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Written question asked by Luke Evans (Conservative) on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 4 September 2026. It was answered by Jo White (Labour) on Friday, 11 September 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Marriage: Relatives

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will conduct an assessment of the [i] current levels of cases refused by Entry Clearance Officers raising concerns about the nature of a cousin marriage and [ii] the reasons why the concerns were raised about these marriages.

Answer

Those wishing to live with a family member need a family visa. Those seeking to come to the UK as a partner or spouse must show that any marriage is valid and that they are in a genuine and subsisting relationship, as set out in the Immigration Rules.

The Family Immigration Rules require that partners must not be closely related but do not prohibit cousin marriage in line with UK legislation.

The joint Home Office and Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) works to combat forced marriage both at home and abroad. Where an immigration application raises concerns that a marriage may have been forced, these are considered as part of the individual case and may be referred to the FMU. Statistics on forced marriage are set out here: Forced Marriage Unit statistics 2025 - GOV.UK.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26642
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Entry clearances Marriage Relatives
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk