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...

The Guardian reports that the UK starts reviewing post-Brexit residency rights of EU citizens who are no longer “continuously” living in the country. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

If you are travelling to the Schengen area, be aware that the EU has introduced the EU Entry/Exit Scheme (EES). Leave time for delays on arrival to and exit from Schengen countries. More info here: www.abta.com/tips-and-adv...

Love, Borders, Brexit Podcast Series: Gavin and Stephanie, a UK-Slovakian couple, tell us about the challenges returning families face when navigating a complex and inflexible visa system. open.spotify.com/episode/79Rd...

Love, Borders, Brexit Podcast Series: Andy, a UK citizen undergoing treatment for cancer, and Linda, a Dutch national, tell us about their experiences with the inflexible and costly UK immigration system, and the impact it has had on their mental health and plans. open.spotify.com/episode/7get...

The 'Earned Settlement' proposals affect not only Brexit couples, but all international families, as this Guardian article shows. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Our team recently presented our project findings at Parliament! Thank you to the MPs, Embassy and Consulate staff, professional organisations and our advisory board for attending. A special thanks to @rfuk.bsky.social and @the3million.bsky.social for responding to our research at the event!

Join us for the online launch of our project report, podcast, and illustrations tomorrow (11 March)! Click the link below to learn more: brexitcouples.ac.uk/projectrepor...

The BBC has reported on our research. Read "UK-EU couples face 'arduous' system post-Brexit" here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Please join us for the online launch of our project report, podcast, and illustrations! Click the link below to learn more: brexitcouples.ac.uk/projectrepor...

Listen to 'Love, Borders, Brexit' - the Brexit Couples Project Podcast Series - on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. brexitcouples.ac.uk/podcast/

🚨MEDIA ALERT 🚨Katharine from the Brexit Couples Team spoke on the BBC Radio Bristol Breakfast show about the Brexit Couples project (segment starts 10:26). www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

We wanted to promote these roundtable discussions and zine workshops, which offer the opportunity to hear about the impacts of hostile laws on cross-border families and from experts in different fields. familymigrationandreunion.eventbrite.co.uk

Check out this new briefing from Free Movement on how to apply for a UK spouse or partner visa: freemovement.org.uk/how-to-apply...

A new briefing has been published by the Migration Observatory: EU Migration to and from the UK. Click the link to dive into the data on EU/UK migration: migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

Update: Our submission to the Home Affairs Committee "Routes to Settlement Inquiry" has been published! Click here to see our submission: brexitcouples.ac.uk/publications...

Update! The Brexit Couples project final report has been sent to the printers and will be launched at an event in Parliament on 25th February, followed by an online launch open to all. More details to follow...

We are taking a break over Christmas, and wish you a peaceful festive season!

And here's another government inquiry on settlement, citizenship, and integration . Deadline to submit is 23 January 2026. committees.parliament.uk/call-for-evi...

Back with another consultation this week. The government is consulting on how the current settlement system should be reformed and on the implementation of those reforms. Deadline to submit is February 12, 2026 www.gov.uk/government/c...

The Home Affairs Committee has launched a new inquiry to examine proposals to reform the eligibility criteria for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Click the link for submission guidelines: committees.parliament.uk/committee/83...

We, like so many others, are alarmed at the suggestion that the UK could take inspiration from the Danish immigration system, which is one of the most restrictive in Europe for family migration. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Here is a new explainer from Free Movement on navigating the unmarried partner route under Appendix FM. freemovement.org.uk/navigating-t...

Our team will be presenting tomorrow at the University of Edinburgh, titled: "Evidencing Relationships: Young, mobile UK-EU couples and the UK immigration regime". Click to link to learn more www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crfr-socio...

Were excited to be working on co-produced illustrations for the Brexit Couples Final report, more to come soon!

Here is the HOC Library report on Changes to UK visa and settlement rules after the 2025 immigration white paper. There is no increase to the qualifying period planned for partners of British Citizens. We await more news before the end of the year. commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Our project team has recently published a conceptual paper in Comparative Migration Studies! It's open access, so click the link to learn more about their work: comparativemigrationstudies.springeropen.com/articles/10....

