Member

I am afraid that my noble friend’s proposed amendment, by expanding the scope and definition, would cause difficulties for the Government’s consistent position on legal migration and for those forthcoming reforms. To be clear, despite the suspension of the family reunion route, those with protected status can still use other family routes to sponsor a partner and/or child to come to the UK. The existing appendix child relative route allows for a close relative with protection status to sponsor a child to stay with them or to join them, but only when there are serious and compelling circumstances. That is precisely the situation where the child has no family, other than the close relative, who could reasonably be expected to support or care for them. I argue to the House that, to uphold the integrity of the route that we have in place at the moment, it is essential for it to be only for children.