95bFM New report suggests family reunification system failing
17 February, 2025
Interview by Joel Armstrong, adapted by Imogene Bedford
As refugee family support visa backlogs grow, Co-director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Refugee Studies at the University of Auckland, Jay Marlowe, says an urgent solution is necessary.
A recent report, ‘Reuniting Families, a path forward for Aotearoa New Zealand,’ expresses concerns that migrant refugees hoping to be reunited with family are facing a seven-year backlog.
In collaboration with the University of Auckland’s Centre for Asia-Pacific Refugee Studies, the New Zealand Red Cross has released a review of Aotearoa’s refugee family reunification system.
Although the current visa scheme provides for an intake of 600 family members under the Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC), research has found that ten times that number are currently waiting for a place.
Co-director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Refugee Studies at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work, Professor Joseph Marlowe, told 95bFM’s The Wire that adjustments to the current system will be key to relieving the pressure.
The report proposes four options: clearing the backlog, increasing the RFSC, refining the intake focus, and introducing a community role.
These could be enacted individually or in combination to facilitate a more efficient family reunification system.
Marlowe says respect for the right to family has important social benefits for migrant refugees.
“[Reunification is] about giving opportunities for people to feel that they belong, that they feel secure, and that they can more fully contribute to the wider society.”
But while it already “makes sense” to reunite families, he says it also “makes dollars and cents.”
The Centre’s research has found that RFSC migrants tend to have very positive income and employment outcomes compared to other migrant groups.
He says this is because being reunited with family “allows people to participate as peers in civil society.”
If enacted, it’s hoped the proposed adjustments would clear the backlog within four years.
However, Associate Minister of Immigration, Casey Costello’s recent comments about budgetary constraints don’t bode well for any changes to the RFSC intake.
Marlowe fears this inaction will only escalate the current systemic imbalances.
“I would just like to emphasise that the time to act is now. Waiting for seven years is far too long.”
