By Muvija M

Item 1 of 2 A group of migrants on an inflatable dinghy leave the coast of northern France in an attempt to cross the English Channel to reach Britain, from the beach of Petit-Fort-Philippe in Gravelines, near Calais, France, August 25, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

[1/2] A group of migrants on an inflatable dinghy leave the coast of northern France in an attempt to cross the English Channel to reach Britain, from the beach of Petit-Fort-Philippe in Gravelines, near Calais, France, August 25, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

LONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Britain said on Monday it would suspend applications from registered refugees to bring family members into the country in order to give the government time to toughen the rules, its latest attempt to cut the number of arrivals.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government is under mounting pressure to reduce the number of asylum seekers reaching Britain from France in small boats, after hotels housing migrants became a focal point for weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper told parliament that more and more refugees had applied to bring in family members, placing pressure on housing across the country.

Many were applying to bring over families within about a month whereas, as recently as 2019, they were waiting one or two years or more.

Cooper said she would suspend the system while the government looked to toughen the rules.

“The system has to be controlled and managed based on fair and properly enforced rules, not chaos and exploitation driven by criminal smuggler gangs,” she said.

Accused of moving too slowly, the government says it is tackling a problem left by previous Conservative-led administrations by trying to speed up the processing of asylum claims and brokering return deals with other nations.

But the public discontent has handed Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party a consistent lead in opinion polls, prompting the government to go further.

Under the current system, an asylum seeker granted indefinite leave to remain can bring their partner if they can prove they have been in a relationship for at least two years, and children under the age of 18.

Just over 29,000 people have come to Britain unofficially on small boats so far this year, up 38% on the comparable period in 2024.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

The United States is seeking a regime change in his country with a naval deployment in the Caribbean, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday in a rare press conference.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More