Britain is to review the application of EU human rights rules that allow immigrants to bring their families into the country, the Home Office said Sunday. The review will look at how Britain deals with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights which guarantees "the right to a family life".
Immigration is a sensitive topic in Britain, following a surge in the last decade, regularly featuring high in opinion polls of voter concerns.
The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported the case of Peace Musabi who fled Burundi seeking asylum in Britain. She was given "indefinite leave to remain" after her files were lost and has now won permission to bring her three children into Britain under Article 8.
Her immigration status would not normally give her the right to bring dependants into Britain. The Home Office said it did not believe her test case formed a precedent. A second similar case is currently in the courts. "Article 8 does not give an absolute right to remain here. We will continue to remove those who break the rules and try to play the system," a Home Office spokesman said.