Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government’s proposed community sponsorship arrangements will allow established community groups and local supporters to nominate and sponsor named individuals or families who are currently within Gaza.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Palestinians who remain in Gaza will not be eligible for the named community sponsorship route from the outset.
To provide a lasting solution and support resettlement on a larger scale, the new routes will initially focus on individuals who meet the international definition of a refugee, or Palestinian refugees who fall outside UNHCR’s mandate. This will ensure that protection needs are assessed against established international standards and through robust processes based on existing resettlement schemes. The new routes will therefore initially be available only to refugees who are outside their country of origin.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Independent - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the quality and speed of communication with Ukrainian refugees on their continued immigration status from the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Permission Extension schemes.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK.
The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty and stability. Earlier this year, the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme was extended, meaning eligible Ukrainians who continue to require sanctuary in the UK can secure up to three and a half years’ permission in total under UPE, in addition to any permission previously granted under the Ukraine Schemes. The UPE application window has also been increased from 28 to 90 days, responding to stakeholder feedback and providing greater flexibility for Ukrainians planning their employment, housing and education.
The first permissions granted under the UPE extension will not begin to expire until August 2028. The Government recognises the importance of providing longer-term clarity and sufficient notice of any future arrangements so that individuals, families and employers can plan appropriately.
No decisions have yet been taken on future arrangements for Ukrainians in the UK. The Government is actively considering the longer-term arrangements, informed by stakeholder engagement, including the Ukrainian Government, and the experiences of Ukrainians living here, and will provide further information in due course to support Ukrainians in planning for their futures.
The Home Office continues to provide information through GOV.UK and works with community and non-government organisations to ensure individuals are informed and supported.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Independent - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide reassurance to refugees on the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Permission Extension schemes, regarding their continued immigration status.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK.
The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty and stability. Earlier this year, the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme was extended, meaning eligible Ukrainians who continue to require sanctuary in the UK can secure up to three and a half years’ permission in total under UPE, in addition to any permission previously granted under the Ukraine Schemes. The UPE application window has also been increased from 28 to 90 days, responding to stakeholder feedback and providing greater flexibility for Ukrainians planning their employment, housing and education.
The first permissions granted under the UPE extension will not begin to expire until August 2028. The Government recognises the importance of providing longer-term clarity and sufficient notice of any future arrangements so that individuals, families and employers can plan appropriately.
No decisions have yet been taken on future arrangements for Ukrainians in the UK. The Government is actively considering the longer-term arrangements, informed by stakeholder engagement, including the Ukrainian Government, and the experiences of Ukrainians living here, and will provide further information in due course to support Ukrainians in planning for their futures.
The Home Office continues to provide information through GOV.UK and works with community and non-government organisations to ensure individuals are informed and supported.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on updating refugee family reunion provisions, including expected timescales for implementation following the suspension of previous refugee family reunion routes.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government recognises the importance of family unity and acknowledges that people who seek protection in the UK may have been separated from their families by conflict, persecution or circumstances beyond their control.
Our reforms to the asylum system, announced last autumn, mean that those granted protection will not have an automatic right to family reunion. Those who successfully move off Core Protection and enter a Work and Study visa route could become eligible to sponsor family members to come to the UK.
Our new approach will strike a fair balance between the circumstances of individual families and the wider public interest. It will be flexible enough to protect the most vulnerable while ensuring the system remains controlled and sustainable. Detailed future arrangements for family members of people with protection status remain under development.
Applications made under Appendix Family Reunion before the suspension continue to be considered under the rules in place at the time they applied.
During the suspension, other family routes, including Appendix FM, are available for family members of sponsors with protection, if they consider they meet the relevant immigration rules. More information on family visas can be found on GOV.UK at: Family visas: apply, extend or switch: Overview - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the refugee family reunion suspension in place since 4 September 2025.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Given the immediate pressures that result from family reunion, we suspended the Refugee Family Reunion route to new applications on 4 September 2025. This was a difficult but necessary decision.
During the suspension, the Government is taking forward wider asylum and family migration reforms to place the system on a fair, controlled and sustainable footing, as set out in the Immigration White Paper and the Restoring Order and Control statement. Details of forthcoming changes will be set out in due course.
