Report on – 33rd IC Resolution 4: Restoring Family Links while respecting privacy, including as it relates to personal data protection (33IC/19/R4) – U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office

¿ Ha incorporado el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en los planes estratégicos u operativos pertinentes?

Los compromisos han sido incorporados en
política
plan operativo

A nacional, local nivel

Explicación:

The UK Government put in place three schemes to provide sanctuary to Ukrainians fleeing the war: the Ukraine Family Scheme (UFS), the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (also known as Homes for Ukraine – HFU) and the Ukraine Extension Scheme (UES) to support Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members who wish to either come to or remain in the UK. These have allowed eligible Ukrainian nationals to join family members or extend their stay, in the UK. Those who were granted permission under the Ukraine Schemes can live, work and study in the UK and access public funds for up to three years. The Ukraine schemes are a humanitarian response designed to provide temporary sanctuary for Ukrainians who are forced to flee the war in Ukraine. They are not routes to settlement or refugee schemes.

Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 1 Stage 2: Separated Families: During the evacuation from Kabul in August 2021, some of those evacuated were separated from their immediate family members. In October 2023, the then Minister for Immigration committed to Parliament that we would begin to receive referrals for the immediate family members of those evacuated under ACRS P1 in the first half of 2024. Accordingly, this pathway is due to open at the end of June 2024.

The UK has also continued the following policies which have helped to facilitate family reunification:  

Refugee Family Reunion Policy: Families can become fragmented because of the nature of conflict and persecution, and the speed and manner in which those seeking asylum are often forced to flee their country of origin. The refugee family reunion policy in the UK seeks to uphold the principle of family reunion by providing a safe and legal route to bring families together. Eligible family members are set out in the Immigration Rules – this includes the partner and children who formed part of the family unit before their sponsor left the country of their former habitual residence in order to seek protection in the UK. Where an applicant is a child over 18, they must meet the exceptional circumstances requirements set out within the Immigration Rules in order to qualify for permission to stay or entry clearance. This includes whether the applicant is dependent on the sponsor for financial and emotional support in the UK and is not leading an independent life.

Child joining or staying with a Non-Parent Relative (Protection) (Appendix CNP): Appendix CNP allows for extended family with protection status in the UK to sponsor children to join them where there are serious and compelling circumstances. Appendix CNP requires sponsors to demonstrate that suitable arrangements have been made for the child’s care which serve to ensure that children may only come to the UK under this route where it is in their best interest and prevents further strain on local authorities. This route enables children, who must be under 18, to stay with or join their relative, provided that they meet the relationship, identity and maintenance and accommodation eligibility requirements set out in the immigration rules, which would demonstrate serious and compelling circumstances.

Consular assistance: The UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and UK embassies, high commissions and consulates have continued to help British nationals abroad in a range of circumstances. The provision of consular assistance can include, providing information to family in the UK about an individual’s situation and, if informed about the death of a British national abroad and no family are present, asking the police to inform the family in the UK. Consular assistance may involve signposting to visa options for family members who may need visas to travel to the UK.

Welfare/safegaurding provision in immigration removal services:

The Home Office takes the welfare and safety of people in our care very seriously. Immigration removal centres (IRCs) provide secure and humane accommodation for detained persons in a relaxed regime with as much freedom of movement and association as possible, consistent with maintaining a safe and secure environment. Welfare services are available in each IRC 7 days a week and will assist detained individuals with the following services: finances, domestic, education, contact with family and friends, property, legal, departures/voluntary departures, preparation for departure, centres’ regimes, and release. Alongside this, welfare services can assist in making contact with the British Red Cross to access their tracing services, trace telephone numbers of friends in the UK, and can assist in contacting and communicating with Consular / Embassy officials, as a priority. They may liaise with social services to seek advice on how a detained individual might arrange contact (where allowed) with children in local authority care and contact local visitors’ schemes if the detained individual is isolated or remote from any UK relatives or friends, signposting detained individuals to any additional support services within the IRC (e.g., counselling), as required. Further information can be found in DSO 07/2013 Welfare in Immigration Removal Centres.

