This week, we are campaigning with Migrant Voice to raise awareness of the impact of the UK immigration system on the mental health of British citizens and residents and their non-UK partners and families.
Mental Health Week UK is from 9th-15th May, with the UN Day of the Family on 15th May.
We will be running a Twitter campaign – follow us on @ReuniteDivFamil, hashtag #whatstherealcost? !
Both surveys and case studies show the dramatic impact of the visa process on families – for example, this study Reunite Families UK did for a parliamentary committee showed 93% of respondents reporting ‘terrible’, ‘very negative’ or ‘negative’ impact on mental health as a result of visa-enforced separation, even if temporary, with similar impact on physical health, finances, and the state of relationships with the wider family and friends.
This aspect of the immigration system is a trial by ordeal for those who have been through it and the long-lasting impact on the family have hitherto not received the attention it deserves.
