About the Refugee Welcome Trust
Many refugees living in the UK have been forced to leave families behind in order to seek asylum and have often been apart from their partners and children for significant periods of time.
The Refugee Welcome Trust provides assistance for refugees to allow them to establish their life in the UK.
Once granted refugee status the dependents of a refugee can be given permission to come and reside in the UK. For many refugees the process of getting their families to the UK can be long and problematic. One of the main obstacles facing people in this situation is the cost associated with their family’s travel.
The Refugee Welcome Trust aims to provide grants for travel to the UK in order to allow refugees to be reunited with their families.
The Refugee Welcome Trust believe that family reunion is one of the key issues facing refugees in the UK. Many have been separated from their families for years whilst seeking asylum, with limited contact. For families who have already been through a traumatic experience this period of separation can cause further distress and prevent refugees from being able to settle properly in the UK.
Desperate to be reunited with their families some refugees go to extreme lengths to raise the money for their family’s travel including going without food and borrowing from anyone who’ll lend it. Some are forced to bring family members over separately as they can afford it meaning children can be sent unaccompanied which can leave them vulnerable to trafficking and abuse.
