We deserve better journalism than this. One that recognises complexity, is fully informed, centres harm reduction, and understands that policies shaped by sensationalism cause real damage to real people.
Broadcasters and press have a responsibility to our communities - and repeatedly centring exceptional negative cases while ignoring the overwhelming reality — people/families building lives, survivors seeking safety, communities contributing economically and socially — distorts public understanding.
But let's also be clear: Misuse is the exception, not the norm. Framing it as something more widespread — especially now — fuels suspicion, anti‑immigrant sentiment, and extremely harmful stereotypes.
There will always be those who exploit systems for personal gain, and they must be held accountable. This behaviour is criminal, undermines trust, harms those these routes exist to protect, and feeds narratives that ultimately make life harder and more dangerous for genuine survivors of abuse
RFUK has supported individuals experiencing domestic abuse whilst on spouse routes to settlement and our first priority will always be with the victim who deserves absolute protection, belief, support and access to a system that allows them to escape violence and rebuild their lives here in the UK.
UK visa fees have increased again. @rfuk.bsky.social has calculated that families on 5-year route to settlement now pay £6,697 in visa fees and £5,175 for IHS. The profit margin on the first partner visa fee is 77%.
See reunitefamiliesuk.co.uk/visa-fees-ha...
There's always been legal advisors who abuse the vulnerabilities of migrants and misuse the asylum system. They should be held to account - not the 2% legitimately seeking safety.
Don't be swayed by media narratives seeking to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment + justify horrendous, inhumane policies
"The suggestion that large numbers of people are falsely claiming #asylum on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is deeply misleading and risks harming those genuinely fleeing persecution."
Read our response to today's #BBC article: microrainbow.org/isolated-cas...
#LGBT
Read the concerns from the cross-sector meeting we convened in Parliament in which we together with experts, unions warn the Govt’s “earned settlement” plans will harm families, public services & the economy without delivering the claimed benefits.
Read more:
reunitefamiliesuk.co.uk/rfuks-multi%...
Prof Portes exposes once again the holes in the government's supposed savings of "earned settlement"
There’s no justification for these reforms, they should be scrapped.
Our public services won’t become better by making the lives of migrants more miserable and difficult than they already are.
If* immigration controls are a vital public service, they should be paid for out of general taxation, like other public services, not vastly subsidised by the people burdened by them. Fees have become outrageous, and waivers hard to obtain, all in return for a dysfunctional & cruel system
*big IF
One of the most progressive reforms you could make to our immigration system* would be to reduce sharply the outrageous cost of applying to come or to stay here
*short of abolishing it, obviously
and 3) please consider donating anything you can to help us help the many thousands of families thrown into financial hardship and children forced into further poverty
reunitefamiliesuk.co.uk/donate
2) Please follow Reunite Families UK here on Bluesky and over on Instagram www.instagram.com/reunitefamil...
If you believe Families Belong Together there are 3 easy things you can do:
1) Please share this thread
I had hopes that a Labour govt would make settling in the country I was born in easier and/or more affordable for us than under the Tories, but it seems they have other ideas
We believe couples, families and children deserve dignity, fairness and stability not extortionate fees.
It’s time to end excessive charging and fix a system that is harming families in plain sight.
Falling in love and wanting to live with your partner shouldn’t be a luxury. Yet today, it costs thousands of pounds just for the basic human right of living with one's family in the UK.
Children are affected too. No child should have to endure the stress of a family separated or under threat because their parents can’t afford to pay the fees
This system doesn’t just cost money it destroys lives. It traps people in uncertainty, makes them poorer, and stops them from building a fulfilling life here.
And if the government’s “earned settlement” proposals go through, these costs could rise even further. Couples and families may be forced into impossible financial pressure just to be together
For someone on the 5‑year route to settlement, this means:
💷 £6,697 in visa fees
💷 £5,175 in Immigration Health Surcharge
➡️ Nearly £12,000 before a family can settle permanently in the UK.
Couples and Families are being priced out of living together in the UK. #FamiliesBelongTogether
From today, for thousands of couples and families staying together in the UK just got even more expensive.
Visa fees are rising again — quietly wrecking lives.
We know that around 60–70% of many visa fees are profit
This is not cost recovery, it is excessive charging at the expense of families💔
📄 Read & share the full briefing here:
reunitefamiliesuk.co.uk/wp-content/u...
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed.
We will keep working together to oppose these damaging changes.
We are urging MPs across all parties to read the briefing and stand with the families, workers, unions and communities who will be directly affected.
Our cross-sector recommendations are clear:
❗Do not extend the qualifying period beyond 5 years
❗Protect families and provide transitional safeguards
❗Reduce financial burdens
❗Ensure clear, fair rules
❗Publish full impact assessments
No sector supported these changes.
Every expert agreed:
• They won’t save money
• They’ll worsen retention in essential services
• They’ll damage the UK’s competitiveness
• They’ll harm families and communities
Independent economic analysis shows the reforms will likely cost the Treasury billions, pushing away high skilled workers who make some of the strongest fiscal contributions to the country.
We will also be less appealing as a country to move to.
Families — including British children — would be hit hardest.
Longer routes mean more years of insecurity, more separations, and more children growing up in poverty due to No Recourse to Public Funds rules.
Children's mental health will also suffer as a result of these changes.
The UK would become a global outlier on immigration settlement.
While competitor countries offer settlement in 2–5 years, the UK would push people into a decade or more of instability and higher costs.