Impacts of the suspension continue to be monitored, with equality impacts considered throughout the policy development process.
During the suspension, other family routes, including Appendix FM, are available to family members of those with protection status, if they meet the relevant requirements.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to end the refugee family reunion suspension, which has been in place since 4 September 2025.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Given the immediate pressures that result from family reunion, we suspended the Refugee Family Reunion route to new applications on 4 September 2025. This was a difficult but necessary decision.
During the suspension, the Government is taking forward wider asylum and family migration reforms to place the system on a fair, controlled and sustainable footing, as set out in the Immigration White Paper and the Restoring Order and Control statement. Details of forthcoming changes will be set out in due course.
Impacts of the suspension continue to be monitored, with equality impacts considered throughout the policy development process.
During the suspension, other family routes, including Appendix FM, are available to family members of those with protection status, if they meet the relevant requirements.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the activities of successful asylum applicants.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
We do not routinely monitor those who are granted asylum or leave to remain but refugees, and those granted protection in the UK, have equitable access to the resources and support necessary to fully integrate into life here, achieve self-sufficiency, provide for themselves and their families, and contribute to the UK economy.
Integration outcomes of asylum refugees and refugees resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and Vulnerable Children Resettlement Schemes is available on GOV.UK at: Refugee Integration Outcomes (RIO) Insights - GOV.UK. RIO aims to create a comprehensive dataset of refugee outcomes by linking Home Office data with administrative data from across government.
Under our new Core Protection model, we have moved away from the presumption of permanent protection, and instead will provide protection for the duration of need. Where a person no longer requires protection, including where their personal circumstances or a country situation has changed, they will be expected to return home.
Everyone is expected to abide by the law; this includes refugees and other foreign nationals. This Government is clear that those who commit serious crimes and pose a danger to the community and those who otherwise pose a threat to national security will have their refugee status revoked because they no longer deserve our protection and the generous benefits that come with such status. Instead, they will be removed from the UK at the earliest opportunity. Where evidence comes to light that demonstrates that a person obtained their protection status fraudulently, we will seek to revoke their status.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to include the time spent by Ukrainian refugees in the UK since the invasion of Ukraine in the qualifying period necessary to be granted permanent residence.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The Ukraine Schemes were established to provide temporary sanctuary in the UK for Ukrainians and their eligible family members fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. They do not confer refugee status or international protection and are distinct from the asylum system.
From the outset, the Government has been clear that the Ukraine Schemes are temporary in nature and do not provide a route to settlement. Time spent in the UK under the Ukraine Schemes does not count towards the Long Residence route. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s wishes for His Majesty’s Government to offer temporary sanctuary, due to its strong desire for the eventual return of its citizens to Ukraine once it is safe to do so.
The Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK. The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty, including extending the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and widening the application window.
The Government is considering the future position drawing on evidence from across government, academia, civil society and stakeholder engagement. The Government will respond in a responsible and considered manner and intends to make a further statement in due course.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of exempting families with children from the reduction in the move-on period for refugees in accommodation from 56 days to 28 days.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office has not reduced the move on period. In December 2024, the Home Office began piloting an extended 56-day grace period. In September 2025, the pilot was paused for single adults and came to an end for all cohorts on 8 March 2026.
From the 9 March, the Home Office implemented a policy of setting the grace period for all individuals granted leave exiting the asylum accommodation estate to 42 days. When making this decision the equality impacts were considered and an equality impact assessment was completed, as required through the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Our approach to reviewing support for families with children has regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children as required by section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an equality impact assessment was conducted on the decision to reduce the move-on period for refugees in accommodation from 56 days to 28 days.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Home Office has not reduced the move on period. In December 2024, the Home Office began piloting an extended 56-day grace period. In September 2025, the pilot was paused for single adults and came to an end for all cohorts on 8 March 2026.
From the 9 March, the Home Office implemented a policy of setting the grace period for all individuals granted leave exiting the asylum accommodation estate to 42 days. When making this decision the equality impacts were considered and an equality impact assessment was completed, as required through the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Our approach to reviewing support for families with children has regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children as required by section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009.