All people in IRCs are provided with a mobile phone and have access to landline telephones on request, email and video calling facilities, which can be used to contact legal representatives, family, or friends.  The provision of internet access is also an important means of helping those in detention to remain in contact with family, friends and legal representatives and to prepare for removal. Regulated access to the internet is available in every IRC. Social visits and Skype video calling appointments are available for booking to enable residents to contact friends and family who are within the UK or overseas. Interpretation services and translation devices are also available for individuals in detention.

Welfare/safeguarding provision in asylum accommodation:

The asylum accommodation support contracts safegaurdingsafeguarding framework specifies that each provider should proactively identify and implement frameworks and processes relating to safeguarding and the protection of vulnerable Sservice Uusers, on an ongoing basis, across all aspects of their service delivery. They should ensure that they are aligned with the Home Office policies and guidance relating to Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Further information can be found: Asylum support contracts safeguarding framework – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

There are also provisions within immigration guidance to support decision makers in their approach to dealing with dependents on asylum applications to enable families to be accommodated together and supported. Further information can be found: Dependents in asylum support applications: caseworker guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

UK Missing Persons Unit (UKMPU): The UKMPU has national oversight of unidentified remains and holds a database of these cases.  The team works with all UK police forces to try to identify those individuals, providing advice and guidance on biometrics (DNA, fingerprints, dentals) and how they can be used to try and confirm identify, along with a number of investigative routes.  The UKMPU also advises police forces on how to conduct international enquiries, ensuring that details of remains are shared appropriately with our international law enforcement partners if there is an indication that the individual may have come from another country (such as foreign currency, make of clothing etc.).  We facilitate the sharing of biometrics of UK unidentified remains internationally, to assist with their identification and to help ensure that every effort is made to give the identity back to that individual and to provide closure for families.  The unit has also loaded all unidentified remains cases to iFamilia, an Interpol DNA database to ensure every effort is made to identify the individuals, and receives details of unidentified remains from other countries, which can be checked against our Missing Persons DNA Database to see if we have a matching missing person report.

Ha trabajado el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución con otros asociados para poner en práctica los empeños contenidos en esta resolución?

En asociación con:
Sociedad Nacional de la Cruz Roja o de la Media Luna Roja de su país
CICR/Federación Internacional

Ejemplos de cooperación:

British Red Cross

BRC family reunion services offer a range of support across the UK, including: integration support, legal advice and travel assistance. In partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the BRC finances and arranges the travel for some family members who have been granted Refugee Family Reunion visas to the UK. The BRC liaises with a number of UK agencies on this work, including the Home Office and the police.

ICRC

The FCDO provides significant funding to ICRC globally, including £48m per year of unearmarked core funds. This funding contributes to ICRC’s global restoring family links role and programmes.

¿Ha habido dificultades para poner en práctica los empeños contenidos en esta resolución?

¿Han incidido los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en el trabajo y la dirección del Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución?

Tipo de repercusión:
otros asociados

Describa detalladamente las repercusiones:

The Resolution has enabled improved data sharing practices across Government and instructed the use of increasingly robust safeguarding and welfare services frameworks, particularly with local authorities to support the integration of migrants and refugees, including children. These data practices enable the proportionate mobilisation of financial and personnel resource across central and local government, and enabled monitoring function to track progress.

5. Han incidido los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en las comunidades a las que el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución presta servicios?

Describa las repercusiones:

Collectively, the methodologies have led to the UK offering or extending sanctuary to over 290,000 Ukrainians since the start of the war in February 2022. In the year ending March 2024, 12,378 Ukrainians were granted family reunion visas – over half of which were children. The Resolution has informed the development of integration policy and operational procedures to enable these individuals to participate in their communities socially, culturally, and economically.