"My son says I miss you, when am I seeing you?' Sometimes I lie to give him false hope. There's a growing detachment there, because he knows I have lied to him. Kim is an asylum seeker based in Yorkshire, England. The 35-year-old, who has asked to use only a pseudonym out of fears for her safety, is among those in the UK who do not know when or if they will be able to see their children again, as the Labour government cracks down on the asylum system."
"Kim is on an access course pathway to training as a nurse while awaiting a decision on her asylum case. This means that even if her asylum case is successful, it will be four years before she can hope to earn 29,000 and, until the government provides further detail, she has no idea when she can hope to see her son, who is 13, again. The last time Kim saw her son in person he was four."
"Then, they could become eligible to sponsor family members to come to the UK, but since the government warns the same conditions may apply to refugees as to other legal migrants and UK citizens, refugees don't know if they will face the 29,000-a-year minimum income requirements before they can sponsor a loved one to join them."
The UK government published a policy document proposing sweeping asylum changes aimed at easing strain on the asylum system and social services. The policy would end the automatic right to family reunion for refugees. Refugees would transition to a new protection work-and-study visa after status, pay a fee, and qualify to sponsor family only after employment or study at appropriate levels. Refugees may face the same sponsor conditions as other migrants and citizens, including a possible £29,000-a-year minimum income threshold. Many asylum seekers pursuing training cannot meet the threshold for years, leaving reunification uncertain and families separated.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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