Thanks to the participants at the Brexit Couples workshop in Bristol earlier this month. We were inspired by your input!

We are working on a podcast series called 'Love, Borders, Brexit' - more details soon!

The Home Office has released new immigration statistics. Click the link to learn more: www.gov.uk/government/s...

The Brexit Couples project is back online after our break. Over the summer, the Migration Observatory published a useful new briefing on family migration to the UK. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

The Brexit Couples project is pausing social media activity for a summer break. We'll be back online in September.

The Brexit Couples team presented at the IMISCOE conference in Paris earlier this month, including organising this great panel on migrantisation with Bridget Anderson, Janine Dahinden, Melanie Griffiths, Saara Pelander, and Jaana Palander #IMISCOE2025

Two weeks ago, we held an academic workshop on the Legal World of Family Life, which brought together academics from 14 different universities to discuss the ramifications of family migration law in a wide array of contexts

Congratulations to Reunite Families UK for their 'Love in Limbo' event held in Parliament to highlight the harms caused by the UK family immigration system. You can watch the recording here (event starts at 9 minutes 50 seconds) www.youtube.com/watch?v=d45A...

On 19 June, Helena from the Brexit Couples Project team presents "How family migration rules impact on people’s working lives" at the 'The Zero-Sum Game of Labour Exploitation' workshop, organised by Oxford Brookes University. www.eventbrite.com/e/the-zero-s...

We welcome the Migration Advisory Committee's (MAC) recommendations in their report released today to reduce the Minimum Income Requirement, and increase flexibility in how it is met www.gov.uk/government/p...

Special shout out to our Project Administrator for publishing a blog with @mmbuob.bsky.social on co-production and his PhD research. migration.bristol.ac.uk/2025/06/02/w...

'I paid £11k to get my visa due to Home Office errors - then had a stroke' inews.co.uk/news/11k-vis...

A New Explainer from Free Movement: What does the immigration white paper say about family, deportation and other areas? freemovement.org.uk/what-does-th...

The Government's White Paper doesn't offer much on family migration, delaying till the end of 2025. But it will keep the 5-year route to settlement for dependents of citizens (p69), and change 'suitability' and 'exceptional circumstances' (p43-44). www.gov.uk/government/p...

DEADLINE EXTENDED: This Call for Abstracts has been extended till Friday, May 9th! brexitcouples.ac.uk/call-for-pap...

Call for Papers Alert: We're organising an academic workshop on the Legal World of Family Migration. This call aims to begin a discussion of the characteristics and dynamics of this legal world and the use of law and legality in family migration. brexitcouples.ac.uk/call-for-pap...

@freemovement.bsky.social has published an updated explainer on the financial requirements for UK spouse and partner visas. Click below to read more: freemovement.org.uk/appendix-fm-...

Check out the latest version of our project's newsletter! Click below to see what we have been up to: brexitcouples.ac.uk/newsletters/...

This Big Issue article talks to families that are separated for not earning enough under 'unfair' UK visa rules: "I can't take care of my husband" www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

MEDIA ALERT: "Visa requirements are very onerous, they have caused a lot of hardship, a lot of sorrow and a lot of separations" Read Co-PI Helena Wray's interview with Radio Télévision Suisse (Switzerland). Now online: www.rts.ch/info/monde/2...

"I’m separated from my one-year-old son due to Home Office visa rule – it’s agonising" Read another story about the impacts of visas and the income requirements for families trying to come to the UK. www.msn.com/en-gb/family...

"We have a beautiful relationship that's turned into the best thing in my life." In this BBC article, a UK-French couple talk about the impacts of the visa costs and income requirements on their life together and how they were finally reunited. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New analysis from Migration Observatory shows that family visas for the partners of British citizens or permanent residents in the UK decreased by 8% in the second half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, after the MIR increase migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/press/migrat...