Home / War and Conflict / Afghans Resettled in UK Struggle to Reunite with Families After Data Breach
Afghans Resettled in UK Struggle to Reunite with Families After Data Breach
5 Aug
Summary
- Major data breach exposed details of 100,000 Afghans seeking UK sanctuary
- Charities and lawyers urge government to ease family reunification for Afghan refugees
- Afghans resettled under Arap and ACRS schemes unable to sponsor family members
According to a news report from 2025, the UK government is facing mounting pressure to allow Afghans granted sanctuary in Britain to bring their loved ones to the country. This comes after a major data breach in 2022 that put the lives of up to 100,000 Afghans at risk from the Taliban.
More than 50 refugee charities and lawyers have written to the government, urging them to make it easier for Afghans who were allowed to relocate to the UK due to their links with British forces to bring their family members, many of whom are in danger of reprisals, with them. The "catastrophic" data leak earlier this year involved the personal details of thousands of Afghans who had applied for sanctuary in Britain being shared online.
The government is being warned that it has "no time to waste" if it wants to prevent the worst consequences of the data breach from becoming a reality. Charities and rights groups say the current family reunification routes for Afghans are highly restrictive, often involving costly application fees and extensive documentation requirements. This has led to many applications being refused, forcing families to endure lengthy appeals.
Experts are calling for a more compassionate and pragmatic approach from the Home Office to allow Afghans resettled in the UK to be safely reunited with their families. They argue that the government has a moral responsibility to support the Afghan people who continue to suffer, including as a result of the data leak.
