Security Service;<br> (D) the Secret Intelligence Service;<br> (E) HM Revenue and Customs;<br> (F) Home Office police forces;<br> (G) the Serious Fraud Office;<br> (H) HM Army, Navy or Air Force;<br> (I) Interpol;<br> (J) European Union Frontex,”

22

Clause 1, page 2, line 18, at end insert—<br> “(iva) the importance of maintaining a secure border,”

<p>The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that border security is considered a key aspect of the Bill.</p>