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Refugee family reunion in 2026: current status
This section summarises the position at the time of our last review, shown at the top of this page. Rules in this area are changing, so always check GOV.UK before you apply.
- New applications paused. New refugee family reunion applications were suspended from 3pm on 4 September 2025. In March 2026 the Home Office said the route "remains paused".
- Earlier applications. Applications made before the cut-off are still being decided under the old rules.
- Planned new rules. The Home Office said stricter rules, with income and English tests in line with Appendix FM, would come in "spring 2026". The route was still paused when the 2 March 2026 asylum reforms (opens in a new tab) were announced.
- Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026. Clause 17 proposes a new sponsor-led family application procedure. It is not yet law.
- What refugees can use now. The standard family visa route under Appendix FM. The fee is about £2,064 plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, and there is a minimum income requirement. There are fee waivers, and exceptions where refusal would be "unjustifiably harsh".
We translate documents; we cannot tell you which route fits your family. The British Red Cross family reunion service (opens in a new tab), a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) can help with that.
Whichever route you use, the evidence is much the same, and so is the need for translation. Appendix FM-SE says documents not in English or Welsh need "a full translation that can be independently verified". That is why every translation we deliver carries the translator's name, signature, contact details and the date.
Documents usually needed for family reunion
Families often ask us for a refugee family reunion documents checklist. The exact list depends on the route, the relationship and your solicitor's advice. The table shows the documents we most often translate for family reunion visa documents in the UK and for family visa applications.
| Family member | Documents we usually translate | Common languages |
|---|---|---|
| Husband or wife | Marriage certificate, Nikah Nama or Nikah Khat, church marriage certificate, national ID | Arabic, Urdu, Pashto, Dari, Tigrinya |
| Children | Birth certificates, family register entries, school records, vaccination cards | Tigrinya, Arabic, Farsi, Somali |
| Unmarried partner | Joint tenancy or property papers, letters to a shared address, messages | Farsi, Kurdish, Amharic |
| All applicants | Passports or ID cards, name-change papers, death or divorce certificates of former spouses | All |
| Relationship proof | WhatsApp chats, call logs, money transfer receipts, photos with captions | All |
Family reunion documents for children need particular care. Birth certificates from Eritrea, Afghanistan or Somalia may be issued late, from church or school records, or show dates in a different calendar. We translate what the document says and add a translator's note where a date needs converting.
Marriage and birth certificates from abroad
The marriage certificate is usually the central document for a spouse. We translate civil certificates, religious contracts and certificates issued years after the wedding. Our marriage certificate translation for family reunion page explains the formats in detail. If you need to translate a marriage certificate for family reunion from Pakistan, our Nikah Nama translation page covers the Urdu contract and the NADRA certificate.
Some marriages were religious only, or never registered. We can still translate the document you have. Whether the Home Office recognises the marriage is a legal question for your solicitor.
For children, see our birth certificate translation for asylum page, which also covers family visa use. We keep each child's name spelt the same on every translation. If spellings differ between documents, a statutory declaration for name spelling can explain the difference.
Proof of relationship: messages, call logs, money transfers
Caseworkers often want to see that a relationship is real and has continued. Family reunion evidence translation often covers:
- WhatsApp, Viber or Imo messages between spouses or with children.
- Call logs showing regular contact.
- Money transfer receipts from Western Union, hawala agents or bank apps, which may be in Arabic, Farsi or Amharic.
- Photos with handwritten captions or dates on the back.
We present chats in a clear table: date, time, sender and message, with the original language beside the English. Voice notes are transcribed and then translated. Our page on translating WhatsApp evidence for asylum shows the format. Your solicitor should choose which messages to include; translating every message of a five-year chat is rarely needed.
Documents sent by family members outside the UK
Most family visa for refugees UK translation work starts abroad. Your wife, husband or children may be in Ethiopia, Sudan, Pakistan, Iran or Turkey. They do not need to post anything to us.
- Your family member photographs each page in daylight, flat, with all four corners showing.
- They upload the photos using our secure form, or send them to you to upload.
- You, as the sponsor in the UK, can pay by card, bank transfer, PayPal or another common payment method. The family does not need a UK bank account.
- We translate and certify, then email PDFs to the family, the sponsor and the solicitor.
We work from clear copies. Keep the originals safe, because the visa application centre or the Home Office may ask to see them.
Our translators know the documents each country issues. Eritrean families often send Tigrinya church and civil papers; see Tigrinya asylum document translation. Sudanese and Syrian families send Arabic certificates; see Arabic asylum document translation. Iranian families send a Shenasnameh with Solar Hijri dates; see Farsi asylum document translation. Pakistani families send NADRA and Union Council papers; see Urdu asylum document translation. We also cover Pashto, Dari, Kurdish, Amharic and Somali.
When a notarised translation helps
UK Visas and Immigration does not require notarised translations; a properly certified translation meets the published rules. However, some visa application centres or embassies abroad occasionally ask for extra formality. In that case we can arrange a notarised translation for refugees with a UK notary public, from £45 per bundle. This adds 1 working day. Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts.
Other services that sometimes help family applications:
- A certified true copy service for refugees, when you must keep the original but send a copy.
- An apostille translation service, when a document will be used in another country that asks for legalisation.
Only order these if an authority has asked. Most families need certified translations and nothing more.
Frequently asked questions
Is refugee family reunion open right now?
No. New refugee family reunion applications have been paused since 3pm on 4 September 2025, and in March 2026 the Home Office said the route remains paused. Applications made before that time are still being decided. Many families now use the Appendix FM family visa route. Please check GOV.UK for the latest position and speak to a solicitor or IAA-regulated adviser before applying.
Can my wife upload documents from abroad?
Yes. She can photograph the documents on her phone and upload them from any country through our secure form. You can pay from the UK. We send the finished translations to both of you, and to your solicitor if you give us their email. Files are encrypted in transit and deleted after delivery.
Do translations need to be notarised?
Usually not. The Home Office rules set out what a translation must include, and notarisation is not one of them. A few visa application centres or embassies abroad sometimes ask for notarised or legalised copies. Only order notarisation if the centre or your solicitor tells you it is needed; we can arrange it if so.
Which documents prove our relationship?
For a spouse, the marriage certificate is the main document, backed by evidence of contact such as messages, call logs and money transfers. For children, birth certificates and family register entries. Your solicitor decides what to send, because the rules differ by route. We then translate whatever they select, in full.
Can you translate our WhatsApp messages?
Yes. We translate chats from screenshots or exported chat files. Each message appears in a table with its date, time and sender, next to the original text. Voice notes are transcribed first and then translated. Appendix FM documents translation often includes a selection of messages over time rather than every message.
Bringing your family to the UK is a long process, and translation should be the easy part. Upload your documents for a family visa translation quote, and we will reply with a price and delivery date before you pay.
Last reviewed 1 October 2026. This page explains our translation service and is not legal advice.