The issue of reuniting refugee families was brought back to the House of Commons last Thursday June 21 when Na h-Eileanan an Iar MP Angus MacNeil led a backbench debate on his Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill.
Mr MacNeil said: ‘Under Home office rules, adults with refugee status in the UK are able to sponsor their spouses/partners and their children under 18 to join them. It’s hard to imagine just how much joy must come at that moment of reunion.
‘But the restrictive nature of those rules, and the limited definition of family contained within them, leaves many unable to experience that joy. Children over 18 are not covered, nor are elderly parents or nieces and nephews. How many parents think their children stop needing them just because they’ve turned 18?